Forensic Study on Objective Evaluation of Visual Acuity of Ametropia with the Event-related Potential P3

Objective In this study,we aimed to assess the characteristics of the P3 component from an event-related potential(ERP)that was induced by visual acuity(VA)processing.Furthermore,we sought to provide electrophysiological evidence for the objective evaluation of VA.Methods We recruited 32 participants with myopia-related ametropia.They reported no other ocular diseases and had an uncorrected VA of 4.0 in both eyes.We used the block letter“E”at different visual angles and orientations as the graphic stimuli.The oddball paradigm,consisting of 4 modules,was used for ERP analysis.The standard stimuli of each module were identical,with a visual angle of 1°15′.The visual angles of the target stimuli were 1°15′,55′,24′,and 15′.The VA test was performed on each eye separately for all participants,and all characteristics of the P3 component were analyzed.Results There was no significant difference in the P3 peak letencies between the target stimulation angle 1°15′group and the 55′group,or between the target stimulation angle 24′group and the 15′group.There was a significant difference in the P3 peak letencies between the target stimulation angle 1°15′group and the 24′group as well as the 15′group.There was a significant difference in the P3 peak letencies between the target stimulation angle 55′group and the 24′group as well as the 15′group.No significant differences were observed in the P3 amplitude between modules.Conclusion In the oddball paradigm,P3 elicitation indicated a cognitive response to the target stimuli.These data showed that the characteristics of P3 can be used as an objective evaluation of VA.

Sensitivity of P300 auditory event-related potentials for assessing cognitive impairment in elderly type 2 diabetic patients

BACKGROUND：In previous studies, cognitive function in elderly type 2 diabetic patients was evaluated by psychometric tests. These studies have confirmed that P300 event-related potential is an objective way of assessing cognitive function. OBJECTIVE： To analyze the objectivity of P300 for assessment of cognitive function in elderly type 2 diabetic patients. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： This case-control experiment was performed at the Department of Endocrinology of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University from January 2004 to December 2006. PARTICIPANTS： Seventy-two patients （38 males and 34 females） with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided according to those with diabetes alone （diabetes alone group） （n=38） and those with diabetes and cerebral ischemia （diabetes and cerebral ischemia group） （n=34）. A further 31 healthy individuals （16 males and 15 females）, who received health examinations over the same period, were included as normal controls （normal control group）. METHODS： All subjects were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE）. Abnormalities in cognitive functions were identified by analyzing the auditory P300 event-related potentials. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Auditory event-related potentials and MMSE scores. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted using the ＂enter method＂ with the 72 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. P3 latency, P3 amplitude and N2 latency served as dependent variables. Age, sex, education, course of the disease, glycosylated hemoglobin, and ischemic brain damage were used as independent variables. RESULTS： No significant difference in scores of MMSE was detected between the diabetes alone and normal control groups （P 〉 0.05）. MMSE score was significantly lower in the diabetes and cerebral ischemia group （P 〈 0.01） than in the normal control group. N2 and P3 latencies of auditory event-related potential were significantly longer, and P3 amplitude was significantly lower in the diabetes alone and diabetes and cerebral ischemia groups （P 〈 0.01） than in the normal control group. N2 and P3 latencies were significantly longer in the diabetes and cerebral ischemia group than in the diabetes alone group （P 〈 0.01）, but amplitude was not significantly different. N2 and P3 latencies were negatively correlated with MMSE score in elderly type 2 diabetic patients （r=–0.421, –0.604; both P 〈 0.01）. P3 amplitude was positively related to the score of MMSE （r =0.517; P 〈 0.01）. P3 latency was positively associated with age, course of disease, glycosylated hemoglobin and ischemic brain damage in elderly type 2 diabetic patients （t=2.186 to 3.490; all P 〈 0.05）. P3 amplitude was negatively correlated with age, course of disease and glycosylated hemoglobin （t=–2.220, –2.491, and –2.024, respectively; all P 〈 0.05）. N2 latency was positively correlated with age, course of disease and ischemic brain damage （t=2.946, 2.511, and 2.331, respectively; P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The course of disease, glycosylated hemoglobin and ischemic brain damage are key influential factors for cognitive impairment in elderly type 2 diabetic patients. The P300 event-related potential is a sensitive index for objective assessment of cognitive impairment in elderly diabetic patients.

Correlation of cognitive function with acetylcholinesterase activity and P300 event-related potential of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND： At present, central cholinergic neuron system is regarded the most major structural basis of cognitive function. Changes in structure of cholinergic neuron system of brain and receptor expression after brain injury can cause cognitive impairment. OBJECTIVE＂ To comparatively observe the intelligence quotient （IQ）, latent period and wave amplitude of P300 event-related potential and the difference of activity of acetylcholinesterase （ACHE） in blood and cerebrospinal fluid between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and with non-diabetes mellitus, and analyze the correlation of IQ of cognitive impairment patients with diabetes mellitus with AChE activity, latent period and wave amplitude of P300 event-related potential in cerebrospinal fluid. DESIGN： Correlation analysis of contrast observation SETTING： Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical College PARTICIPANTS： Totally 32 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who received the treatment in the Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical College between April 2004 and April 2005 were recruited, serving as diabetes mellitus group. They, including 19 male and 13 female, aged 49 to 73 years, with disease course of 4 to 11 years, all met the diagnostic criteria of diabetes mellitus revised by World Health Organization in 1999. Another 30 patients with non-diabetes mellitus who homeochronously underwent lumbar anesthesia in the Department of Surgery and Department of Gynecology were recruited, serving as non-diabetes mellitus group. The 30 patients included 18 male and 12 female, and their age ranged from 46 to 71 years. Informed consents of detected items were obtained from the involved patients. METHODS： ① Evaluation,on IQ： The IQ of involved subjects was evaluated with Chinese Version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale revised by Gong Yao-xian （WAIS-RC）. WAIS-RC included 6 verbal subscales and 5 performance subscales. The test scores of the 11 subscales integrated into the scores of the whole scale, and the scores on the WAIS-RC included verbal IQ （VlQ）, performance IQ （PIQ） and full scale IQ （FIQ）. FIQ ≤79 scores indicated low IQ and FIQ≤69 indicated intelligence impairment. ② Detection of P300 wave： P300 wave was detected with evoked potential instrument （MYTOPRO, Italian）, and data of latent period and amplitude of P300 event-related potential were automatically shown by computer. ③ Detection of AChE activity in blood and cerebrospinal fluid： Activity of AChE of blood and cerebrospinal fluid was measured with biochemical methods by using CORNING-560 autoanalyzer.④Correlation analysis： Correlation of FIQ with AChE of cerebrospinal fluid and P300 wave of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was analyzed, t test was used in intergroup comparison and linear correlation analysis for relevant treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： ① Comparison of IQ, latent period and wave amplitude of P300 wave as well as the activity of AChE between two groups. ② Analysis on the correlation of FIQ of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with AChE of cerebrospinal fluid and P300 wave. RESULTS： Thirty-two patients with diabetes mellitus and 30 non-diabetes mellitus participated in the result analysis. ①Comparison of IQ, latent period and wave amplitude of P300 wave as well as the activity of AChE between two groups： The scores of VIP, PIQ and FIQ of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were （97.4±10.4）. （92.6±8.4） and （95.2±9.7） scores, respectively; and those of patients with non-diabetes mellitus were （104.7±9.6）, （102.5±8.5）and（102.7±8.9） scores, respectively, and P 〈 0.05-0.01 was set in intergroup comparison. The latent period of P300 wave at points Fz , Cz and Pz of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was （370.8±41.8）.（371.5±39.1）and （375.1±43.1） ms, respectively, and that of patients with non-diabetes mellitus was （ 332.1 ±28.3 ）, （335.7 ±29.4）and （339.7 ±27.3） ms, respectively, and P 〈 0.01 was set in intergroup comparison; Wave amplitude of P300 of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was （8.6±4.1）,（8.6±4.0） and （7.7±4.0） μV, respectively and that of patients with non-diabetes mellitus was （11.9±4.1）,（11.5±4.4） and （10.9±5.0） μV, respectively , and P 〈 0.05-0.01 was set in intergroup comparison; The level of AChE in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was （235.61 ±50.34）and （17.89±4.46） μkat/L, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of patients with non-diabetes mellitus [（205.03±44.15）and （14.63±0.48） μkat /L, respectively], and P 〈 0.05-0.01 was set in the intergroup comparison. ② Correlation of FIQ value of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with AChE of cerebrospinal fluid and P300 wave： The value of FIQ was significantly negatively correlated with the AChE activity of cerebrospinal fluid （r=-0.588 1, P 〈 0.01 ）, significantly negatively correlated with the latent period at points Fz. C and Pz of P300 wave （r= -0.700 5, -0.689 4, -0.688 5, P 〈 0.01 ）, and significantly positively correlated with the amplitude at points Fz . Cz and Pz of P300 wave（r= 0.607 4,0.616 1,0.592 0,P 〈 0.01 ）. CONCLUSION： ① Cognitive impairment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus might be related to the increase of activity of AChE in cerebrospinal fluid. ②Combined application of examination of P300 wave and evaluation of IQ is more useful in deciding the state of cognitive function of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Icon memory research under different time pressures and icon quantities based on event-related potential

In order to obtain related brain electrical components and neural bases of physiology assessment of icon elements in a digital human-computer interface the modified sample-delay matching task experimental paradigm is used under different time pressures 4 000 and 2 000 ms and different icon quantities three five and ten icons on icon memory based on event-related potential ERP technology.Experimental results demonstrate that P300 has significant volatility changes and the maximum amplitude around the middle line of the parietal area PZ and P200 has obvious volatility changes around the middle line of the frontal and central area FCZ during icon cognition.P300 and P200 amplitudes increase as tasks become more difficult.Thus P300 latency is positively correlated with task difficulty. ERP research on the characteristics of icon memory will be an important reference standard in guiding user neurocognitive behavior and physiology assessment on interface usability.

Cognitive malingering assessed using event-related potential P300 evoked by the old-new task in the oddball paradigm

The P300, an endogenous subcomponent of the event-related potential, is thought to reflect cognitive processes. The event-related potential evoked by the old-new memory recognition task in the oddball paradigm is suitable for examining the neural processes involved in malingered neurocognitive deficits. Forty-four undergraduates were randomly assigned to a simulated malingering group and a truth-telling group, Another 22 patients with head injudes were enrolled as a control group. All participants completed the old-new memory recognition task in the oddball paradigm. The mean P300 amplitude of the simulated malingering group was significantly reduced compared with the truth-telling group （P 〈 0.01）, but was increased compared with the control group （P〈 0.01）. These results revealed that the P300, evoked by the old-new memory recognition task of the oddball paradigm, may be a helpful indicator for determining cognitive malingering.

Dependent mechanism of Chinese prepositions processing in the brain:evidence from event-related potentials

Objective To compare the event-related potentials （ERPs） waves of verbs and prepositions in the brain. Methods We recorded ERPs in the brain while participants judged the legality of the collocation for verbs and ＂preposition＂. Results Both verbs and prepositions elicited a negativity at the frontal site in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window. No difference was seen in 230-330 ms and 350-500 ms window; In difference waves, a negativity was elicited in the left and fight hemisphere at about 270-400 ms and 470-600 ms window for both open and closed-class words. Conclusion These may demonstrate that prepositions in modem Chinese are probably not a separate class from verbs and that N280 may be not a specific component for only prepositions （or closed-class words）.

Differential cognitive responses to guqin music and piano music in Chinese subjects： an event-related potential study

Objective To compare the cognitive effects of guqin （the oldest Chinese instrument） music and piano music. Methods Behavioral and event-related potential （ERP） data in a standard two-stimulus auditory oddball task were recorded and analyzed. Results This study replicated the previous results of culture-familiar music effect on Chinese subjects： the greater P300 amplitude in frontal areas in a culture-familiar music environment. At the same time, the difference between guqin music and piano music was observed in NI and later positive complex （LPC： including P300 and P500）： a relatively higher participation of right anterior-temporal areas in Chinese subjects. Conclusion The results suggest that the special features of ERP responses to guqin music are the outcome of Chinese tonal language environments given the similarity between Guqin＇s tones and Mandarin lexical tones.

Enhanced inhibitory control during re-engagement processing in badminton athletes:An event-related potential study

Purpose:The purpose of present study was to investigate the impact of sport experience on response inhibition and response re-engagement in expert badminton athletes during the stop-signal task and change-signal task.Methods:A total of 19 badminton athletes and 20 nonathletes performed both the stop-signal task and change-signal task.Reaction times(RTs)and event-related potentials were recorded and analyzed.Results:Behavioral results indicated that badminton athletes responded faster than nonathletes to go stimuli and to change signals,with faster change RTs and change-signal RTs,which take into consideration the variable stimulus onset time mean.During successful change trials in the change-signal task,the amplitudes of the event-related potential components N2 and P3 were smaller for badminton athletes than for nonathletes.Moreover,change-signal RTs and N2 amplitudes as well as change RTs and P3 amplitudes were significantly correlated in badminton athletes.A significant correlation was also found between the amplitude of the event-related potential component N1 and response accuracy to change signals in badminton athletes.Conclusion:Moderation of brain cortical activity in badminton athletes was more associated with their ability to rapidly inhibit a planned movement and re-engage with a new movement compared with nonathletes.The superior inhibitory control and more efficient neural mechanisms in badminton athletes compared with nonathletes might be a result of badminton athletes’ professional training experience.

Correlations between Event-related Potentials with Pictures Recognition and WMS-RC Scores in Patients with Memory Disorder Caused by Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

This study explored the possibility of using event-related potentials （ERP） for the measurement of picture-recognition memory and examined its correlation with the Chinese Wechsler Memory Scale-revised （WMS-RC） in patients with memory disorder caused by severe traumatic brain injury （sTBI）. The subjects included 20 sTBI patients with memory disorder and 22 healthy individuals. Memory function was measured by using WMS-RC. Behavioral and ERP responses were recorded on-line during performance on a battery of picture recognition and the responses were analyzed off-line for recognition memory effects. Mean memory quotient （MQ） of patients with sTBI was significantly lower than that of the control group. Mean reaction time （RT） was significantly longer and the mean correctness rate （CR） of picture recognition was significantly lower in sTBI group than that of the controls. In controls, the main components of average ERP of picture recognition includes two positive-going waves, designated as P170 and P500, that appear 170 ms and 500 ms after stimulation when the subject could later successfully recall and recognize the pictures. P500 amplitude of target stimulus was significantly higher than that of non-target stimulus. Compared to controls, P500 responses of sTBI group were significantly delayed in latency （P〈0.001） and lower in amplitude （P〈0.001）. P500 latency showed significant negative correlation with MQ and the scores of ＂addition＂, ＂visual recognition＂, ＂picture recall＂, ＂visual reproduction＂ and ＂tactile memory＂ in WMS-RC. ERP of picture recognition provides a neurophysiological approach to directly assess memory impairment, and P500 may serve as a helpful index for memory disorder caused by sTBI in forensic practice.

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.

Use of cognitive event-related potentials in the management of psychiatric disorders:Towards an individual follow-up and multicomponent clinical approach

Relapse prevention remains a major challenge in psychiatry,thus indicating that the established treatment methods combining psychotherapy with neuropharmacological interventions are not entirely effective.In recent years,several intervention strategies have been devised that are aimed at improving psychiatric treatment by providing a complementary set of add-on tools that can be used by clinicians to improve current patient assessment.Among these,cognitive eventrelated potentials(ERPs)have been indexed as valuable biomarkers of the pathophysiological mechanisms of various mental illnesses.However,despite decades of research,their clinical utility is still controversial and a matter of debate.In this opinion review,I present the main arguments supporting the use of cognitive ERPs in the management of psychiatric disorders,stressing why it is currently still not the case despite the vast number of ERP studies to date.I also propose a clinically-oriented suitable way in which this technique could—in my opinion—be effectively incorporated into individual patient care by promotion of the use of individual ERP test-retest sessions and the use of a multi-component approach.

Chinese emotional words in patients with major depressive disorder during a subliminal Stroop task An event-related potential study

Patients with major depressive disorder （MDD） develop a negative cognitive bias, but how they respond to information in Chinese emotional words is unclear. Here we used a Stroop paradigm with subliminal Chinese emotional words to explore the event-related potential components of abnormal emotional processing Jn patients with MDD. The correct rate was similar in MDD and normal control groups, but MDD reaction time was longer than the normal controls, especially to the negative and neutral stimuli. In N270, repeated-measure analysis of variance demonstrated a significant main effect of the relation electrode and valence on peak amplitude and interactions between valence and electrode site. The peak amplitudes of the three kinds of words were different in the two groups （positive 〉 negative 〉 neutral）. The topography of the difference waves indicated that the difference distributed in the frontal and left parietal-temporal sites across the scalp. In N400, there was a significant main effect of the relation electrode and valence on peak amplitude, and the latency showed a main effect of the electrode and an interaction between electrode and group. The amplitudes induced by type of words were significantly different from each other in both groups （positive 〉 negative 〉 neutral）. The topography of the difference waves indicated that the effect of relation type was primarily at left and right frontal and central and left parietal-temporal regions. Both MDD patients and normal controls exhibited significant emotional Stroop effects during the processing of positive/negative Chinese emotional words. MDD patients showed interference in emotional stimuli in early cognitive processing that induced psychological resource intervention during late emotional information processing.

Effect of emotional valence on episodic memory stages as indexed by event-related potentials

Several investigations have shown that emotional events show superior recall than non-emotional ones. However, the cortical mechanisms underlying the episodic recall of emotional scenes are still poorly understood. Our main aim was to compare the magnitude of the Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP) old-new effect related to emotionally unpleasant, pleasant and neutral photographic images. As expected, correct recognition of all types of images elicited three topographically distinct ERP components sensitive to the classical old-new recognition effect. The results revealed that the behavioral performances were mainly sensitive to arousal, while the ERP old/new effect over posterior regions (300 - 1000 ms) was exclusively affected by unpleasantness. A later component (1000 - 1400 ms) showed an inverted old/ new effect at parietal sites, which was also sensitive to unpleasantness. These results imply that ERP reflecting episodic conscious recollection and post-retrieval monitoring are clearly affected both by valence and arousal.

The Effect of Emotional Conflict on Attention Allocation: An Event-Related Potential Study

Attention allocation research frequently focuses on the valence of emotion. However, there is increasing evidence to indicate that arousal may be more relevant at some stages of affective processing. The present study employed a combined priming and cue-target paradigm and examined event-related potentials (ERPs) in order to explore the effects of emotional conflict of arousal on attention allocation. The background context of arousal was manipulated (using photos of facial expressions) while subjects performed a cognitive task in which a central arrow cue indicated the location of a peripheric target square, and a response was made according to the direction of the square. There was no main effect between incongruent emotion and congruent emotion in the response time, which means the resolution of the emotional conflict facilitate the participant behavioral response. There was a main effect of different emotional states on ERP component. In the present study, incongruent arousal also triggered greater positive potential compared with congruent arousal.

Effect of variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in the human dopamine transporter gene on conflict information processing according to event-related potential

The dopamine transporter （DAT） is responsible for dopamine reuptake from the synaptic cleft. A variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in the DAT gene is related to DAT availability and has been associated with cognition. With the advantage of high-time resolution, event-related potential is an important method to study the time course of human information processing. Previous results have suggested that dopamine exhibits a close relationship with conflicting information processing. Therefore, the present study assumed that conflicting information processing could be influenced by DAT variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism. To confirm this, the present study analyzed the influence of DAT genotypes on N270, which is presumed to reflect neural activity of conflict information processing in young healthy adults. A S1-S2 matching task was performed in healthy adults with 10/10 genotype （n = 14） and 10/9 genotypes （n = 14）, respectively, when event-related potentials were recorded. Results demonstrated that subjects with the 10/10 genotype exhibited shorter N270 latency and quicker reaction times compared with subjects with the 10/9 genotype. There were no differences in N270 amplitude between the two genotypes. These results suggested that 10/10 genotype subjects more efficiently processed conflict information.

An event-related potential observation of preposition processing in Chinese: Is N280 a specific component for Chinese prepositions?

BACKGROUND： Studies have shown that closed-class words, such as prepositions and conjunctions, induce a left anterior negativity （N280）, indicating that N280 should be a specific component of the word category. OBJECTIVE： To observe if Chinese prepositions and verbs exhibit different linguistic functions, to determine whether they are processed by different neural systems, and to verify that N280 is a specific component. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The observed neurolinguistics experiment was performed at Xuzhou Normal University between November and December 2006. PARTICIPANTS： Sixteen undergraduate students, comprising 8 females and 8 males, with no mental or neuropathological history, were selected. METHODS： A total of 15 verbs and prepositions were used as linguistic stimuli, and each verb and preposition was combined to produce four correct phrase collocations and four incorrect ones. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Event-related potentials were recorded in the subjects while they read correct or incorrect phases flashed upon a video screen. RESULTS： Both verbs and prepositions elicited negativity at the frontal site in a 230-330 ms window, as well as at the fronto-temporal and central sites in a 350-500 ms window. Neither exhibited significant differences in peak [F（1, 15） = 0.144, P = 0.710] and latency [F（1, 15） = 0.144, P= 0.710]. Both verbs and prepositions elicited negativity at the left and right hemisphere in a 270-400 ms window. CONCLUSION： There was no significant difference between Chinese prepositions and verbs in the neural system process and N280 was not the specific component for closed-class words.

Effects of different cue positions on evoked potentials in the cerebral cortex during global and local processing of compound stimuli A study of event-related potential

BACKGROUND： Previous studies of attentional control have focused primarily on pre-cue control of attentional cue and direction. OBJECTIVE： To measure the differences in electrical activity of brain cells while processing pre-cue and post-cue compound stimuli, and to explore brain electrical activity during global and local processing of compound stimuli according to electroencephalogram （EEG） recordings. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A within-subject design study was performed at the School of Psychology, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, China from March to May 2006. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 30 healthy, undergraduate students, aged 17-24 years, comprising 12 males and 18 females, were voluntarily enrolled from Beijing Normal University. Subjects exhibited normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity. No significant non signal wave drift was detected during testing. METHODS： A total of 30 subjects were subjected to pre-cue and post-cue compound stimulus processing using event-related potential and EEG recordings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Evoked potential was recorded in different brain regions utilizing event-related potential to observe hemispheric symmetry, cue consistency and global-local features. RESULTS： Pre-cue compound stimuli resulted in hemispheric asymmetry for early wave （N1） and late wave （P3） in anterior brain regions. Early- and late-wave induced hemispheric asymmetry for electrode points （O1, 02, P3, P4, Pz, F3, F4, F7, F8, Fz, FP1, FP2, T7, TS, C3, C4, and Cz） during processing of pre-cue compound stimuli （P 〈 0.05）. Post-cue compound stimuli did not induce hemispheric asymmetry of brain waves induced by the above-described electrode points. No significant differences in global and local responses were determined during processing of post-cue compound stimuli. Under pre-cue conditions, significant differences were observed in N1 and P3 in the above-mentioned electrode points （P 〈 0.05）. However, under post-cue conditions, no significant differences were observed in N1 and P3 using the above-mentioned electrode points. Significant differences in early waves （N1 and P1） using the above-mentioned electrode points were detected between anterior and posterior brain regions, regardless of consistent or inconsistent, large or small letters （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Cue location effected mechanisms underlying global and local processing of compound stimuli. Pre- or post-cue conditions resulted in differences in hemispheric symmetry, cue consistency, and global and local features. Under pre-cue conditions, hemispheric dominance was detected in global and local processing following compound stimuli. Under post-cue conditions, hemispheric dominance was not determined.

Mechanisms underlying syntactic and semantic processing of Chinese simple sentences Evidence from event-related brain potentials

This study sought to test the processing of three types of sentences in Chinese, as correct sentences, semantic violation sentences, and sentences containing semantic and syntactic violations, based on the following sentence pattern： ＂subject （noun） ＋ yi/gang/zheng ＋ predicate （verb）＂. Event-related potentials on the scalp were recorded using 32-channel electroencephalography. Compared with correct sentences, target words elicited an early left anterior negativity （N400） and a later positivity （P600） over frontal, central and temporal sites in sentences involving semantic violations. In addition, when sentences contained both semantic and syntactic violations, the target words elicited a greater N400 and P600 distributed in posterior brain areas. These results indicate that Chinese sentence comprehension involves covert grammar processes.

A Study of Visual Event-Related Potential and Reaction Time in Elderly People: Comparative Analysis of the Scores of Intelligence Test in 30 Subjects

The results of visual event-related potential(ERP)examinations and reactiontime(RT)tests were reported in 30 elders and compared with their performanceintellegence quotient(PIQ)scores.The subjects consisted of 18 males and 12 femalesaged 50-71(mean 61.4)years old.No history of central nervous system disease wasfound.The visual stimuli were randomly presented to the subject,including three sym-bols:E as target stimulus with 0.15 probability,and H and E as nontarget stimuliwith 0.15 and 0.70 probability respectively.The recording electrodes were placed on Fzand Pz.The duration from the subject seeing the target to touching a button immediatelywas considered as reaction time(RT).It was shown that the P3 latency at Pz was longer than that at Fz and the P3amplitude at Pz was larger than that at Fz,and that the RT was longer than P3 latencywith obvious effect of distribution(P【0.05 at Fz and P】0.05 at Pz)as well .The higherthe PIQ scores,the longer the RT and the P3 latency.It is suggested that the ERPmight reflect the differences of PIQ scores,and the P3 is an objective index.We considerthat the research of ERP is of great interest in the neuropsychological and neurological sci-ences.

Components and sequential changes in event-related potential induced by gaze orientation processing under a reflective attention cue paradigm

Gaze orientation induces activation of relevant brain regions, presents differences in specificity and time course, and is exhibited in patients with brain injury. However, the components of activated event-related potential remain controversial. Previous studies of behavior and cognitive neuroscience related to gaze orientation investigated conscious attention of visual orientation. The present study explored gaze orientation processing-induced event-related potential components and changes with time using reflective orientation of visual attention under a reflective attention cue paradigm. Visual attention processing of gaze orientation was recorded using event-related potential and electroencephalographic recording. Results demonstrated that the reflective attention cue task evoked early directing attention negativity and anterior directing attention negativity, but did not trigger late directing attention positivity. These results suggest that reflective attention occurs over a short time of visual stimulus presentation. During the early stage of attention processing, early directing attention negativity and anterior directing attention negativity were detected, but late directing attention positivity did not occur. These results confirmed reflectivity and time-course superiority of gaze orientation attention processing.