Neurobiology of processing vocal emotions in unipolar and bipolar depression

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Thomas Ethofer; Professorin Dr. Vanessa Nieratschker; Professor Dr. Dirk Wildgruber
• Subject Area: Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 267406142

Correct interpretation of emotional signals is crucial for successful social interactions and for maintaining one`s social network. Altered Perception of emotional signals in facial expressions and speech melody (prosody) has been demonstrated in patients with unipolar and bipolar depression. These changes in interpretation of nonverbal signals can result in aversive communication situations which may cause social isolation and thus have the potential to maintain or even worsen the disease process. The neural response profile in key areas for emotion processing of facial signals have been thoroughly investigated in neuroimaging studies of depressed patients. The neural correlates of impaired processing of vocal emotions, however, remained completely unexplored so far. The aim of the proposed project is to examine the neurobiological basis of deficits in evaluation of emotions in the voice (prosody and laughter) in patients with unipolar of bipolar depression. To this end, an imaging genetics approach will be employed to investigate the underlying brain structures using structural and functional imaging as well as the impact of risk genes for unipolar and bipolar depression (PCLO, ANK3, CACNA1C, TRANK 1, NCAN, and SLC6A15).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants