Effects of Risperidone and Paliperidone on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and N400 in First-Episode Schizophrenia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>Risperidone and paliperidone have been the mainstay treatment for schizophrenia and their potential role in neuroprotection could be associated with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and N400 (an event-related brain potential component). So far, different effects on both BDNF and N400 were reported in relation to various antipsychotic treatments. However, few studies have been conducted on the mechanism of risperidone and paliperidone on BDNF and N400. This study aimed to compare the effects of risperidone and paliperidone on BDNF and the N400 component of the event-related brain potential in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.</p><p><b>Methods</b>Ninety-eight patients with first-episode schizophrenia were randomly divided into the risperidone and paliperidone groups and treated with risperidone and paliperidone, respectively, for 12 weeks. Serum BDNF level, the latency, and amplitude of the N400 event-related potential before and after the treatment and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>Results</b>A total of 94 patients were included in the final analysis (47 patients in each group). After the treatment, the serum BDNF levels in both groups increased (all P < 0.01), while no significant difference in serum BDNF level was found between the groups before and after the treatment (all P > 0.05). After the treatment, N400 amplitudes were increased (from 4.73 ± 2.86 μv and 4.51 ± 4.63 μv to 5.35 ± 4.18 μv and 5.52 ± 3.08 μv, respectively) under congruent condition in both risperidone and paliperidone groups (all P < 0.01). Under incongruent conditions, the N400 latencies were shortened in the paliperidone group (from 424.13 ± 110.42 ms to 4.7.41 ± 154.59 ms, P < 0.05), and the N400 amplitudes were increased in the risperidone group (from 5.80 ± 3.50 μv to 7.17 ± 5.51 μv, P < 0.01). After treatment, the total PANSS score in both groups decreased significantly (all P < 0.01), but the difference between the groups was not significant (P > 0.05). A negative correlation between the reduction rate of the PANSS score and the increase in serum BDNF level after the treatment was found in the paliperidone group but not in the risperidone group.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>Both risperidone and paliperidone could increase the serum BDNF levels in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and improve their cognitive function (N400 latency and amplitude), but their antipsychotic mechanisms might differ.</p>

Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment on Event-Related Potentials in Schizophrenia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and event-related potentials (ERPs) are a noninvasive technique that widely used in neurophysiological field. Although rTMS has shown clinical utility for a number of neurological conditions, Recently,there was little understanding of the the efficacy of rTMS on Schizophrenia(SZ) and the change of ERP between before and after rTMS treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of N400, mismatch negativity (MMN), and P300 before and after treatment with rTMS in SZ.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty-seven SZ patients hospitalized in Shanghai Mental Health Center from March 2015 to July 2017, divided into two groups (85 patients were recruited as rTMS group and 42 were recruited as sham rTMS [ShrTMS] group) and 76 normal controls (NCs) who were the staff and refresher staff in our hospital were recruited at the same time. A Chinese-made rTMS and a Runjie WJ-1 ERPs instrument were used in the present experiment. N400 was elicited by congruent and noncongruent Chinese idioms. After rTMS treatment, N400, P300, and MMN characteristics were compared with those before treatment and NC group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with NC, the SZ patients exhibited delays in N400, P300, and MMN latency and decreased N400, P300, and MMN amplitudes in their frontal area (P < 0.05). After 25 rTMS treatments, N400 amplitudes in the frontal area (elicited by idioms with same phonic and different shape and meaning and with different phonic, shape, and meaning) were increased in the SZ patients (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in N400 before and after treatment with ShrTMS in SZ patients (P > 0.05). Amplitudes for MMN and target P300 also increased in SZ patients after rTMS treatment (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Based on our preliminary findings, we believe that the combined usage of N400, MMN, and P300 could be a valuable index and an electrophysiological reference in evaluating the effects of rTMS treatment in SZ patients.</p>

Nonlinear dynamics of electroencephalography study in schizophrenic patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Few characteristic changes of linear electroencephalograph (EEG) have been reported in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in temporal-spatial dimensional properties of EEG under different cognitive tasks in patients with schizophrenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>EEG was recorded by using EEG-1518K system and mapping system (Nihon Kohden Tomioka Corporation, Japan) in 45 schizophrenic patients and 47 healthy adults (normal control, NC) under five states: eyes closed, eyes open, mental arithmetic test with eyes closed, memory test with eyes open, and number cancellation test. Correlation dimension (D2) and point-wise correlation dimension (PD2) were calculated for all EEG analyses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) There were no significant differences of D2 and PD2 between NC and schizophrenic patients under states of eyes open and closed. (2) Compared with NC, schizophrenic patients showed decreased performance of D2 in mental arithmetic test with eyes closed and number cancellation test (mental arithmetic test with eyes closed: Nc 5.9 ± 0.6, Sch 3.0 ± 0.8; number cancellation test: Nc 6.0 ± 0.6, Sch 4.4 ± 0.7; P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (3) Schizophrenic patients also showed decrease performance of PD2 in mental arithmetic test with eyes closed, memory test with eyes open, and number cancellation test (mental arithmetic test with eyes closed: Nc 6.9 ± 0.7, Sch 4.0 ± 0.8; memory test with eyes open: Nc 6.6 ± 0.8, Sch 5.0 ± 0.9; number cancellation test: Nc 7.1 ± 0.7, Sch 4.8 ± 0.9; P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Nonlinear dynamic analysis provided a new approach in clinical investigation of EEG signals. It was helpful to further understand the cerebral mechanism in schizophrenic cognitive process.</p>

Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion as a valid model of schizophrenia: evidence from sensory gating study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) rat model has been proposed as an experimental model for schizophrenia. NVHL rats display impaired central nervous system (CNS) inhibition, which may lead to a phenomenon similar to P50 sensory gating deficits observed in schizophrenic patients. In this study, we investigated whether sensory gating deficits occurred in the NVHL rat as a model for schizophrenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We created the NVHL rat model using ibotenate. The P20 and N40 were measured to assess sensory response and gating in NVHL and sham rats. Epidural electrodes recorded evoked potentials (EPs), from which latencies, amplitudes, difference scores (S1-S2), and gating ratios (S2/S1) were assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with sham controls, prolonged S1 N40 latency and decreased S2 N40 amplitude were detected in the NVHL group. In neither difference scores nor gating ratios, a significant difference was found between NVHL group and sham controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>NVHL rats may be a valid animal model for schizophrenia. This strategy will be useful in future neurobiological studies investigating the etiology of schizophrenia.</p>

N400 elicited by incongruent ending words of Chinese idioms in healthy adults / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Prior research about N400 has been mainly based on English stimuli, while the cognitive processing of Chinese characters is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the semantic processing of Chinese idioms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Event related potentials (ERP) component N400 was elicited by 38 pairs of matching (congruent) and mismatching (incongruent) ended Chinese idioms: ending words with same phoneme but different shape and meaning (sPdSdM), with similar shape but different phoneme and meaning (sSdPdM), with same meaning but different phoneme and shape (sMdPdS), and words with different phoneme, shape and meaning (dPdSdM) and recorded by Guangzhou Runjie WJ-1 ERP instruments. In 62 right-handed healthy adults (age 19 - 50 years), N400 amplitudes and latencies were compared between matching and mismatching conditions at Fz, Cz and Pz.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>N400 showed a midline distribution and could be elicited in electrodes Fz, Cz and Pz. The mean values of N400 latencies and amplitudes were obtained for matching and mismatching ending words in healthy adults. Significant differences were found in N400 latencies and amplitudes in matching and mismatching ending-words idioms in healthy adults (P < 0.05). Compared with matching ending-words idioms, N400 latencies were prolonged and the amplitudes were increased in mismatching ones. N400s elicited by different types of stimuli showed different latencies and amplitudes, and longest N400 latency and largest N400 amplitude were elicited by ending-words with dPdSdM. No gender difference was found of N400 latency and amplitude in this study (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Compared with English stimuli, Chinese ideographic words could provide more flexible stimuli for N400 research in that the words have 3-dimension changes - phoneme, shape and meaning. Features of N400 elicited by matching and mismatching ending words in Chinese idioms are mainly determined by the meaning of the word. Some issues of N400 elicited by Chinese characters deserve further research.</p>

Changes on the Polysomnography in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / 上海第二医科大学学报

Objective To assess the changes on the whole night polysomnography (PSG) in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Methods The whole night PSGs were recorded from 24 patients with CFS and 33 normal subjects. Results Compared with normal subjects, patients with CFS showed significantly reduced total sleep duration ([488.7?21.7]min vs [515.9?31.7]min, P

A Study on the Thyroid Function in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa / 上海第二医科大学学报

0.05). Conclusion There is abnormal thyroid function in patients with anorexia nervosa. Most of the patients with anorexia nervosa are individuals with low T3 syndrome, rather than hypothyroid. Since this syndrome is reversible, thyroxine is not necessary during the treatment.