Spatial Properties of Mismatch Negativity in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness

In recent decades, event-related potentials have been used for the clinical electrophysiological assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness （DOCs）. In this paper, an oddball paradigm with two types of frequencydeviant stimulus （standard stimuli were pure tones of 1000 Hz; small deviant stimuli were pure tones of 1050 Hz; large deviant stimuli were pure tones of 1200 Hz） was applied to elicit mismatch negativity （MMN） in 30 patients with DOCs diagnosed using the JFK Coma Recovery Scale- Revised （CRS-R）. The results showed that the peak amplitudes of MMN elicited by both large and small deviant stimuli were significantly different from baseline. In terms of the spatial properties of MMN, a significant interaction effect between conditions （small and large deviant stimuli） and electrode nodes was centered at the frontocentral area. Furthermore, correlation coefficients were calculated between MMN amplitudes and CRS-R scores for each electrode among all participants to generate topographic maps. Meanwhile, a significant negative correlation between the MMN amplitudes elicited by large deviant stimuli and the CRS-R scores was also found at the frontocentral area. In consequence, our results combine the above spatial properties of MMN in patients with DOCs, and provide a more precise location （frontocentral area） at which to evaluate the correlation between clinical electrophysiological assessment and the level of consciousness.

Let’s play tic-tac-toe: Confucius Institutes versus American Cultural Centres

China and the United States(US)have established respective cul-tural institutions in each other,namely the Confucius Institute and the American Cultural Centre.While they differ in the estab-lishment background and management model,in their counter-part countries’view,both Confucius Institutes and American Cultural Centres serve the function of public diplomacy as a‘quasi-diplomatic agency’,attracting extensive political attention.When comparing the history of their developments in the US and China,a similar trend of‘rise-to-fall’and‘positivity-to-negativity’can be observed.The stagnation of American Cultural Centres in China and the crisis of Confucius Institutes in the US both origin-ate from the same source—political pressure.The development paths of both institutions are closely related to the development and transformation of Sino–US political relations.In this process,China’s attitude is relatively moderate in an attempt to maintain the continuous development of a friendly bilateral relation,while the US is anxious about China’s rising status as its economic and strategic competitor,thereby adjusting its China policy and imposing rigid political controls over Confucius Institutes.Affected by the Sino–US trade dispute and the COVID-19 pandemic,Sino–US relations deteriorate further;accordingly,the future out-look of Confucius Institutes in the US is worrying.However,with abundant uncertainties,the future of the Confucius Institute remains to be further studied.