ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy and safety of sertraline combined with low-dose olanzapine in the treatment of depression and anxiety comorbidity and its effect on sleep quality， so as to provide references for the related clinical treatment. MethodsA total of 121 patients who met the diagnostic criteria of International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） for depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder in The Third People's Hospital of Tianshui and the Sanatorium for Mental Illness of Veterans in Tianshui from October 2019 to August 2020 were enrolled， and they were divided into two groups according to the random number table method. Study group （n=61） received sertraline combined with low-dose olanzapine， while control group （n=60） received sertraline only. Then the disease severity degree， sleep quality and adverse reactions were assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale - 17 item （HAMD-17）， Hamilton Anxiety Scale （HAMA）， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI） and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale （TESS） at the baseline， 1st， 2nd， 4th， 6th and 8th weekend， respectively. ResultsPost-treatment HAMD-17， HAMA and PSQI scores in both groups were lower than those before treatment （P<0.05）. At each time point after treatment， HAMD-17， HAMA and PSQI scores of study group were lower than those of control group， with statistical significance （P<0.05）. ConclusionSertraline alone and its combination with low-dose olanzapine are both effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety comorbidity， while the combination therapy achieves better efficacy and higher safety in alleviating anxiety and insomnia symptoms.
ABSTRACT
Rapid detection and response to visual threats are critical for survival in animals. The amygdala (AMY) is hypothesized to be involved in this process, but how it interacts with the visual system to do this remains unclear. By recording flash-evoked potentials simultaneously from the superior colliculus (SC), lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus, AMY, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and visual cortex, which belong to the cortical and subcortical pathways for visual fear processing, we investigated the temporal relationship between these regions in visual processing in rats. A quick flash-evoked potential (FEP) component was identified in the AMY. This emerged as early as in the LGN and was approximately 25 ms prior to the earliest component recorded in the SC, which was assumed to be an important area in visual fear. This quick P1 component in the AMY was not affected by restraint stress or corticosterone injection, but was diminished by RU38486, a glucocorticoid receptor blocker. By injecting a monosynaptic retrograde AAV tracer into the AMY, we found that it received a direct projection from the retina. These results confirm the existence of a direct connection from the retina to the AMY, that the latency in the AMY to flashes is equivalent to that in the sensory thalamus, and that the response is modulated by glucocorticoids.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate whether modulating the activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC) by transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) can influence emotional perception. Meth-ods Seventy-eight undergraduates were randomly divided into four groups by simple random sampling meth-od. TDCS (1. 5 mA) noninvasive technique was used to test group 1 (n=23) for 3 minutes to intervene in DLPFC,group 2 (n=17) for 15 minutes to intervene in DLPFC,group 3 (n=20) for 3 minutes to intervene in primary visual cortex,and group 4 (n=18) for non-emotional picture test. The data were analyzed with re-peated measurement variance analysis. Results (1) The interaction between short-term(3 min) stimula-tion of tDCS and facial expression was statistically significant (F(1,22)=7. 448,P=0. 012). There was signifi- cant difference in positive face perception (before:70. 58%,period:74. 75%,P=0. 036) and no significant difference in negative face perception (before:70. 58%,period:70. 73%,P=0. 569). (2) There was no sig-nificant difference in the correlation between prolonged tDCS stimulation(15 min) and face expression recog-nition ( F (1,16)= 1. 621, P=0. 221). (3) The primary visual cortex was not affected by anodal tDCS (F(1,19)<1,P>0. 05). (4) There was no significant difference in the interaction between tDCS and facial ex-pression (F(1,17)=2. 566,P=0. 128) when visual stimulus was changed to non-expressive faces. Conclu-sions By applying tDCS technique,the present findings suggest that modulating DLPFC can influence emo-tional face perception,and support the valence-specific lateralization of emotional perception.
ABSTRACT
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) refers to a decreased response to a startling stimulus when another weaker stimulus precedes it. Most PPI studies have focused on the physiological startle reflex and fewer have reported the PPI of cortical responses. We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) in four monkeys and investigated whether the PPI of auditory cortical responses (alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations and evoked potentials) can be demonstrated in the caudolateral belt of the superior temporal gyrus (STGcb). We also investigated whether the presence of a conspecific, which draws attention away from the auditory stimuli, affects the PPI of auditory cortical responses. The PPI paradigm consisted of Pulse-only and Prepulse + Pulse trials that were presented randomly while the monkey was alone (ALONE) and while another monkey was present in the same room (ACCOMP). The LFPs to the Pulse were significantly suppressed by the Prepulse thus, demonstrating PPI of cortical responses in the STGcb. The PPI-related inhibition of the N1 amplitude of the evoked responses and cortical oscillations to the Pulse were not affected by the presence of a conspecific. In contrast, gamma oscillations and the amplitude of the N1 response to Pulse-only were suppressed in the ACCOMP condition compared to the ALONE condition. These findings demonstrate PPI in the monkey STGcb and suggest that the PPI of auditory cortical responses in the monkey STGcb is a pre-attentive inhibitory process that is independent of attentional modulation.