Repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia and on the P300 component of schizophrenics' event-related potentials (ERPs).Methods Ninety convalescing schizophrenia patients were randomly divided into a 5 Hz group,a 10 Hz group and a 15 Hz group,each of 30.The three groups were treated with the corresponding 5 Hz,10 Hz or 15 Hz rTMS once a day,five times a week for five consecutive weeks.The P300 ERPs of all three groups were tested before and after the treatment.Any curative effect was evaluated using the scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS).Results After the treatment,the average SANS score of the 10 Hz group was significantly different from that before the treatment and also from those of the other two groups after the treatment.After the treatment,significant improvement was also observed in the amplitude of P300 in the 10 Hz group.The treatment's effectiveness was negatively correlated with age and longer course of the disease.Conelusion rTMS at 10 Hz is the most effective of the protocols tested for improving the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and improving cognitive functioning.

Relationship between features of defense style and clinical symptoms of eating attitude in patients with ano-rexia nervosa / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between the characteristics of psychological defense style and clinical symptoms of eating attitude in patients with anorexia nervosa patients. Methods Totally 92 ca?ses ( 46 cases of restricting type,46 cases of binge?eating/purging type,48 cases of early onset before 16 years old, 44 cases of late onset after 16 years old) meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Forth Edition ( DSM?4) for anorexia nervosa (AN) were collected.92 gender?marriage?and education?matched normal cases in a psychiatric hospital were selected as the healthy control group(HC) .All were assessed with defensive style questionnaire(DSQ) and eating attitude test?26(EAT?26).DSQ and EAT?26 were compared between AN and HC,between early onset of AN( before 16 old years) and late onset of AN( after 16 old years) ,and between AN?R and AN?P.Then correlation study was done for the AN. Results Compared with HC,AN showed higher scores in the immature defense,neurotic defense ((4.49±1.13)vs (3.55±0.93),(4.33±0.76)vs (3.88±0.69), P0.05) . Conclusion AN patients tend to use more immature defense and neurotic de?fense compared with HC,and AN?P patients use more immature defense compared with AN?R. Immature defense and neurotic defense are related to the eating attitude,and the immature defense is related the duration.

Differences in P50 and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex between male smokers and non-smokers with first episode schizophrenia without medical treatment / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Nicotine may improve schizophrenia patient's cognitive deficit symptoms. This study was to explore the chronic effects of smoking on prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI) and P50 in the patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The event-related potentials (ERP) recording and analysis instrument made by Brain Products, Germany, was used to detect PPI and P50 in 49 male FES patients (FES group, n = 21 for smokers and n = 28 for non-smokers) and 43 normal male controls (control group, n = 19 for smokers and n = 24 for non-smokers).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with normal controls, the FES group had prolonged PPI latency when elicited by single stronger stimulus (P < 0.05); the FES group had prolonged PPI latency and increased PPI amplitude (P < 0.05, 0.01) when elicited by weak and strong stimuli. The FES group had lower PPI inhibition rate than normal controls (P < 0.05). Compared with normal controls, the FES group had increased P50-S2 amplitude and increased amplitude ratio S2/S1 (both P <0.05). In the control group, the smokers had a tendency of increase in P50-S2 amplitude (P > 0.05) and shorter P50-S2 latency (P < 0.05) than the non-smokers. The smokers had higher PPI amplitude than the non-smokers (P < 0.05). In the FES group, the smokers had higher P50-S1 amplitude, shorter P50-S2 latency, and higher amplitude ratio S2/S1 than the non-smokers (P < 0.05, 0.01). The smokers had higher PPI amplitude than the non-smokers (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is obvious PPI and P50 deficits in schizophrenic patients. However, these deficits are relatively preserved in the smokers compared with the non-smokers, which suggests that long-term smoking might partially improve the sensory gating in schizophrenic patients. Whether this conclusion can be deduced to female patients requires further follow-ups.</p>

Using event-related potentials to explore language processing / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To investigate the use of component N400 of the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by Chinese idioms ending with matching and nonmatching words to explore the cognitive patterns and processing mechanisms elicited by Chinese characters. Methods Sixty-two right-handed healthy adults (age 19-50 years) , were presented with Chinese idioms ending with words with the same pronunciation but different form and meaning, words with similar forms but different pronunciation and meaning, words with same meaning but different pronunciation and form, and words with different pronunciation, form and meaning. A Guangzhou Runjie WJ-1 instrument was used to record component N400 of the potentials evoked. Results N400 showed a midline distribution , and could be detected under electrodes Fz, Cz and Pz. Significant differences were found in N400 latencies and amplitudes between matching and nonmatching ending-words. Compared with idioms with matching ending-words, N400 latencies were prolonged and amplitudes increased in nonmatching cases. The observed changes in N400 latencies and amplitudes were related to stimulus types, and the longest latency and largest amplitude were e-licited by ending-words with different pronunciation, form and meaning. No gender difference in N400 latency or amplitude was observed. Conclusions Compared with Western phonetic words, Chinese ideographic words are more flexible stimuli for N400 research, offering 3 dimensions for change: pronunciation, form and meaning. The N400 features elicited by matching and nonmatching ending words in Chinese idioms are mainly determined by the meaning of the word.

Study on neural generators of N400 in first episode schizophrenia / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective To explore the features and neural generators of the events related potentials ( ERP) component N400, elicited by congruent and incongruent ending sentences, in first episode schizophrenia patients. Methods N400 was elicited by 76 congruent (31) or incongruent (45) ending Chinese sentences paradigm, and recorded by WJ-1 ERP instruments in 56 first episode schizophrenia. The neural generators of N400 different wave in 105 -615 ms time windows were analyzed by Brain Electrical Activity Mapping software. Results① The N400 latencies were significantly longer and amplitudes significantly higher in incongruent conditions than in congruent conditions in first episode schizophrenia (P < 0.05 or P <0.01).② N400 elicited by Chinese sentences distributed on frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal regions, and had a clear waveform. ③ The main brain areas activated by N400 were frontal areas in 345 -405 ms time windows, and central areas in 420 - 570 ms time windows. Conclusion N400 elicited by Chinese sentences are multi-generated in first episode schizophrenia, especially in frontal area.

The Chinese version of impulsive-premeditated aggression scale in adolescents with aggression:its reliability and validity / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective The purpose of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the impulsive-premeditated aggression scale (IPAS) in a sample of Chinese adolescents with aggression. Methods 126 adolescents completed the IPAS,Barratt impulsive scale and self-report questionnaires. In order to assess test-retest reliability, the IPAS was re-administered to 30 participants 3 weeks later.Results Item analysis showed that IPAS had satisfactory item discrimination, 6 items were excluded in the later analysis. The internal consistency of the IPAS Cronbach alpha was 0.77 and the test-retest reliability was 0.74.Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated two stable factors of aggression with good internal consistency and construct validity, the value of KMO was 0.646, the χ2 value of Bartlett test was 691.93 ( P <0.001). The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the value of χ2/df,GFI,AGFI,RMSEA were 1.42,0.874,0.837 and 0.058 respectively.The whole scale and the two secondly scales all correlated with BIS-11 and MOAS.Conclusion The results of the current study indicate that the Chinese version of the IPAS is a useful tool to subtyping aggressive behavior among adolescents, but it still need to be modified to apply in China.

Experiment of brain evoked potentials in "Qigong state" and "hypnosis" of normal adults / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Since the diagnostic unit is established in "mental disorder due to Qigong", it has been lack of comparative analysis of experimental observation on whether Qigong exercise affects physiological state in central nerve system, on what the difference are between Qigong and hypnotic induction in the effects on central system.OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes in brain evoked potentials in "normal state", "Qigong meditation" and "hypnosis" so as to analyze the difference between Qigong release and hypnotic induction in cerebral physiological effects in normal adults.DESIGN: Brain evoked potential experiment was designed, in which, normal adults were employed.SETTING: Shanghai Mental Health Center.PARTICIPANTS: They were staffs, interns and volunteers in Shanghai Mental Health Center, of either gender, at any age and with any educational background, totally 52 people.METHODS:① American Nicolet Spirit evoked brain electrophysiological meter was used. The electrodes were attached according to 10/20 system on Cz, C3, C4, Pz and Fz of scalp. Verbal or fixation inductive hypnosis was applied. Hypnosis lasted 20 to 30 minutes, in which, the induction lasted 10to 15 minutes. The experimental observation were performed when the receptors were determined to be in hypnosis.② The Qigong meditation was co-performed by the Qigong masters from Shanghai Qigong Institute or Qigong folk masters. They released "external qi" to the receptors. The degree of "Qigong meditction" was based on folk standards. The observation was carried on when the receptors were identified to be in theQigong state.The entire process lasted 20 to 30 minutes.③ To observe successively the latency and amplitude of the event related potentials [contingent negative variation (CNV), P300 ] and sensory evoked potentials [visual evoked potentials (VEP), auditory evoked potentials (AEP), auditory brainstem reaction (ABR)] of receptors in "normal state", "Qigong meditation" and "hypnotic state". The observed values were performed multiple analysis of variance of single-factor quantitative linear model in 2 × 2 factorial design.MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES:① Observation of event related potentials. ② Observation of sensory evoked potentials RESULTS: Due to limited result of hypnotic induction and incomplete record of brain-evoked potentials, 3 cases were lost. Terminally, 49 cases entered statistical analysis. ①Observation of event related potentials: under hypnotic state, the amplitude of P300 (target stimuli-P3) was decreased compared with normal state [(4.18±2.23), (6.07±3.23) μV, P ＜ 0.01]. The amplitude of AEP (P2) in hypnotic state and normal state was decreased compared with Qigong meditation [(2.01±1.28), (2.71±1.83), (2.73±1.34)μV, P＜0.05].The amplitude of CNV(M2) was decreased comparedwith normal state and Qigong meditation[(5.93±3.36),(7.83±4.59),(7.76±4.42) μ,V,P ＜ 0.05].②Observation of sensory evoked potentials: The amplitude of VEP (P2, P3) in hypnotic state was reduced compared with normal state and Qigong meditation [(3.47±2.69), (4.76±2.78), (4.30±2.64) μV; (1.18 ±1.08), (1.68±0.95),(2.01±1.48) μV, P ＜ 0.05].CONCLUSION: In hypnotic state, sensory evoked potentials presented low amplitude and such alternation did not appeared in Qigong meditation and normal state. It is explained that there are differences between hypnotic induction and Qigong release in the influence on cerebral physiological process. The extensively recognized hypothesis in Qigong field that "Qigong state" is "hypnosis" cannot be verified by above-mentioned experiment.