Meta-analysis of emotion recognition deficits in major depressive disorder

Abstract

Background.Many studies have explored associations between depression and facial emotion recognition (ER). However, these studies have used various paradigms and multiple stimulus sets, rendering comparisons difficult. Few studies have attempted to determine the magnitude of any effect and whether studies are properly powered to detect it. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the findings across studies on ER in depressed individuals compared to controls.Method.Studies of ER that included depressed and control samples and published before June 2013 were identified in PubMed and Web of Science. Studies using schematic faces, neuroimaging studies and drug treatment studies were excluded.Results.Meta-analysis of k = 22 independent samples indicated impaired recognition of emotion [k = 22, g = −0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.25 to −0.07, p < 0.001]. Critically, this was observed for anger, disgust, fear, happiness and surprise (k's = 7–22, g's = −0.42 to −0.17, p's < 0.08), but not sadness (k = 21, g = −0.09, 95% CI −0.23 to +0.06, p = 0.23). Study-level characteristics did not appear to be associated with the observed effect. Power analysis indicated that a sample of approximately 615 cases and 615 controls would be required to detect this association with 80% power at an alpha level of 0.05.Conclusions.These findings suggest that the ER impairment reported in the depression literature exists across all basic emotions except sadness. The effect size, however, is small, and previous studies have been underpowered.

Social cognition in multiple sclerosis

“…40 However, they appear to be worse than those reported in attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (Cohen d 5 0.44-0.45) 7 and major depressive disorder (g 5 0.16-0.51). 8,41 To date, social cognitive research in MS has consisted of small, cross-sectional studies, conducted primarily in patients with a relapsing-remitting disease course and modest level of physical disability. This earlier disease course is characterized by bouts of inflammation and periods of recovery and remyelination.…”

“…5 Following pioneering work in autism, 6 social cognitive impairment has been reported in a range of psychiatric, developmental, and neurodegenerative disorders. [7][8][9][10] In this review, we focus on theory of mind (ToM) and facial emotion recognition, 2 core aspects of social cognition that have been the subject of recent research in MS. Deficits in these social cognitive domains are associated with reduced social and psychological quality of life in patients with MS, even after controlling for severity and duration of disease, age, and neurocognitive performance.…”

Identification of emotions in mixed disgusted-happy faces as a function of depressive symptom severity

“…Further investigation is needed across different samples representing the depression course, including clinically depressed individuals, in order to clarify whether lower identification of happiness in mixed disgusted-happy expressions is replicated in clinical depression and the implications of this lack of positive bias. Whereas several studies have proven a bias in clinically depressed individuals to easily detect sadness in mixed sad-neutral expressions (see Dalili et al, 2015), the experience/lack of biases in the identification of mixed positive-negative social signals remains to be tested. Finally, whereas our study and previous research have focused in evaluating the emotional identification of single individually presented prototypical or mixed emotional expressions, the social environment usually involves interactions with multiple others' reflecting dynamically changing levels in their emotional states and their intensities.…”

“…In standard experiments, pictures of real actors or schematic faces depicting different prototypical emotions are shown, and participants have to categorize the emotion depicted and/or judge its intensity. Results using this approach have been mixed (for a recent meta-analysis, see Dalili, Penton-Voak, Harmer, & Munafo, 2015), with some studies supporting a depression-related impaired ability to identify prototypical facial expressions of emotions (e.g., Gur et al, 1992;Persad & Polivy, 1993), but others failing to replicate those findings (e.g., Archer et al, 1992;Frewen & Dozois 2005).…”

Biased Facial-Emotion Perception in Mental Health Disorders: A Possible Target for Psychological Intervention?

“…Furthermore, depression is associated with changes in neural correlates of facial expression processing, including exaggerated responses to negative emotional expressions in the amygdala, ventral striatum and insula (Fu et al, 2004), and reduced responses to happy expression in the thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus and putamen [ (Fu et al, 2007;Lawrence et al, 2004); for a review, see (Leppänen, 2006)]. Of the six 'basic' emotions, recognition of sadness appears to be the only emotion that is not impaired in depression [for meta-analysis, see (Dalili, Penton-Voak, Harmer, & Munafò, 2015)]. Given that negative biases in emotion perception may increase behavioural responses that are socially inappropriate (e.g., blunted affective responses associated with low mood), this may evoke negative reactions from others, and reinforce biases in depressed individuals.…”