The self-reference processing of cognitive vulnerability of depression individuals: Evidence from ERPs

Abstract

Compared with normal individuals, the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual is more likely to suffer from depression in the face of stressful events. The same with depression individuals, the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual shows negative attention bias. It is unknown whether there is an increase in self-concern that is similar to those of a depression or not. This article will aim to reveal the self-referential processing of the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual. The self-reference effect is the enhanced speed and quality of processing and memorization observed with respect to information that is related to the individual’s self-concept. According to previous research, the self-reference effect is different in terms of different degrees of intimacy with the core self. Moreover, the brain process is different in its self-reference data treatment. Highly self-relevant stimuli will get faster responses compared with the minimally self-relevant stimuli in the brain. This is called the degree of self-reference processing effect. On the basis of summarizing the previous research, and this study uses the event related potential technology to investigate the degree of the self-reference processing effect in the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual and the associated neural mechanisms. The experiment adopted four kinds of classic oddball stimulation modes, and using the event related potential to investigate the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual and normal self-reference processing effect degree of difference and neural mechanisms. The experiment used three-character non-name lexical phrases as the standard stimulus and a three-character non-lexical phrase as target stimuli. Six categories of stimuli were used in the three-stimulus oddball paradigm. Three sets of self-relevant stimuli, the non-self-relevant stimulus, and two filler stimuli were served as distracters. The name of each participant was used as the highly self-relevant stimulus, and the name of participant’s father was used as the moderating self-relevant stimulus. The name of a Chinese leader was used as the minimally self-relevant stimulus, and the name of the president of the United States was served as the non-self-relevant stimulus. All names were three-Chinese-character long. Familiarity was equivalent (see below) across all sets of stimulus names. We found that: for the latency of P2 and N2, the attention to self- relevant names of the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual was earlier than that of the normal individuals. for the amplitude of P2 and P3, the amplitude induced by the susceptible individuals was significantly smaller than that of the normal individuals. for the P3 averaged amplitudes, the normal individual appeared the degree of self-reference processing effect, highly self-relevant names elicited P3 amplitude were significantly greater than for the moderately self-relevant, and for the moderately self-relevant evoked P3 amplitudes were significantly greater than non-self-relevant name; however, for the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual, highly self-relevant names elicited larger P3 averaged amplitudes significantly greater than the low and non-relevant name, there is only the self-reference effect. Research results showed that there was degree of self-reference processing to the self-reference effect. Highly self-relevant stimuli obtained deeper and more exquisite processing than other self-relevant stimuli, and the degree of self-reference processing effect disappeared for the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual, which may be due to the cognitive vulnerability of depression individual appeared smaller self-concept structure and the phenomenon that they more concerned about the core of self.