Amit Lazarov1, Ziv Ben-Zion2, Dana Shamai3, Daniel S Pine4, Yair Bar-Haim3. 1. School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Electronic address: amitlaza@post.tau.ac.il. 2. Tel Aviv Center for Brain Function, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Sourasky Medical Center and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel. 3. School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel. 4. Section on Developmental Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Identification of reliable targets for therapeutic interventions is essential for developing evidence-based therapies. Attention biases toward negative-valenced information and lack of protective positive bias toward positive-valenced stimuli have been implicated in depression. However, extant research has typically used tasks with narrow stimuli arrays and unknown or poor psychometric properties. Here, we recorded eye-tracking data of depressed and non-depressed participants during a free viewing task to address these limitations. METHODS: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 20) and undergraduate students with high (n = 23) and low (n = 20) levels of depression freely viewed 60 different face-based matrices for six seconds each. Each matrix included eight sad and eight happy facial expressions. Gaze patterns on sad and happy areas of interest (AOIs) were explored. Internal consistency for the entire sample and one-week test-retest reliability in the student sub-sample were assessed. RESULTS: Compared to undergraduates with low levels of depression, patients with MDD and students with high levels of depression dwelled significantly longer on sad faces. Results also showed a significantly longer dwell time on the happy AOI relative to the sad AOI only in the low depression group. The two depressed groups dwelled equally on the two AOIs. The task demonstrated high internal consistency and acceptable one-week test-retest reliability. LIMITATIONS: Only sad and happy facial expressions were used. Relative small sample size. CONCLUSION: Relative to non-depressed participants, depressed participants showed prolonged dwelling on sad faces and lack of bias toward happy faces. These biases present viable targets for gaze-contingent attention bias modification therapy.
BACKGROUND: Identification of reliable targets for therapeutic interventions is essential for developing evidence-based therapies. Attention biases toward negative-valenced information and lack of protective positive bias toward positive-valenced stimuli have been implicated in depression. However, extant research has typically used tasks with narrow stimuli arrays and unknown or poor psychometric properties. Here, we recorded eye-tracking data of depressed and non-depressed participants during a free viewing task to address these limitations. METHODS:Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 20) and undergraduate students with high (n = 23) and low (n = 20) levels of depression freely viewed 60 different face-based matrices for six seconds each. Each matrix included eight sad and eight happy facial expressions. Gaze patterns on sad and happy areas of interest (AOIs) were explored. Internal consistency for the entire sample and one-week test-retest reliability in the student sub-sample were assessed. RESULTS: Compared to undergraduates with low levels of depression, patients with MDD and students with high levels of depression dwelled significantly longer on sad faces. Results also showed a significantly longer dwell time on the happy AOI relative to the sadAOI only in the low depression group. The two depressed groups dwelled equally on the two AOIs. The task demonstrated high internal consistency and acceptable one-week test-retest reliability. LIMITATIONS: Only sad and happy facial expressions were used. Relative small sample size. CONCLUSION: Relative to non-depressed participants, depressed participants showed prolonged dwelling on sad faces and lack of bias toward happy faces. These biases present viable targets for gaze-contingent attention bias modification therapy.
Authors: Nim Tottenham; James W Tanaka; Andrew C Leon; Thomas McCarry; Marcella Nurse; Todd A Hare; David J Marcus; Alissa Westerlund; B J Casey; Charles Nelson Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2009-06-28 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Amit Lazarov; Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez; Amanda Tamman; Louise Falzon; Xi Zhu; Donald E Edmondson; Yuval Neria Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2018-09-04 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Jennifer A Sumner; Laura D Kubzansky; Andrea L Roberts; Qixuan Chen; Eric B Rimm; Karestan C Koenen Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2019-01-04 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Shiloh Cleveland; Kristina Reed; Jordan L Thomas; Olujimi A Ajijola; Ramin Ebrahimi; Tzung Hsiai; Amit Lazarov; Amanda K Montoya; Yuval Neria; Daichi Shimbo; Kate Wolitzky-Taylor; Jennifer A Sumner Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2021-05-05 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Amit Lazarov; Dana Basel; Sarah Dolan; Daniel G Dillon; Diego A Pizzagalli; Franklin R Schneier Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2021-05-01 Impact factor: 6.533
Authors: Gabrielle R Rinne; Mary P O'Brien; David J Miklowitz; Jean M Addington; Tyrone D Cannon Journal: Early Interv Psychiatry Date: 2020-03-30 Impact factor: 2.732
Authors: Rany Abend; Mira A Bajaj; Chika Matsumoto; Marissa Yetter; Anita Harrewijn; Elise M Cardinale; Katharina Kircanski; Eli R Lebowitz; Wendy K Silverman; Yair Bar-Haim; Amit Lazarov; Ellen Leibenluft; Melissa Brotman; Daniel S Pine Journal: Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol Date: 2020-10-23
Authors: B Platt; A Sfärlea; C Buhl; J Loechner; J Neumüller; L Asperud Thomsen; K Starman-Wöhrle; E Salemink; G Schulte-Körne Journal: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Date: 2021-01-04