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.

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.

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 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EVENT RELATED POTENTIALSIN PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER,DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Objective:To investigate the variations of contingent negative varisations(CNV),P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN) in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD),depressiopn and anxiety.MEthods:Event-related potentials CNV,P300 and MMN were recorded in 31 patients with OCD by Nicolet SPirit Instrument,and were compared with that of 20 depression controls(DC) and 17 anxiety controls(AC)and 28 normal controls(NC),Results:A significant difference of CNV among 4 sulbject groups was found in both post-imperative negative variation(PINV) and amplitudes(M1)(P<0.01)(emergence of PINV were 45%),60%,35%,and 4% in OCD,DC,AC and NC groups respectively),Compared with NC group,DC and AC groups showed decreased M1 amplitude(P<0.01).A significant difference of P300 among 4 groups was found in both latencies(Cz/N2) and P3 and nontarget-P2 amplitudes(P<0.05-0.01),The delayed MMN latencies of OCD and DC were similar to that of P300 changes,Conclusions:CNV,P300 and MMN are useful tools for assessing the brain malfunction of OCD,DC and AC,and its clinical application are suggested.The characteristics ERPs of those patients might be useful indexes in distinguishing OCD from DC and AC patients.

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.

Identification of a Novel Dynamic Red Blindness in Human by Event-related Brain Potentials

Dynamic color is an important carrier that takes information in some special occupations.However,up to the present,there are no available and objective tests to evaluate dynamic color processing.To investigate the characteristics of dynamic color processing,we adopted two patterns of visual stimulus called "onset-offset" which reflected static color stimuli and "sustained moving" without abrupt mode which reflected dynamic color stimuli to evoke event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in primary color amblyopia patients (abnormal group) and subjects with normal color recognition ability (normal group).ERPs were recorded by Neuroscan system.The results showed that in the normal group,ERPs in response to the dynamic red stimulus showed frontal positive amplitudes with a latency of about 180 ms,a negative peak at about 240 ms and a peak latency of the late positive potential (LPP) in a time window between 290 and 580 ms.In the abnormal group,ERPs in response to the dynamic red stimulus were fully lost and characterized by vanished amplitudes between 0 and 800 ms.No significant difference was noted in ERPs in response to the dynamic green and blue stimulus between the two groups (P】0.05).ERPs of the two groups in response to the static red,green and blue stimulus were not much different,showing a transient negative peak at about 170 ms and a peak latency of LPP in a time window between 350 and 650 ms.Our results first revealed that some subjects who were not identified as color blindness under static color recognition could not completely apperceive a sort of dynamic red stimulus by ERPs,which was called "dynamic red blindness".Furthermore,these results also indicated that low-frequency ERPs induced by "sustained moving" may be a good and new method to test dynamic color perception competence.

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.

STUDY ON EVENT RELATED POTENTIALS(P_(300))OF PATIENTS WITH VASCULAR DEMENTIA

目的:观察脑血管性痴呆(vascular dementia,VD)患者的听觉P300的变化特点以及与其认知功能的关系。方法:对30例VD患者和30名健康老年人(NC)应用Nicolet Bravo脑诱发电位仪进行事件相关电位P300检测;同时应用简易认知功能量表(MMSE)评估其认知功能。结果:VD组MMSE[(17.52±3.57)分]分值低于NC组[(26.57±1.43)分,(P<0.01)];与NC组相比,VD相P300中的P2、N2、P3潜伏期长,P2、P3波幅低,非靶P2波幅低(P<0.05-0.01);而VD组P300在三个脑区之间的差异无统计学意义(P<0.05);VD组P300中的P3波潜伏期与MMSE分值呈负相关(P<0.05-0.01)。结论:P300的变化可作评估VD患者认知功能缺损的有用指标。

个体与集体时间自我评价:来自行为和ERP的证据

运用事件相关电位技术和时间自我参照任务,通过两个系列实验探讨了大学生的个体时间自我评价和集体时间自我评价。结果显示,被试采用更多积极词、更少消极词来评价过去、现在和未来的个体自我和集体自我,个体自我评价在过去、现在和未来维度上存在积极递增效应;个体自我和集体自我在过去和现在维度上的消极词比积极词诱发了更大LPC波幅,而未来维度上的积极词和消极词之间的LPC波幅无显著差异。这表明,中国大学生的个体时间自我评价和集体时间自我评价均具有跨时间的积极偏向。而且,个体与集体时间自我评价在神经生理水平上都存在负偏向效应。因此,中国大学生的集体时间自我评价与个体时间自我评价具有相似的认知神经特点,在一定程度上为依存型自我建构理论提供了支持证据。

情绪对低感觉寻求者安全行为决策的影响:来自ERPs的证据

为从神经层面深究不同偶然情绪对低感觉寻求者的不安全行为决策过程的影响作用,采用事件相关电位(ERPs)技术进行试验研究。使用中国版大学生感觉寻求问卷筛选低感觉寻求者和中感觉寻求者(对照组)。采用视频片段作为情绪刺激材料在试验前诱发正性和负性情绪,并设置风险情景任务进行风险决策试验。结果表明:不考虑情绪变量时,低感觉寻求组与感觉寻求对照组在安全行为决策上无显著差异;正性情绪下,低感觉寻求个体保持风险规避倾向;负性情绪下,在行为表现上,低感觉寻求者更倾向作出不安全行为决策;负性情绪下,在ERPs成分上,低感觉寻求者诱发的晚期正成分(LPP)潜伏期更晚,表明负性情绪的干扰导致个体在风险分类与评价时难度增大,故此从神经层面解释其外在行为表现的内在原因。总之,情绪在感觉寻求影响安全行为决策过程中产生调节作用。

ERP在家用纺织品视觉感知研究中的探索与应用

事件相关电位(ERP)在“新文科”实验教学中的应用日益广泛。鉴于传统调研工具的局限性,探索性地将ERP技术应用于家用纺织品视觉感知研究中。选取不同明度、色调和图案的床上用品作为试验材料,通过脑电数据重点分析N100、P200和N200成分对视觉特征的响应。结果显示,高明度床品产生更大N100振幅,受试者更倾向于高明度、无图案床品。ERP技术可用于分析纺织品视觉感知中的审美偏好,为纺织品设计和“新文科”背景下应用型文科生的培养提供了新的途径。

Neuroprotection against vascular dementia after acupuncture combined with donepezil hydrochloride：P300 event related potential

Acupuncture can be used to treat various nervous system diseases.Here,168 vascular dementia patients were orally administered donepezil hydrochloride alone（5 mg/day,once a day for 56 days）,or combined with acupuncture at Shenting（DU24）,Tianzhu（BL10）,Sishencong（Extra）,Yintang（Extra）,Renzhong（DU26）,Neiguan（PC6）,Shenmen（HT7）,Fengchi（GB20）,Wangu（GB12） and Baihui（DU20）（once a day for 56 days）.Compared with donepezil hydrochloride alone,P300 event related potential latency was shorter with an increased amplitude in patients treated with donepezil hydrochloride and acupuncture.Mini-Mental State Examination score was also higher.Moreover,these differences in P300 latency were identified within different infarcted regions in patients treated with donepezil hydrochloride and acupuncture.These findings indicate that acupuncture combined with donepezil hydrochloride noticeably improves cognitive function in patients with vascular dementia,and exerts neuroprotective effects against vascular dementia.

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.

Attachment Styles are Related to ERPs Elicited to Angry Faces in an Oddball Paradigm

Attachment theory suggests that anxious attachment is associated with hypervigilance to threatening social stimuli, and avoidant attachment with avoidance or suppression of processing such stimuli. Twenty-five students viewed angry, fearful and neutral female faces in four visual oddball tasks, and completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Autonomy-Connectedness Scale, and Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Symptom Checklist-90. When the oddballs were angry faces in a background of neutral frequents, we found higher levels of autonomy and secure attachment to be related to larger N100 and smaller P300 amplitudes;higher levels of anxious attachment were, on the contrary, associated with smaller N100 and larger P300 amplitudes. Variation in attachment is related to approaching, or withdrawing from threatening stimuli, and ERP-techniques add to our understanding of how the attachment system actually works.

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.

基于ERP技术的新中式椅具扶手造型对审美心理影响的研究

为探究新中式椅类家具扶手造型风格与消费者偏好之间的关系,获取最受大众喜爱的扶手造型样式,本研究收集了目前常见在售的新中式椅具扶手样本,提出了一种基于事件相关电位试验的消费者主观偏好的客观提取方法,观测消费者由8款扶手样式所诱发的ERP成分,并使用方差分析法进行数据处理。结果表明:不同鹅脖类型将影响用户认知的加工水平,造型张力越大越能引发情绪偏向。扶手是否出头对整体造型影响较小,但仍具有差异。3#样式充分平衡传统与现代元素,引发了最大P3值并最受喜爱;7#样式形态特异,未能激活强烈注意反应并最不受喜爱。因此,在新中式椅具扶手设计中应坚持传统与现代适度权衡的设计策略。

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.