Affective Dysfunction

Definition: Affective dysfunction refers to impairments in the ability to regulate, express, or experience emotions appropriately. It encompasses a range of emotional disturbances, including blunted affect, emotional lability, inappropriate affect, and emotional dysregulation.

Affective dysfunction may manifest as:

• Blunted or flat affect – reduced emotional expressiveness.
• Emotional lability – rapid, exaggerated changes in mood.
• Inappropriate affect – emotions incongruent with the situation or context.
• Irritability or explosive emotional responses – seen in some neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.

Affective dysfunction is commonly observed in:

• Mood disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder)
• Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Frontal lobe lesions
• Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS)

Key brain regions involved include:

• Prefrontal cortex – particularly the orbitofrontal and ventromedial areas
• Amygdala – emotion processing and reactivity
• Anterior cingulate cortex – emotional awareness and response
• Cerebellum – especially in CCAS, highlighting its role in “dysmetria of thought” and emotional modulation

• Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)
• Affect Rating Scales (e.g., PANSS for schizophrenia)
• Clinical interviews focusing on affective range, appropriateness, and lability

Management depends on the underlying cause and may include:

• Pharmacotherapy – antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Neurorehabilitation – especially in acquired brain injury or neurodegenerative conditions

• cerebellar_cognitive_affective_syndrome
• executive_dysfunction
• emotional_lability
• pseudobulbar_affect