Please scroll down for the English version - UNNC scientists pioneer “emotional camera” breakthrough for depression diagnosis.
“我没事。”
这句话，你是不是经常听到，甚至自己也挂在嘴边？有时明明内心早已狂风暴雨，嘴上却轻描淡写；有时想表达自己的情绪，却找不到合适的词语。
长期以来，抑郁症的诊断就像是一场“迷雾游戏”，太依赖患者的主观描述，太依赖医生的经验判断。不少人因说不出口的痛苦和看不见的证据而被误判或漏诊。
2026年世界卫生日，世卫组织发出了一个响亮的号召：携手共促健康，坚定支持科学，同时强调科学成果与多边合作的重要性。在宁波诺丁汉大学（简称“宁诺”），一个跨领域的科研团队正用行动诠释着这个主题。他们发现，关于情绪健康的答案，就藏在每个人的身体里。
由宁诺计算机科学首席教授、全球前2%顶尖科学家何祥健，理工学院合作与创新副院长、产品设计与制造教授孙煦，以及计算机科学博士生刘静组成的科研团队查阅了近20余年的全球实验研究后发现，当抑郁症患者面对特定的情绪刺激时，身体通常会产生一系列可被观测的生理变化。
研究团队成员
（从左至右：何祥健教授、孙煦教授、博士生刘静）
“例如，在面对负面信息时，抑郁症患者瞳孔扩张的持续时间显著长于健康人群。而当患者期待奖励时，其左侧前额叶的脑电活动通常会呈现出减弱的趋势。”孙煦进一步解释道，“也就是说，如果能记录目标个体在不同情绪中的生理特征，这些信号便能‘开口说话’，成为当前抑郁症临床诊断中缺失的佐证。”
情绪触发器
目前，研究团队正在开发一套“情绪触发器”，用通过严格评定的图片、声音及视频，安全、可控地触发愉悦、悲伤或平静等目标情绪，为后续生理测量研究提供支撑。
瞳孔结构与瞳孔测量
大脑结构、脑电图 (EEG)
与功能性近红外光谱 (fNIRS) 测量
肺结构与呼吸测量
皮肤结构、皮肤电反应 (GSR)
与皮肤温度 (SKT) 测量
向左更多 <<<
同时，团队还系统梳理了瞳孔测量、脑电图、功能性近红外光谱脑成像、皮肤电反应、心电图等多模态生理测量方法，用以全面记录抑郁症患者在情绪波动过程中的生理反应。从精准触发情绪到实时捕捉生理信号，这项科研成果如同一台高精度“照相机”，将原本看不见的情绪波动转变为可量化的生理证据，最终描绘出抑郁症患者独特的“情绪生理图”。
据孙煦介绍，该项科研成果有望在未来应用到临床诊断中，为精神科医生的决策和诊断提供参考依据。同时，通过与可穿戴设备结合，该项成果亦有望为日常健康管理和实时监测及预警提供支持，让那些说不出的情绪被“看见”。
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 deions 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.
图文来源：Patrick Cai、何祥健、孙煦、刘静、
网络（Freepik、Unsplash)
电子编辑：Suri An
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