Emotional cognition subgroups in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with mood disorders

Abstract

Background Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD) exhibit difficulties with emotional cognition even during remission. There is evidence for aberrant emotional cognition in unaffected relatives of patients with these mood disorders, but studies are conflicting. We aimed to investigate whether emotional cognition in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with mood disorders is characterised by heterogeneity using a data-driven approach. Methods Data from 94 unaffected relatives (33 of MDD patients; 61 of BD patients) and 203 healthy controls were pooled from two cohort studies. Emotional cognition was assessed with the Social Scenarios Test, Facial Expression Recognition Test and Faces Dot-Probe Test. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted using emotional cognition data from the 94 unaffected relatives. The resulting emotional cognition clusters and controls were compared for emotional and non-emotional cognition, demographic characteristics and functioning. Results Two distinct clusters of unaffected relatives were identified: a relatively ‘emotionally preserved’ cluster (55%; 40% relatives of MDD probands) and an ‘emotionally blunted’ cluster (45%; 29% relatives of MDD probands). ‘Emotionally blunted’ relatives presented with poorer neurocognitive performance (global cognition p = 0.010), heightened subsyndromal mania symptoms (p = 0.004), lower years of education (p = 0.004) and difficulties with interpersonal functioning (p = 0.005) than controls, whereas ‘emotionally preserved’ relatives were comparable to controls on these measures. Conclusions Our findings show discrete emotional cognition profiles that occur across healthy first-degree relatives of patients with MDD and BD. These emotional cognition clusters may provide insight into emotional cognitive markers of genetically distinct subgroups of individuals at familial risk of mood disorders.

Polyphenols: Natural Food-Grade Biomolecules for the Treatment of Nervous System Diseases from a Multi-Target Perspective

“…More than one-third of the global population suffers from nervous system diseases, which are a major source of illness, sickness, and impairment. They also have one of the greatest prevalence rates linked to a higher burden of disease, which can have detrimental effects on family members [1,2]. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD); neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders; psychiatric disorders such as different forms of schizophrenia; and other neurological disorders such as aphasia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are commonly included in this category [3].…”

Polyphenols: Natural Food-Grade Biomolecules for the Treatment of Nervous System Diseases from a Multi-Target Perspective

“…More than one-third of the global population suffers from nervous system diseases, which are a major source of illness, sickness, and impairment. They also have one of the greatest prevalence rates linked to a higher burden of disease, which can have detrimental effects on family members [ 1 , 2 ]. Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD); neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease; mood disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders; psychiatric disorders such as different forms of schizophrenia; and other neurological disorders, such as aphasia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are commonly included in this category [ 3 ].…”