Document Detail


Affective startle modulation in clinical depression: preliminary findings.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  10459405     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Modulation of the startle reflex by affective foreground stimuli was investigated in a group receiving inpatient treatment for major depressive episodes (n = 14) and an age and gender matched nondepressed group (n = 14). METHODS: Participants viewed 27 pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures chosen from the International Affective Picture System. Acoustic startle probes were presented during picture viewing, and participants also rated the affective qualities of the pictures. RESULTS: While ratings of the pictures were largely similar between the depressed and nondepressed groups, they displayed dissimilar patterns of startle modulation. In the nondepressed group, blinks elicited during unpleasant pictures were significantly larger than during pleasant pictures, whereas the depressed group failed to show this effect. Analyses, which separated the depressed participants into moderate and severe groups based on Beck Depression Inventory scores, revealed that while the moderately depressed group also showed a normal pattern of startle modulation, the severely depressed showed potentiated startles during the pleasant pictures. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that severely depressed patients may respond to some pleasant stimuli as if they are aversive, possibly because such stimuli are seen as signals of frustrative nonreward.
Authors:
N B Allen; J Trinder; C Brennan
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Biological psychiatry     Volume:  46     ISSN:  0006-3223     ISO Abbreviation:  Biol. Psychiatry     Publication Date:  1999 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1999-10-14     Completed Date:  1999-10-14     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0213264     Medline TA:  Biol Psychiatry     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  542-50     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Affect*
Blinking*
Case-Control Studies
Depressive Disorder, Major / physiopathology,  psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Severity of Illness Index
Startle Reaction*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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