Please scroll down for the English version- UNNC scientists pioneer “emotional camera” breakthrough for depression diagnosis.

“我沒事。”

這句話，你是不是經(jīng)常聽到，甚至自己也掛在嘴邊？有時明明內(nèi)心早已狂風(fēng)暴雨，嘴上卻輕描淡寫；有時想表達(dá)自己的情緒，卻找不到合適的詞語。

長期以來，抑郁癥的診斷就像是一場“迷霧游戲”，太依賴患者的主觀描述，太依賴醫(yī)生的經(jīng)驗(yàn)判斷。不少人因說不出口的痛苦和看不見的證據(jù)而被誤判或漏診。

2026年世界衛(wèi)生日，世衛(wèi)組織發(fā)出了一個響亮的號召：攜手共促健康，堅(jiān)定支持科學(xué)，同時強(qiáng)調(diào)科學(xué)成果與多邊合作的重要性。在寧波諾丁漢大學(xué)（簡稱“寧諾”），一個跨領(lǐng)域的科研團(tuán)隊(duì)正用行動詮釋著這個主題。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，關(guān)于情緒健康的答案，就藏在每個人的身體里。

由寧諾計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)首席教授、全球前2%頂尖科學(xué)家何祥健，理工學(xué)院合作與創(chuàng)新副院長、產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)與制造教授孫煦，以及計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)博士生劉靜組成的科研團(tuán)隊(duì)查閱了近20余年的全球?qū)嶒?yàn)研究后發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)抑郁癥患者面對特定的情緒刺激時，身體通常會產(chǎn)生一系列可被觀測的生理變化。

研究團(tuán)隊(duì)成員

（從左至右：何祥健教授、孫煦教授、博士生劉靜）

“例如，在面對負(fù)面信息時，抑郁癥患者瞳孔擴(kuò)張的持續(xù)時間顯著長于健康人群。而當(dāng)患者期待獎勵時，其左側(cè)前額葉的腦電活動通常會呈現(xiàn)出減弱的趨勢。”孫煦進(jìn)一步解釋道，“也就是說，如果能記錄目標(biāo)個體在不同情緒中的生理特征，這些信號便能‘開口說話’，成為當(dāng)前抑郁癥臨床診斷中缺失的佐證。”

情緒觸發(fā)器

目前，研究團(tuán)隊(duì)正在開發(fā)一套“情緒觸發(fā)器”，用通過嚴(yán)格評定的圖片、聲音及視頻，安全、可控地觸發(fā)愉悅、悲傷或平靜等目標(biāo)情緒，為后續(xù)生理測量研究提供支撐。

瞳孔結(jié)構(gòu)與瞳孔測量

大腦結(jié)構(gòu)、腦電圖 (EEG)

與功能性近紅外光譜 (fNIRS) 測量

肺結(jié)構(gòu)與呼吸測量

皮膚結(jié)構(gòu)、皮膚電反應(yīng) (GSR)

與皮膚溫度 (SKT) 測量

向左滑動查看更多 <<<

同時，團(tuán)隊(duì)還系統(tǒng)梳理了瞳孔測量、腦電圖、功能性近紅外光譜腦成像、皮膚電反應(yīng)、心電圖等多模態(tài)生理測量方法，用以全面記錄抑郁癥患者在情緒波動過程中的生理反應(yīng)。從精準(zhǔn)觸發(fā)情緒到實(shí)時捕捉生理信號，這項(xiàng)科研成果如同一臺高精度“照相機(jī)”，將原本看不見的情緒波動轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榭闪炕纳碜C據(jù)，最終描繪出抑郁癥患者獨(dú)特的“情緒生理圖”。

據(jù)孫煦介紹，該項(xiàng)科研成果有望在未來應(yīng)用到臨床診斷中，為精神科醫(yī)生的決策和診斷提供參考依據(jù)。同時，通過與可穿戴設(shè)備結(jié)合，該項(xiàng)成果亦有望為日常健康管理和實(shí)時監(jiān)測及預(yù)警提供支持，讓那些說不出的情緒被“看見”。

UNNC scientists pioneer “emotional camera” breakthrough for depression diagnosis

To mark World Health Day 2026, researchers at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) have unveiled a pioneering approach to depression research, offering new hope for more accurate diagnosis and future clinical application.

An interdisciplinary team — comprising Professor He Xiangjian, Chair Professor of Computer Science and Technology and one of the world’s top 2% scientists; Professor Sun Xu, Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Partnerships in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Professor in Industrial Design and Manufacture; and doctoral researcher Liu Jing — has developed an innovative method to objectively capture emotional states through physiological signals. Their work addresses a longstanding challenge in mental health: the reliance on subjective patient descriptions and clinical judgement, which can lead to misdiagnosis or missed cases of depression.

Drawing on more than 20 years of global experimental research, the team found that individuals with depression exhibit distinct physiological responses to emotional stimuli — such as prolonged pupil dilation when exposed to negative information and reduced brain activity in reward-related regions. Building on these findings, they are developing a system of controlled “emotional triggers” using validated images, sounds and videos to reliably elicit specific emotional states.

By integrating multimodal measurement techniques — including pupillometry, electroencephalography and other physiological monitoring tools — the researchers have effectively created a high-precision “emotional camera”. This breakthrough enables invisible emotional fluctuations to be translated into measurable biological data, forming a unique “emotional–physiological profile” for individuals with depression.

The team emphasises that this innovation has strong potential for future clinical application. It could provide psychiatrists with objective diagnostic support, improving accuracy and confidence in decision-making. Furthermore, when combined with wearable technologies, the system may enable real-time monitoring, early intervention and everyday mental health management — ensuring that previously unseen emotional distress can be identified and addressed more effectively.

This research highlights UNNC scientists’ commitment to advancing scientific innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in support of global health priorities.

圖文來源：Patrick Cai、何祥健、孫煦、劉靜、

網(wǎng)絡(luò)（Freepik、Unsplash)

電子編輯：Suri An

精彩內(nèi)容

再創(chuàng)記錄！寧諾每7位科研教師就有1位躋身 “全球前2%頂尖科學(xué)家”

寧波諾丁漢大學(xué)正式獲批推免資格，系首批擁有此資格的中外合作高校！

推動“一帶一路”高質(zhì)量發(fā)展——寧諾牽頭的這份聯(lián)合國報(bào)告重磅發(fā)布！

寧波諾丁漢大學(xué)

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