Sex-related differences in vision are heterogeneous

Despite well-established sex differences for cognition, audition, and somatosensation, few studies have investigated whether there are also sex differences in visual perception. We report the results of fifteen perceptual measures (such as visual acuity, visual backward masking, contrast detection threshold or motion detection) for a cohort of over 800 participants. On six of the fifteen tests, males significantly outperformed females. On no test did females significantly outperform males. Given this heterogeneity of the sex effects, it is unlikely that the sex differences are due to any single mechanism. A practical consequence of the results is that it is important to control for sex in vision research, and that findings of sex differences for cognitive measures using visually based tasks should confirm that their results cannot be explained by baseline sex differences in visual perception

Clinical decision-making style preferences of European psychiatrists : Results from the Ambassadors survey in 38 countries

Background While shared clinical decision-making (SDM) is the preferred approach to decision-making in mental health care, its implementation in everyday clinical practice is still insufficient. The European Psychiatric Association undertook a study aiming to gather data on the clinical decision-making style preferences of psychiatrists working in Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey involving a sample of 751 psychiatrists and psychiatry specialist trainees from 38 European countries in 2021, using the Clinical Decision-Making Style - Staff questionnaire and a set of questions regarding clinicians' expertise, training, and practice. Results SDM was the preferred decision-making style across all European regions ([central and eastern Europe, CEE], northern and western Europe [NWE], and southern Europe [SE]), with an average of 73% of clinical decisions being rated as SDM. However, we found significant differences in non-SDM decision-making styles: participants working in NWE countries more often prefer shared and active decision-making styles rather than passive styles when compared to other European regions, especially to the CEE. Additionally, psychiatry specialist trainees (compared to psychiatrists), those working mainly with outpatients (compared to those working mainly with inpatients) and those working in community mental health services/public services (compared to mixed and private settings) have a significantly lower preference for passive decision-making style. Conclusions The preferences for SDM styles among European psychiatrists are generally similar. However, the identified differences in the preferences for non-SDM styles across the regions call for more dialogue and educational efforts to harmonize practice across Europe.Peer reviewe

Universal Patterns in Color-Emotion Associations Are Further Shaped by Linguistic and Geographic Proximity

Many of us "see red," "feel blue," or "turn green with envy." Are such color-emotion associations fundamental to our shared cognitive architecture, or are they cultural creations learned through our languages and traditions? To answer these questions, we tested emotional associations of colors in 4,598 participants from 30 nations speaking 22 native languages. Participants associated 20 emotion concepts with 12 color terms. Pattern-similarity analyses revealed universal color-emotion associations (average similarity coefficientr= .88). However, local differences were also apparent. A machine-learning algorithm revealed that nation predicted color-emotion associations above and beyond those observed universally. Similarity was greater when nations were linguistically or geographically close. This study highlights robust universal color-emotion associations, further modulated by linguistic and geographic factors. These results pose further theoretical and empirical questions about the affective properties of color and may inform practice in applied domains, such as well-being and design.Peer reviewe

The Shine-Through Masking Paradigm Is a Potential Endophenotype of Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: To understand the genetics of schizophrenia, a hunt for so-called intermediate phenotypes or endophenotypes is ongoing. Visual masking has been proposed to be such an endophenotype. However, no systematic study has been conducted yet to prove this claim. Here, we present the first study showing that masking meets the most important criteria for an endophenotype. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We tested 62 schizophrenic patients, 39 non-affected first-degree relatives, and 38 healthy controls in the shine-through masking paradigm and, in addition, in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Most importantly, masking performance of relatives was significantly in between the one of patients and controls in the shine-through paradigm. Moreover, deficits were stable throughout one year. Using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) methods, we show that the shine-through paradigm distinguishes with high sensitivity and specificity between schizophrenic patients, first-order relatives and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The shine-through paradigm is a potential endophenotype

The sun is no fun without rain : Physical environments affect how we feel about yellow across 55 countries

Across cultures, people associate colours with emotions. Here, we test the hypothesis that one driver of this cross-modal correspondence is the physical environment we live in. We focus on a prime example – the association of yellow with joy, – which conceivably arises because yellow is reminiscent of life-sustaining sunshine and pleasant weather. If so, this association should be especially strong in countries where sunny weather is a rare occurrence. We analysed yellow-joy associations of 6625 participants from 55 countries to investigate how yellow-joy associations varied geographically, climatologically, and seasonally. We assessed the distance to the equator, sunshine, precipitation, and daytime hours. Consistent with our hypotheses, participants who live further away from the equator and in rainier countries are more likely to associate yellow with joy. We did not find associations with seasonal variations. Our findings support a role for the physical environment in shaping the affective meaning of colour.Peer reviewe

First-order relatives of schizophrenic patients are not impaired in the Continuous Performance Test

Sustained attention deficits measured by the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) have been reportedly proposed as an endophenotype of schizophrenia. One requirement for an endophenotype is that unaffected first-order relatives must show deteriorated performance compared to healthy controls. We investigated 56 schizophrenic patients, 33 nonaffected first-order relatives, and 36 healthy controls in a degraded and an undegraded version of the CPT of the AX type. Performance of relatives and controls was roughly identical whereas schizophrenic patients performed worse right from the beginning. These results add further evidence that a deficit in the CPT performance is not an endophenotype of schizophrenia in accordance with previous studies

Impaired cognitive functioning in first-episode patients

The first psychotic episode is an important period for prevention of cognitive and social deterioration in schizophrenia. Cognitive deficits are of particular interest since they are evident even before a proper diagnosis can be made. Interestingly, there is a relation between cognitive deficits and social functioning. Here, we investigated the changes in cognitive and social functioning during one year and determined also the association of social functioning with cognitive impairments and psychopathological symptoms in first episode patients. 32 patients with a first psychotic episode and 32 healthy controls were investigated. Cognitive functions such as visual perception, executive functions, sustained attention, were tested with visual backward masking (VBM), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Follow up tests were carried out after 6 and 12 months. Social functioning of the patients was evaluated by Health and Outcome Scale (HoNOS). Cognitive functions of patients were impaired compared to the healthy controls in all 3 tests. Performance in the cognitive tests did not change significantly during the year. Treatment compliance, however, improved social and symptom indicators

Cognitive markers as potential endophenotypes for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disease strongly influenced by genetic predisposition. A large variety of candidate genes has been identified of which each gene, however, explains only a small proportion of the genetic risk. For this reason, stable markers, so called endophenotypes, have become of primary interest. An endophenotype is a measurable component along the pathway between disease and distal genotype. Therefore it has emerged as an important concept in the study of complex neuropsychiatric diseases. Apart from structural and functional brain measures, several cognitive candidates have been proposed to be endophenotypes for schizophrenia. The Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS) (http://www.schizophreniaresearch.net/Overview.asp) that examines the genetic architecture of quantitative endophenotypes in families with schizophrenia proposed several neurocognitive tasks as endophenotypic measures in genetic studies, including: Continuous Performance Tests (CPT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), verbal (CVLT) and working memory tasks and a computerized neurocognitive battery that also includes facial processing tasks. Other promising candidates rely on visual backward masking, which is of particular interest because masking deficit may be caused by deficient sensory processing. In our study we investigated cognitive and perceptual functions of 355 patients with schizophrenia, 134 their first degree healthy relatives and 150 healthy controls. We used neurocognitive (CPT, WCST, CVLT) and perceptual tasks (shine-through masking paradigm) and show that the shine-through paradigm distinguishes with high sensitivity and specificity between schizophrenic patients, first-order relatives and healthy controls and could be suggested as a potential endophenotype of the disorder

Deficient ventral stream processing in schizophrenia

In visual backward masking, a target is followed by a mask which impedes perception of the target. Masking is much stronger in schizophrenic patients compared to controls. Visual masking is a potential endophenotype of schizophrenia reflecting the genetic underpinnings of the disease rather than the state of the disease. For example, the unaffected relatives of patients show also masking deficits when compared to controls. Here, we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of visual masking by means of high density EEG. We recorded from 192 electrodes and determined stable scalp topologies of evoked activity. Patients showed clearly different EEG patterns. Particularly, controls and relatives showed stronger evoked responses than patients at around 200ms after target onset. We localized these differences to left infero-temporal cortex and relate this abnormal activity to deficits in perceptual organization

Combining vernier acuity and visual backward masking as a sensitive test for visual temporal deficits in aging research

Performance in many everyday situations slows down when age increases. The causes of slowing down may be found on any stage of information processing. Here, we show that the combination of a vernier acuity task and the shine-through backward masking paradigm is a good paradigm to determine temporal processing deficits. The paradigm is relatively robust to optical blur and unlikely affected by motor dysfunctions. Strong masking deficits are found from an age of about 50 years on. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved