Search

Abstract: The object of the present study was to examine the effects of facial affective stimuli on visual event-related potentials (ERPs) in patients with sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and healthy controls using baby photographs (crying or smiling faces). The P300 amplitude when viewing a smiling baby was smaller than that when viewing a crying baby for healthy controls. However, for patients with SAS, the P300 amplitude was the same when viewing a smiling baby as when viewing a crying baby. The P300 latency in patients with SAS when viewing both a smiling baby and a crying baby was obviously and significantly longer than those in healthy controls. The P300 latency was significantly and positively correlated with the values of apnea hypnea index (AHI). These results indicate that the patients with SAS are likely to have cognitive impairment and that ERPs are a useful biological marker for evaluation of such patients. These differences of the effects of facial affection on the visual ERPs might be caused by chronic brain hypoxia in SAS patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The object of the present study was to compare the effects of facial affective stimuli on visual event-related potentials (ERPs) in patients with higher brain dysfunction after brain injury and healthy controls, using photographs of babies depicting sadness (a crying face) and pleasure (a smiling face). The P300 amplitude when viewing a smiling baby was smaller than that when viewing a crying baby for healthy controls. However, the P300 amplitude was the same when viewing a smiling baby as when viewing a crying baby for the brain injury patients. The P300 latency in patients when viewing a smiling baby as well as when viewing a crying baby was obviously and significantly longer than those in healthy controls. The P300 latency was significantly and positively correlated with the dysfunction scale of working abilities and social active abilities. These results indicated that these patients were likely to have cognitive dysfunction and that ERPs are a useful biological marker for the evaluation of such patients. These differences may reflect differences in information processing resulting from emotional influences caused by visual affective stimuli. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Atypical antipsychotic medications are a novel medicine recently discovered and developed for clinical use. In the present study, we investigated the effects of atypical antipsychotic medications on the event-related potentials, especially (ERPs), P300 component, in 30 drug-naive schizophrenic patients. We used positive and negative syndrome scores to assess the symptoms. ERPs were recorded with a visual oddball paradigm. Subjects were asked to count and push a button in response to the targets (crying or smiling baby photographs). ERPs were recorded before the treatment (S1), after 3 months (S2), and 12 months (S3). Before taking medicine, there were no significant differences in the P300 amplitude in response to neither the crying nor the smiling photographs. Both the P300 amplitude and area were significantly larger in S2 and S3 than those in S1. The P300 latency became significantly longer at S3 than S1. A significant negative correlation was obtained between the P300 amplitude and the negative syndrome scores. Atypical antipsychotic medications may be a useful medicine for recovery of cognitive function reflected by the P300 in schizophrenic patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The object of the present study was to evaluate the visual event-related potentials (ERPs) and the effects of emotion in patients with Parkinson disease without dementia. Visual ERPs were recorded using an oddball paradigm in 18 patients and 18 age-matched healthy subjects. The P300 amplitude and latency, as well as the subject''s reaction time were recorded. There was no difference in the P300 amplitude between patients and controls when viewing a smiling baby or viewing a crying baby. The P300 amplitude when viewing a smiling baby was smaller than that when viewing a crying baby for the both patients and the healthy controls. The P300 amplitude was significantly larger in the stage 3 group than in the stage 4 group as classified by Hoehn and Yahr. The P300 latency in patients was significantly longer both in group 3 and group 4 patients than that in the healthy controls, in response to both the facial stimuli. These results indicate that patients with Parkinson diseases are likely to have cognitive dysfunction and that ERPs are biological markers useful for the evaluation of patients. These results also suggest that the P300 is influenced by affective facial expressions and that the effects for patients are essentially similar to healthy controls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]