Characterization of event-related potentials in obsessive compulsive disorder patients: Comparison with depression and generalized anxiety disorder patients

BACKGROUND： Study results of event-refated potential in obsessive compulsive disorder （OCD） remain controversial, potentially as a result of different instruments utilized and their differing technical characteristics. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the differences in several common event-related potentials, Le. contingent negative variations, P300, and mismatch negativity （MMN）, in OCD patients, depression patients, generalized anxiety disorder （GAD） patients, and healthy controls. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A case-control study was performed in the Department of Electrophysiology, Shanghai Mental Health Center from May 2002 to December 2005. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 38 OCD patients, 20 depression patients, and 18 GAD patients, who were diagnosed according to the criteria of Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders （Version 3）, formulated by the Chinese Psychiatry Association, were selected from the Outpatient Department of Shanghai Mental Health Center. Patients with two or more the above diseases were excluded. In addition, 28 healthy people, gender and age matched, were selected as controls. METHODS： Contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN were recorded by a Nicolet Spirit Instrument. All electrodes were attached at Cz according to the Intemationa11020 system, with the mastoid leads as reference and Fpz as ground. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Amplitude and latency of contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN. RESULTS： The contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN were different （P 〈 0.01）. OCD patients showed an increased MI amplitude compared with controls, depression, and GAD patients （P 〈 0.01）. Target P300 amplitudes were significantly lower in OCD, depression, and GAD patients compared with controls （P 〈 0.01）. Moreover, N2 latency and latency of MMN were prolonged in OCD and depression groups compared with controls （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Event-related potentials were different in depression, GAD, and OCD patients and healthy controls. In particular, OCD patients exhibited unique characteristics.

SURVEY ON SLEEP RESEARCH IN CHINA

It is a big topic on sleep research in China, current sleep research in China will be introduced from basic and early research in the paper. Basic researches Current sleep research in China began with the study on hybernation using urchin at Peking University in the early 1950s.During 1960～1979,lots of agencies such as Shanghai Institute of Physiology of Academia Sinica,Institute of Psychology of Academia Sinica,Henan Medical University

Contingent negative variation of mood disorder patients

Studies on brain-evoked potential and contingent negative variation （CNV） in mood disorder remain controversial. To date, no CNV difference between unipolar and bipolar depression has been reported. Brain-evoked potentials were measured in the present study to analyze CNV in three subtypes of mood disorder （mania, unipolar depression, and bipolar depression）, and these results were compared with normal controls. In the mania group, CNV amplitude B was greater than in controls, and the depression group exhibited lower CNV amplitude B and smaller A-S＇2 area, and prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency. The CNV comparison between unipolar and bipolar depression found that the prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency was only in unipolar depression. These results suggest that prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency is a characteristic of unipolar depression, and CNV amplitude change is a state characteristic of mood disorder patients.