A P300 study of cognition in patients with functional constipation / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the relationship between cognitive function and emotional status in functional constipation patients.Methods Thirty-five functional constipation patients (the functional constipation group) and 24 healthy controls (the HCs) were enrolled in an event-related potential (ERP),behavior and electroeneephalogram study while performing an oddball auditory task.Response time,accuracy,latency and P300 amplitude were compared between the two groups.The Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17),Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA),symptom check list-90 (SCL-90) and Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ) were administered prior to the oddball task.Results The average HAMD-17,HAM A and SCL-90 (the somatization,obsessive-compulsive disorder,depression,anxiety and psychosis dimensions) scores of the functional constipation group differed significantly from those of the HCs.The intro-extraversion and neurosis dimensions of the EPQ were also significantly different.There was no significant difference in response time or latency between the two groups.The ERP results showed that the P300 amplitudes at the F3 and F7 sites were significantly different between the functional constipation group and the HCs.But there was no significant difference in P300 latencies at F3 or F7 between the two groups.Conclusions The findings suggest that patients with functional constipation are more susceptible to depression and anxiety,as well as somatization,obsessive-compulsive tendencies and other neurotic personality characteristics.Patients may employ psychological defense mechanisms to avoid the depression and anxiety.The ERP results imply there may be the implicit cognitive dysfunction with emotion in patients with functional constipation.