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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How do medical students understand disease behaviors?Evidence from event-related potentials

Objective: To investigate how medical students process Western medicine(WM) terms vs. traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) terms and how this is impacted by analogical priming from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience.Methods: The experiments were designed as a 2(TCM terms vs. WM terms) × 2(correct terms vs.incorrect terms) × 2(analogical priming task vs. non-priming task) scheme. A total of 26 medical students completed a non-priming judgment task and an analogical priming judgment task on medical terms. During the tasks, the participants were asked to make correct/incorrect judgments on WM terms and TCM terms, and their behavioral data and event-related potentials(ERPs) were recorded.Results: Behaviorally, the response speed and accuracy of WM terms were higher than those of TCM terms(both P <.001), indicating a prominent concreteness effect. Analogical priming shortened the response time to medical terms(P <.001), and the response time to TCM terms was shortened more significantly(P =.001). For ERPs, WM terms induced a larger P200(an early positive ERP component), a smaller N400(a negative ERP component), and a higher late positive ERP component, indicating superiority of attention adjustment, smaller-scale semantic activation, and a higher cost of late semantic analysis and integration. However, the analogical priming eliminated the difference between WM and TCM terms in P200 and N400 while maintaining it in the LPC. This suggests that WM terms are sensitive to analogical attention adjustment, and TCM terms are susceptible to analogical semantic integration.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that WM and TCM disease behavior terms may initially differ in concreteness or the use of a verbal-linguistic system. Analogy is more conducive to understanding TCM terms. This research provides important neuroscientific evidence of the difference in thinking between TCM and WM.

Relationships among Event-Related Potentials, Memory, and Schizophrenic Symptoms in College Students with Schizotypal-Traits

The present study investigated the relationships among event-related potentials (ERPs), memory, and schizophrenic symptoms in college students with schizotypal-traits. Scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) were used to categorize the participants into schizotypal-trait (n = 30) and normal control (n = 37) groups. ERPs were assessed using an auditory oddball paradigm, in which a series of standard tones (1000 Hz) and target tones (1500 Hz) were presented;participants were asked to count the number of presented target tones. The verbal memory and visual memory of the participants were evaluated using the Korean version of the California Verbal Learning Test (K-CVLT) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT), respectively. The schizotypal-trait and control groups did not differ in terms of age, educational level, IQ score, accuracy on the auditory oddball task, or performance on the K-CVLT and RCFT measures. However, the schizotypal-trait group exhibited significantly smaller P300 amplitudes than the control group. Additionally, the P300 amplitudes measured at Cz and Pz were negatively correlated with the cognitive-perceptual factor scores on the SPQ. Thus, the present results indicate that reduced P300 amplitudes may represent a biological marker of schizophrenia.

Event-related potentials associated with Chinese and English color-word Stroop tasks in Chinese bilinguals

Objective:To investigate the neural electrophysiologieal activity underlying Chinese and Eng- lish Stroop tasks for Chinese English bilinguals.Methods:Event-related potentials(ERPs)were recorded in 14 Chinese bilinguals with a moderate command of English when they performed the Stroop task pre- sented in English words and Chinese characters,respectively.Results:In Chinese task version,it was found an increased positivity over bilateral front-polar regions on incongruent trials compared with congru- ent trials,followed by an increased negativity over fronto-central region and an increased positivity over occipital region.While in English task version,only the increased negativity was observed over fronto-cen- tral region,but with reduced amplitude and anterior distribution.Conclusion:This increased negativity was proposed as an index of the resolution processes of conflicting information in the incongruent situa- tion.The increased positivity over occipital region on Chinese incongruent trials may indicate visually rechecking effect for Chinese character.

Impaired implicit emotion regulation in patients with panic disorder:An event-related potential study on affect labeling

BACKGROUND Panic disorder(PD)involves emotion dysregulation,but its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.Previous research suggests that implicit emotion regulation may play a central role in PD-related emotion dysregulation and symptom maintenance.However,there is a lack of studies exploring the neural mechanisms of implicit emotion regulation in PD using neurophysiological indicators.AIM To study the neural mechanisms of implicit emotion regulation in PD with eventrelated potentials(ERP).METHODS A total of 25 PD patients and 20 healthy controls(HC)underwent clinical evaluations.The study utilized a case-control design with random sampling,selecting participants for the case group from March to December 2018.Participants performed an affect labeling task,using affect labeling as the experimental condition and gender labeling as the control condition.ERP and behavioral data were recorded to compare the late positive potential(LPP)within and between the groups.RESULTS Both PD and HC groups showed longer reaction times and decreased accuracy under the affect labeling.In the HC group,late LPP amplitudes exhibited a dynamic pattern of initial increase followed by decrease.Importantly,a significant group×condition interaction effect was observed.Simple effect analysis revealed a reduction in the differences of late LPP amplitudes between the affect labeling and gender labeling conditions in the PD group compared to the HC group.Furthermore,among PD patients under the affect labeling,the late LPP was negatively correlated with disease severity,symptom frequency,and intensity.CONCLUSION PD patients demonstrate abnormalities in implicit emotion regulation,hampering their ability to mobilize cognitive resources for downregulating negative emotions.The late LPP amplitude in response to affect labeling may serve as a potentially valuable clinical indicator of PD severity.

The Objective Assessment of Event-Related Potentials:An Influence of Chronic Pain on ERP Parameters

The article presents an original method for the automatic assessment of the quality of event-related potentials(ERPs),based on the calculation of the coefficientε,which describes the compliance of recorded ERPs with some statistically significant parameters.This method was used to analyze the neuropsychological EEG monitoring of patients suffering from migraines.The frequency of migraine attacks was correlated with the spatial distribution of the coefficientsε,calculated for EEG channels.More than 15 migraine attacks per month was accompanied by an increase in calculated values in the occipital region.Patients with infrequent migraines exhibited maximum quality in the frontal areas.The automatic analysis of spatial maps of the coefficientεdemonstrated a statistically significant difference between the two analyzed groups with different means of migraine attack numbers per month.

Mass Increase with Strong and Gravitational Potentials, and Mass Defect with Electromagnetic Potential

The proposal is “mass increases due to strong and gravitational potentials, while it decreases due to Electromagnetic potential”. This proposal explains the big difference in mass between hadrons (protons, neutrons, & mesons) and their components (quarks), mass difference between nucleus and its individual components (protons and neutrons), massless of gamma photons, abnormal masses of mesons and bosons, and the excess in galaxy masses (dark matter). Also, this proposal shows the exact relation between mass and energy: Strong Potential=−3.04mc2| Electric Potential |=−5.57×10−3mc2Gravitational Potential=−1.22×10−7mc2where m represents the excess in mass due to strong potential, or gravitational potential and represents the decrease in mass due to electromagnetic potential. Released energy here equals potential energy and doesn’t equal decrease in mass using the formula E = mc2. Released energy is transferred to heat, photons, kinetic energy… Finally, proposal will try to describe the relation between photon energy and mass of its components using the general equation of kinetic energy: Photon Energy=1/2mc2m is the sum of the individual masses of its components, while the total mass of photon is zero.

Median Nerve Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Patients with Chiari Malformation

Abnormal SEP reflects dysfunction of the medial lemniscus and posterior cervical cord. These structures are likely to be affected in Chiari malformation. Therefore, SEP abnormalities may provide valuable information in patients with CM. However, the consistency of SEP abnormality or normality with the damage is a matter of research. Knowing whether median nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) is useful in revealing subclinical damage in patients with Chiari malformation is important in the treatment and follow-up plan of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between median nerve SEP values and the severity of cerebellar ectopia in patients with Chiari type 1 malformation. Median nerve SEP values were obtained from 30 healthy individuals and 146 individuals with Chiari malformation. The cerebellar ectopia degree and McRae line length were measured. SEP values were not significantly different between groups. The McRae line was found to be significantly shorter in the control group than in the Chiari malformation group (p = 0.031). There was no correlation between the degree of cerebellar ectopia and the length of the McRae line (r = 0.002, p = 0.979). Neither cerebellar ectopy degree nor McRae line length had a relationship with SEP values (r = -0.153, p = 0.066;r = -0.056, p = 0.500, respectively). There was no difference in cerebellar ectopy degree or SEP values between the groups with cerebellar ectopy with and without a syrinx (p = 0.899;p = 0.080, respectively). Likewise, McRae line length was not found to be related to the presence of a syrinx (p = 0.139). Median nerve SEP examination was not beneficial for diagnosing asymptomatic-oligosymptomatic Chiari malformation as a subclinical injury, whether accompanied by syringomyelia or not.

Thermal conductivity of GeTe crystals based on machine learning potentials

GeTe has attracted extensive research interest for thermoelectric applications.In this paper,we first train a neuroevolution potential(NEP)based on a dataset constructed by ab initio molecular dynamics,with the Gaussian approximation potential(GAP)as a reference.The phonon density of states is then calculated by two machine learning potentials and compared with density functional theory results,with the GAP potential having higher accuracy.Next,the thermal conductivity of a GeTe crystal at 300 K is calculated by the equilibrium molecular dynamics method using both machine learning potentials,and both of them are in good agreement with the experimental results;however,the calculation speed when using the NEP potential is about 500 times faster than when using the GAP potential.Finally,the lattice thermal conductivity in the range of 300 K-600 K is calculated using the NEP potential.The lattice thermal conductivity decreases as the temperature increases due to the phonon anharmonic effect.This study provides a theoretical tool for the study of the thermal conductivity of GeTe.

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.

Tetrathiafulvalene esters with high redox potentials and improved solubilities for non-aqueous redox flow battery applications

The exploitation of high performance redox-active substances is critically important for the development of non-aqueous redoxflow batteries.Herein,three tetrathiofulvalene(TTF)derivatives with different substitution groups,namely TTF diethyl ester(TTFDE),TTF tetramethyl ester(TTFTM),and TTF tetraethyl ester(TTFTE),are prepared and their energy storage properties are evaluated.It has been found that the redox potential and solubility of these TTF derivatives in conventional carbonate electrolytes increases with the number of ester groups.The battery with a catholyte of 0.2 mol L^(-1) of TTFTE delivers a specific capacity of more than 10 Ah L^(-1) at the current density of 0.5 C with two discharge voltage platforms locating at as high as 3.85 and 3.60 V vs.Li/Liþ.Its capacity retention can be improved from 2.34 Ah L^(-1) to 3.60 Ah L^(-1) after 100 cycles by the use of an anion exchange membrane to block the crossover of TTF species.The excellent cycling stability of the TIF esters is supported by their well-delocalized electrons,as revealed by the density function theory calculations.Therefore,the introduction of more and larger electron-withdrawing groups is a promising strategy to simultaneously increase the redox-potential and solubility of redox-active ma-terials for non-aqueous redoxflow batteries.

Masseter Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials: A new tool to assess the vestibulomasseteric reflex pathway

Purpose: This review article provides the readers with an in-depth insight in understanding and interpreting various research literatures on the masseter vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(mVEMP). The article also reviews the contemporary researches involving the clinical applications of the mVEMP. Conclusions: Masseter VEMP is an evolving yet clinically promising neuro-otology test tool that has recently gained more research interest and is considered an additional tool to diagnose various vestibular disorders. Masseter VEMP assesses the functional integrity of the acoustic-masseteric and vestibulo-masseteric reflex pathways. The mVEMP could be used as a complementary test to evaluate the same peripheral generator as the cervical VEMP but a different central pathway i.e., vestibulo-trigeminal pathway. Various research studies that have experimented on parameters such as the effect of different electrode montages(zygomatic vs mandibular configurations), stimulation rates, filter settings and stimuli used to evoke mVEMP have been discussed in this article that could assist in the optimization of a comprehensive clinical protocol. The latency and the amplitude of mVEMP waveforms serve as significant parameters in differentiating normals from those of the clinical populations. Along with the cVEMPs and oVEMPs, mVEMP might help diagnose brainstem lesions in REM Sleep behaviour disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. However, further studies are required to probe in this area of research.

Entrepreneurship training:its influences on innovation potentials among nursing students

Objective:To evaluate the influences of entrepreneurship training on the innovation potential among nursing students.Methods:A quasi-experimental design was utilized to conduct this study.The study was conducted in the classroom at the faculty of nursing,and the“i Hub”center at Ain Shams University(ASU)in Cairo,Egypt.A purposive sample of 42 nursing students who participated in the“Ain Shams University-innovate”competition from the Faculty of Nursing of ASU were included in this study.Data collection tools included(1)Nursing students'innovation skills assessment questionnaire and(2)Innovative projects evaluation tool.Results:There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of nursing students'total innovation skills pre-and post-implementation of entrepreneurship training,where P-value<0.05.Conclusions:The results of the current study support the research hypothesis because the implementation of entrepreneurship training positively affects nursing students'innovation potential.Developing entrepreneurship education in nursing and integrating it into nursing programs will stimulate creativity,innovation,and entrepreneurship among nursing students and health care services.

Effects of Electroacupuncture Combined Psycho-intervention on Cognitive Function and Event-Related Potentials P300 and Mismatch Negativity in Patients with Internet Addiction

Objective： To observe the effects of comprehensive therapy （CT） with electroacupuncture （EA） in combination with psycho-intervention （PI） on the cognitive function and event-related potentials （ERP）, P300 and mismatch negativity （MMN）, in patients with internet addiction （IA） for a preliminary exploration of the possible mechanism of the therapy. Metheds： One hundred and twenty patients with IA were randomly divided into three groups, and a total of 112 subjects reached the final analysis of the trial, the EA group （39 patients）, the PI group （36 patients） and the CT group （37 patients）. EA was applied at acupoints Baihui （GV20）, Sishencong （EX-HN1）, Hegu （LI4）, Neiguan （PC6）, Taichong （LR3） and Sanyinjiao （SP6）, once every other day; PI with the cognition- behavior mode was implemented every 4 days; both EA and PI were used in the CT group. The treatment course for all patients was 40 days. Changes before and after treatment in terms of scoring by the IA self-rating scale, short-term memory capacity, short-term memory span, and the latency and amplitude of P300 and MMN in patients were observed. Results： After treatment, in all groups, the IA score was lowered significantly （P〈0.05） and scores of short-term memory capacity and short-term memory span increased significantly （P〈0.05）, while the decreased IA score in the CT group was more significant than that in the other two groups （P〈0.05）. ERP measurements showed that P300 latency was depressed and its amplitude raised in the EA group; MMN amplitude increased in the CT group （all P〈0.05）. Cenclusien： The EA in combination with PI could improve the cognitive function of IA patients, and its mechanism might be related to the speedup of cerebral discrimination on external stimulus and the enhancement of effective resource mobilization during information processing of the brain.

Using an improved sentence paradigm of event-related potentials to examine puns' cognitive mechanism

In order to specify brain temporal dynamics difference between two representative puns, homonymic and semantic puns, alternate presentation of words and phrase(APWP) paradigm was proposed. The highlight of APWP paradigm is to make sentences strictly presented in word-phrase-word-phrase-word forms, which helps relieve visual fatigue of the monotonous presentation form and prevent disturbance by the settled position of the ending word. Following the APWP paradigm, participants are invited to read puns presenting in word-phrase-word-phrase-word forms. Meanwhile, event-related potential(ERP) was adopted to record their electroencephalogram(EEG) data. By observing two linguistic cognitive indexes of EEG data, N400 and P600 caused by puns, it was found that there were significant difference of logical mechanisms between homonymic and semantic puns. For homonymic puns, a significant P600 effect without any obvious N400 amplitude was elicited for the pronunciation of heterograph. For semantic puns, an apparent N400 amplitude might reflect ambiguities and comprehensive difficulty of a homonym into its discourse context. This study also conveyed that the APWP paradigm proved to be a good model for sentences research, which can be applied to other linguistic phenomena of complete context, such as metaphor, irony and jokes, sentence pattern and syntactic research.

Event-related potentials in a Go/Nogo task of abnormal response inhibition in heroin addicts

Inhibitory control dysfunction is regarded as a core feature in addicts.The major objective of this study was to explore the time course of response inhibition in chronic heroin addicts and provide the neurophysiological evidence of their inhibitory control dysfunction.The amplitudes and latencies of ERP components were studied in fourteen heroin addicts(mean duration of heroin use being(13.54±5.71) years(Mean±SD),average abstinence being((4.67±6.44) months)) and fourteen matched healthy controls with a visual Go/Nogo task.Our results showed that heroin addicts demonstrated significantly larger Go-N2 amplitudes which results in a decreased N2 Go/Nogo effect,but no statistically significant differences were found between heroin addicts and controls in P3.The ERP data suggest that fronto-central areas of heroin addicts were impaired during the inhibition process(200-300 ms) and over-activated to targets.The impaired early process might reflect an abnormal conflict monitoring process in heroin addicts.These results consolidate the inhibitory control dysfunction hypothesis in chronic heroin users.