Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2014 Sep-Oct;7(5):690-3.
doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 May 24.

Case report: stimulation of the right amygdala induces transient changes in affective bias

Kelly R Bijanki  1 , Christopher K Kovach  2 , Laurie M McCormick  3 , Hiroto Kawasaki  2 , Brian J Dlouhy  2 , Justin Feinstein  4 , Robert D Jones  5 , Matthew A Howard 3rd  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case report: stimulation of the right amygdala induces transient changes in affective bias

Kelly R Bijanki et al. Brain Stimul. 2014 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: Sensitive outcome measures are needed to quantify the effects of neuromodulation in mood disorders.

Objective: This study examined the utility of a novel affective bias (AB) task in identifying transient mood changes induced by amygdala stimulation in a single rare participant.

Methods: Localized, pulsed electrical stimulation was delivered for 8 min during measures of AB and self-reported mood. Responses were compared with those gathered without stimulation on the same day in the same setting, using paired t-tests.

Results: Stimulation of the basolateral nucleus of the right amygdala at 50 Hz, 15 V, and 200 μs pulse-width produced a significant positive shift in AB (t = -2.864, df = 53, P = .006), despite equivocal findings on self-reported mood (t = -.184, df = 12, P = .857).

Conclusion: Affective bias may be more sensitive to stimulation-induced fluctuations in mood than subjective report, suggesting utility as an outcome measure in neuromodulation studies.

Keywords: Bioassay; Deep brain stimulation; Depression; Emotion; Mood.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ratings of emotional facial expressions and mood items during stimulation minus ratings given without stimulation. Column heights indicate difference in rating between stimulation and non-stimulation blocks of the affective bias (A) and mood-rating (B) tasks. Positive deflection indicates the item was rated as more positive during stimulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mayberg HS, Lozano AM, Voon V, et al. Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. Neuron. 2005;45:651–660. - PubMed
    1. Kennedy SH, Giacobbe P, Rizvi SJ, et al. Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: Follow-up after 3 to 6 years. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2011;168:502–510. - PubMed
    1. Taylor GJ. Alexithymia – concept, measurement, and implications for treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1984;141:725–732. - PubMed
    1. Honkalampi K, Hintikka J, Tanskanen A, Lehtonen J, Viinamäki H. Depression is strongly associated with alexithymia in the general population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2000;48:99–104. - PubMed
    1. Harmer CJ, O’Sullivan U, Favaron E, et al. Effect of acute antidepressant administration on negative affective bias in depressed patients. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2009;166:1178–1184. - PubMed

Publication types