Impaired prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in Chinese patients with first-episode, medication-naïve schizophrenia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Patients with schizophrenia have prominent abnormality in information processing that can be observed by measures of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle reflex and PPI deficits have been considered as a candidate endophenotypic marker of schizophrenia. However, there has been little information on PPI and related measures in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. The research was to explore the deficits of acoustic startle reflex that might exist in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Startle response to acoustic stimuli, habituation, and PPI were examined in 31 Chinese patients with first-episode, medication-naïve schizophrenia and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy Chinese controls. At the same day of startle testing, psychopathological symptoms of the patients were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with healthy controls, patients exhibited the significant reduction in startle response and PPI deficits at 60 milliseconds (ms) intervals (PPI60, P < 0.05) but not at 30 or 120 ms intervals. Furthermore, there was a relatively strong correlation between PPI60 (P < 0.05) and scores of positive scale of PANSS in patients with schizophrenia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our findings confirmed impaired PPI in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and suggested that a relationship between sensorimotor gating deficits and clinical symptoms of patients with schizophrenia might exist.</p>

Psychiatric and central nervous system involvement in Sjogren's syndrome / 中华口腔医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study psychiatric features and the manifestations of central nervous system involvement in Chinese patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (PSS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to study 27 PSS female patients and 57 healthy women. The results from two groups were compared. Ten SS patients were evaluated by electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 27 patients tested, the three highest clinical mean scales included Hypochondriasis (Hs), Hysteria (Hy), Psychasthenia (Pt) were found. When PSS group was compared with normal control, T scores of SS patients were significantly higher than the healthy women in Hs, Hy. Abnormal EEG was found in 3 of 9 PSS patients. TCD was abnormal in 5 of 9 patients. MRI in 1 patient showed abnormality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study shows that the personality of PSS patients is abnormal, the features are neuroticism. Central nervous system was markedly involved in Chinese patients with PSS, including abnormal EEG and TCD. The changes of central nervous system may be related to abnormalities of psychiatric changes.</p>