title: Analysis of eyeblink activity during self-referent information processing in mild depression.
abstract: This study was designed to assess characteristics of self-referent information processing in mildly depressed persons using the eyeblink response measured in a discrete-trial paradigm. 7 mildly depressed and 9 nondepressed subjects (classified by scores on Beck's inventory) performed a self-reference task for positive and negative trait adjectives. The eyeblink was suppressed before and during presentation of stimuli and a burst pattern of the eyeblink was observed just after exposure. The pattern of the eyeblink burst after trait adjectives could be interpreted to reflect cognitive effort, cognitive load, or amount of attentional resource. Present results suggested that depressed individuals should have less cognitive load or allocate less attentional resource to negative stimuli than to positive ones during self-referent information processing.
authors.affiliation: Tokai Women's College, Kakamigahara City, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohira
mesh_terms: D001767:Blinking; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes; D011930:Reaction Time