Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, Semmelweisstr. 10, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, Semmelweisstr. 10, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
J Affect Disord. 2020 Sep 1;274:632-642. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.140. Epub 2020 May 29.
In the last decade, eye-tracking technology has been increasingly used to investigate attention orientation in depression. The aim of the current review was to summarize the available eye-tracking research specifying the effects of clinical depression on early and late attention allocation during visual perception of emotional material.
The literature search identified sixteen relevant publications, including twelve free-viewing studies in which multiple stimulus arrays with images (scenarios) or faces were administered. Meta-analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of acute depression on attentional maintenance during free viewing as a function of type and emotional quality of stimulus material.
Moderate (to large) differences were observed between depressed and healthy individuals in maintained attention to dysphoric images (Hedges' g = .66) and sad faces (g = .58). Moderate group differences were also revealed for maintained attention to positive images (g = -.51) and happy faces (g = -.54). Age of patients explained between study variance in effect sizes for attention to happy faces. No group differences in initial attention orientation were found.
The number of free-viewing studies based on images was low (n=4).
Our results suggest that clinical depression is characterized by medium-sized increases of attention maintenance for dysphoric and medium-sized decreases for positive stimuli compared to healthy individuals. Therefore, both alterations represent equally important targets for attention modification programs. Depressed patients seem not to manifest abnormalities in early orienting to emotional stimuli. Differences between patients and healthy subjects in attention to positive stimuli may diminish with age.
在过去的十年中，眼动追踪技术已越来越多地用于研究抑郁症患者的注意力定向。本综述的目的是总结现有的眼动追踪研究，具体说明临床抑郁症对情绪材料视觉感知过程中早期和晚期注意力分配的影响。
文献检索确定了 16 项相关研究，其中包括 12 项自由观看研究，这些研究使用了带有图像（情景）或面孔的多个刺激数组。进行了荟萃分析，以评估急性抑郁症对自由观看过程中注意力维持的影响，其功能是刺激材料的类型和情绪质量。
在注意力维持方面，抑郁个体与健康个体之间存在明显差异，对不愉快的图像（Hedges' g=0.66）和悲伤的面孔（g=0.58）的注意力维持差异较大。对积极的图像（g=-.51）和快乐的面孔（g=-.54）的注意力维持也存在中等程度的组间差异。患者年龄解释了对快乐的面孔的注意力的效应大小的研究间差异。在初始注意力定向方面未发现组间差异。
基于图像的自由观看研究数量较少（n=4）。
我们的研究结果表明，与健康个体相比，临床抑郁症的特征是对不愉快刺激的注意力维持增加中等程度，对积极刺激的注意力维持减少中等程度。因此，这两种改变都代表了注意力修正计划的同等重要目标。抑郁患者似乎没有表现出对情绪刺激的早期定向异常。患者和健康受试者之间对积极刺激的注意力差异可能会随着年龄的增长而减小。
