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China is rich in abundant lithium resources characterized by considerable reserves and a concentrated distribution of metallogenic zones or belts, with proven reserves of 4046.8×103 t (calculated based on Li2O) by 2021. China is also a big consumer of lithium. By 2019, China ’s lithium consumption in the battery sector alone had reached 99×103 t, with an average annual growth rate of nearly 26%. China has become the world ’s largest importer of lithium resources, showing a severely unbalanced relationship between supply and demand for lithium resources. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the prospecting, exploitation, and study of lithium resources in China. This study collected, organized, and summarized the data on the major lithium deposits in China, analyzed and compared the spatial-temporal distribution patterns, geological characteristics, and metallogenic regularity of these lithium deposits, and summarized the prospecting and research achievements over the last decade. The major lithium deposits in China are distributed in provinces and regions such as Qinghai, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Tibet, and Xinjiang. These deposits are mostly small in scale. According to different genetic types, this study divided lithium deposits into granitic pegmatite type, granite type, saline lake brine type, underground brine type, and sedimentary type, as well as new types including hot spring type and magmatic-hydrothermal type, and summarized the characteristics and key metallogenic factors of these different types of deposits. Sixteen metallogenic prospect areas of lithium deposits were delineated according to the deposit types and the distribution patterns of metallogenic belts. The paper introduced the research progress in major metallogenic models and lithium extraction techniques made over the past decade. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the prospecting potential of lithium deposits, the authors concluded that the future prospecting of lithium resources in China should focus on lithium metallogenic belts, the deep and peripheral areas of currently determined large-scale pegmatite-type lithium deposits, geophysical-geochemical anomalous areas with mineralization clues, and areas with developed large-scale low-grade associated granite-type and sedimentary lithium resources. The study aims to serve as a guide for the future prospecting of lithium deposits in China.©2022 China Geology Editorial Office.

Abnormal cognitive conflict resolution has been considered as a critical element of executive dysfunctions inpatient with major depression (MD). Further clarifying whether there was a deficit at perceptual encoding stage or the early response-execution stage in conflict control function by event-related potential (ERP) technique in MD would be helpful in understanding the neural mechanism of MD. Participants included twenty-six depressed patients and twenty-six healthy controls (HCs). All participants measured with Hamilton Depression Scale (17-item edition, HAMD) and a Simon task. Electroencephalograms were synchronously recorded when performing the Simon task. The method of residue iteration decomposition was used to analyze the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) and P300 components, which contributed to divides ERP components into a stimulus-locked component (S-cluster), a response-locked component (R-cluster) and an intermediate component cluster (C-cluster) by using latency variability and time markers. Results showed that reactive times (RTs) for both groups were fastest in congruent trials, and slowest in incongruent trials; however, there is no difference in RTs under the three conditions between two groups. Accuracy Rate (ACC) for both groups were the highest in neutral trials, and the lowest in incongruent trials; ACC in MD group were all lower than that of HC group under three conditions. ERP data analyses showed that depressed patients had a deficit in activating the correct response, as reflected by reduced amplitudes of R-LRP, but no abnormality in LRP-S and P300-C. In conclusion, patients with MD present conflict control dysfunction (i.e., abnormal cognitive conflict resolution) at the early response-execution stage, not at perceptual encoding stage, which may be reflected by the reduced R-LRP amplitudes. The abnormal cognitive conflict resolution in activating the correct response might constitute an interesting treatment target.

Implicit self-esteem (ISE) has been considered a critical factor in the development and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD). Further investigating the event-related potential (ERP) characteristics underlying abnormal ISE in MDD would be helpful for understanding the neural mechanism of MDD. For this purpose, 32 MDD patients and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to evaluate explicit self-esteem (ESE), and a self-esteem go/no-go association task (GNAT) was used to assess ISE. Electroencephalograms were synchronously recorded when performing the self-esteem GNAT. Behavioral data and ERP characteristics under different conditions were analyzed and compared within and across groups. The results showed that compared to HCs, MDD patients had significantly lower RSES scores and self-D scores of GNAT, which reflected lower levels of ESE and ISE, respectively. No significant correlation was found between RESE and self-D scores, and only RESE scores were significantly negatively correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score. The averaged centroparietal go-P3 amplitude under the self-positive condition was significantly smaller in MDD than in HCs. Moreover, HCs had a significantly larger average centroparietal go-P3 amplitude in self-positive than in self-negative conditions, while this pattern was opposite in the MDD group. The neural activity patterns for other conditions were similar between MDD and HCs. Our results suggested that patients with MDD have a decreased level of both ESE and ISE, and ISE might be more independent of clinical symptoms. Decreased neural processing that implicitly associate self with positive conditions (and relatively increased implicit association between self and negative conditions) might be important neural correlates for abnormal ISE in MDD.