The mitochondria-targeted small molecule SS31 delays progression of behavioral deficits by attenuating ß-amyloid plaque formation and mitochondrial/synaptic deterioration in APP/PS1 mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction and an impaired ability to carry out daily life functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction and ß-amyloid (Aß) deposition are the most common causes of AD. Antioxidants have been shown to delay brain aging and AD development; however, it remains unknown whether the antioxidant peptide SS31 can protect mitochondrial and synaptic function and delay the progression of behavioral deficits in early-stage AD in vivo. Therefore, in this study we compared mitochondrial and synaptic changes, as well as the protective effects of SS31, in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and C57BL/6J control mice. The APP/PS1 transgenic mice exhibited elevated expression of Aß40/Aß42 and mitochondrial fission protein DLP1 and reduced expression of synaptophysin (SYN) and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) reductions, as well as increased levels of neuronal apoptosis and ROS in the hippocampus, and long-term treatment with SS31 reversed these effects. Furthermore, the cognitive impairments observed in APP/PS1 transgenic mice were reversed by SS31 treatment. Our findings show that SS31 lowers ROS and Aß levels, protecting mitochondrial homeostasis and synaptic integrity, and ultimately improving behavioral deficits in early-stage AD. This suggests that SS31 is a potential pharmacological agent for treating or slowing the progression of AD.

Controlling Strain Relaxation by Interface Design in Highly Lattice-Mismatched Heterostructure.

Strain engineering plays an important role in tuning the microstructure and properties of heterostructures. The key to implement the strain modulation to heterostructures is controlling the strain relaxation, which is generally realized by varying the thickness of thin films or changing substrates. Here, we show that interface polarity can tailor the behavior of strain relaxation in a hexagonal manganite film, whose strain state can be tuned to different extents. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, a reconstructed atomic layer with elongated interlayer spacing and minor in-plane rotation is observed at the interface, suggesting that the bond hierarchy at interface transits from three-dimension to two-dimension, which accounts for the strain-free heteroepitaxy. Utilizing interface polarity to control the strain relaxation highlights a conceptually opt route to optimize the strain engineering and the realization of strain-free heteroepitaxy in such highly lattice-mismatched heterostructure also provides possibility to transform more bulklike functional oxides to low dimensionality.

Sexual Dream Experiencing and Personality Disorder Functioning Styles in Frequent Sexual Dreamers.

BACKGROUND: Sex-related disturbance including sexual dreams contributes to psychiatric disorders, but whether personality disorder functioning styles are linked with sexual dreams especially in frequent dreamers remains unsettled SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and seventy one healthy volunteers (controls) and 81 frequent sexual dreamers (fsDreamers) were invited to answer the Sexual Dream Experience Questionnaire (SDEQ) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM). RESULTS: Compared to controls, fsDreamers scored significantly higher on SDEQ Joyfulness, Familiarity, Bizarreness and the annual frequency, and on all PERM styles except Schizoid and Obsessive-Compulsive. Sexual dream contents were associated with Borderline, Histrionic and Narcissistic styles in controls, and with Paranoid, Schizotypal, Borderline, Histrionic, Avoidant, and Passive-Aggressive styles in fsDreamers. CONCLUSIONS: Personality involvement in etiology of sexual dreams has been illustrated by the elevated sexual experience and personality disorder functioning style scores and their prominent inter-correlations, especially in frequent sexual dreamers.

Development of a structure-validated hypersexuality scale in Chinese university students.

BACKGROUND: Hypersexuality is associated with many psychiatric disorders and creates enormous burden for the affected individual, family and society. There are numerous inventories measuring behavioral, emotional or stressful features of hypersexuality, we still need a structure-validated questionnaire to measure hypersexuality in a comprehensive way. METHODS: Based on previous inventories and related clinical descriptions of hypersexuality, we designed a matrix of 72 items related to hypersexual experience, and we invited 282 heterosexual university students who experienced hypersexuality at least once life-long to answer the matrix. RESULTS: Through exploratory factor analyses and exploratory structural equation modeling, we constructed a Hypersexuality Scale, with a satisfactory model structure of five factors (or scales, 4 items for each scale) of hypersexuality, and named them as the Negative Impact, Emotional Coping, Uncontrolled Behavior, Post-sex Regret, and Increased Interest. Most inter-correlations of these factors were significant but in low or medium levels in all participants. Male students scored significantly higher on Negative Impact and Increased Interest than females did. CONCLUSIONS: The five scales described in this study might help to understand hypersexuality, and the Hypersexuality Scale might be applied to the clinical conditions related to hypersexuality.

Peripherally Physiological Responses to External Emotions and Their Transitions in Bipolar I Disorder With and Without Hypersexuality.

Hypersexuality is associated with psychiatric disorders such as mania; however, it remains unclear whether bipolar I disorder with (BW) or without (BO) hypersexuality demonstrates different responses to external emotional stimuli and their transitions that were composed of pictures and sounds of same domain. In 21 BW patients, 20 BO patients, and 41 healthy volunteers, we administered polygraph tests (electrocardiogram, electromyogram, electrooculogram, and galvanic skin response) to measure transitions from a primer emotion (i.e., external disgust, erotica, fear, happiness, neutral, and sadness) to a noncongruent emotion (out of the remaining five) and to the primer emotion again (repeat-primer). We also evaluated participants' concurrent states of mania, hypomania, and depression. With neutral as the noncongruent emotion, the heart rate difference in BW was greater than in controls when responses to the primer erotica were subtracted from responses to the repeat-primer erotica, or when to the primer sadness were subtracted from the repeat-primer sadness. The difference of the masseter electromyographic activity in BW was lower than in BO and controls when responses to the noncongruent happiness were subtracted from responses to the repeat-primer neutral, and was lower than in BO when to the noncongruent neutral were subtracted from the repeat-primer erotica. The eyeball movement difference was greater in BW than in BO and controls when responses to the noncongruent sadness were subtracted from responses to the repeat-primer neutral. The heart rate difference when responses to the primer happiness were subtracted from responses to the noncongruent neutral was negatively correlated with mania in BO. BW and BO patients behaved differently to external emotions and their transitions, particularly regarding erotica and sadness, which might characterize unique pathophysiological processes of the two bipolar I disorder subtypes.

Symptom continuum reported by affective disorder patients through a structure-validated questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Affective disorders, such as major depressive (MDD), bipolar I (BD I) and II (BD II) disorders, are overlapped at a continuum, but their exact loci are not clear. The self-reports from patients with affective disorders might help to clarify this issue. METHODS: We invited 738 healthy volunteers, 207 individuals with BD I, 265 BD II, and 192 MDD to answer a 79 item-MATRIX about on-going affective states. RESULTS: In study 1, all 1402 participants were divided random-evenly and gender-balanced into two subsamples; one subsample was used for exploratory factor analysis, and another for confirmatory factor analysis. A structure-validated inventory with six domains of Overactivation, Psychomotor Acceleration, Distraction/ Impulsivity, Hopelessness, Retardation, and Suicide Tendency, was developed. In study 2, among the four groups, MDD scored the highest on Retardation, Hopelessness and Suicide Tendency, whereas BD I on Distraction/ Impulsivity and Overactivation. CONCLUSION: Our patients confirmed the affective continuum from Suicide Tendency to Overactivation, and described the different loci of MDD, BD I and BD II on this continuum.

CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant protects against chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced bone metabolism disorder and destruction in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) regulates bone turn-over and remodeling. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) occurring during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may lead to disorders of the ECS and bone metabolism abnormalities. This study aimed to investigate whether or not the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) antagonist rimonabant (Ri) alleviates bone metabolism abnormalities and bone destruction induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). METHODS: Healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (n=48) were randomly divided into 6 groups of 8 rats: 2 normal control (NC) groups, 2 intermittent hypoxia (IH) groups, and 2 IH + Ri groups. Rats in NC groups breathed room air for 4 weeks (4w NC group) and 6 weeks (6w NC group). Rats in IH groups experienced IH environment for 4 weeks (4w IH group) and 6 weeks (6w IH group). In addition to the same IH exposure, rats in IH + Ri group were given daily intraperitoneal injection of Ri at the dosage of 1.5 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks (4w IH + Ri group) and 6 weeks (6w IH + Ri group). Levels of serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP, a marker of bone resorption) were determined by ELISA. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on bone sections to observe the changes in bone microstructure. Expression of CB1R in bone tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: TRAP levels were higher in the 4w IH and 6w IH groups than in the 4w NC and 6w NC groups; TRAP levels were lower in the 4w IH + Ri and 6w IH + Ri groups than in the 4w IH and 6w IH groups. HE staining showed that the morphology of bone cells in the NC group was normal, but the 4w IH group had mild edema of bone cells, reduction in trabecular bone, and destruction of bone microstructure. Changes were more severe in the 6w IH group than 4w IH. The 4w IH + Ri group was slightly improved compared with the 4w IH group. The 6w IH + Ri group was improved compared with the 4w IH + Ri group. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of CB1R in IH group was significantly higher than that in NC group. The expression of CB1R in the IH + Ri group was lower than that in the IH group. With the prolongation of hypoxia, the expression of CB1R in bone cells of IH group increased. The expression level of CB1R in IH + Ri group decreased with the prolongation of intervention time. Correlation analysis showed that the expression rate of CB1R in bone cells was positively correlated with the level of TRAP in serum. CONCLUSION: CIH increases serum TRAP levels and triggers metabolic bone disorder by activating bone CB1R. Intervention with CB1R antagonist (rimonabant) reduces the bone dysmetabolism in the CIH rat model.

Assessing executive function following the early stage of mild Ischemic stroke with three brief screening tests.

OBJECTIVE: Executive dysfunction following stroke is well documented, but less is known about whether it occurs in mild stroke patients. The purpose of the study was to investigate executive impairment in this population and explore the correlation between executive function tests and cognitive tests of other domains. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was undertaken to compare 139 mild ischemic stroke patients (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤ 7) aged 40-80 with 131 normal controls matched age, gender and levels of education. All participants were administered a neuropsychological test battery including three measures of executive functioning: Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Trial Making Test-A and B (TMT-A and B), and Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT). The CDT was evaluated using three quantitative scoring rubrics, with a total score of 3,10,18, respectively and a qualitative scoring method with six types of errors. Spearman's correlations were made to analyze the correlation between executive function tests and other neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: Control group performed better than stroke group on most executive function tests at a statistical significance. Qualitative CDT showed that errors of "graphic difficulties", "conceptual deficits" and "spatial and/or planning deficits" occurred frequently in the early stage of mild stroke. Correlation data clarified that among the executive function tests, time for TMT-B correlated with global cognition most. CONCLUSION: Executive dysfunction is common following even mild strokes, and that relatively brief measures such as CDT, TMT and SCWT can be employed for it before discharge as part of rehabilitation planning.

Trends in cognitive function assessed by a battery of neuropsychological tests after mild acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the domain-specific trends of cognitive function up to 12 months after mild acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Enrolment of consecutive cohort of patients with mild acute ischemic stroke with recorded clinical characteristics and extensive neuropsychological assessments, including five cognitive domains. The Montreal cognitive assessment of the Beijing version (MoCA-Bj) was used to assess overall cognition. All patients completed all domain-specific examinations were categorised into three groups according to the time between the stroke onset and neuropsychological profiling, the time duration including less than one month (n = 174), one month to six months (n = 65) and over six months (n = 39). RESULTS: The final cohort consisted of 278 patients. The executive (χ2 = 6.95, P<0.05) and memory dysfunctions (χ2 = 9.6, P<0.01) showed strong improvement, especially in executive function, which prevalence was 48.85% at <1- month group and 25.64% at >6 months group. The prevalence of attention and information processing also had a declining trend, the differences, however, were not statistically significant (χ2 = 0.23 and 2.25, respectively, P>0.05). There was no significant change in language function (χ2 = 0.46, P>0.05) and the MoCA (χ2 = 0.59, P>0.05) at 3-time point groups. In 195 first-ever stroke patients, the results of memory (χ2 = 6.94 P<0.05) and executive dysfunctions (χ2 = 6.25 P<0.05) also showed significant improvement. CONCLUSION: There is varying degree of improvement tendency in executive and memory dysfunctions after mild acute ischemic stroke. Early cognitive assessments after mild acute ischemic stroke do not reflect the cognitive level of stable period.

Systematic analysis of multigene predictors in gastric cancer exploiting gene expression signature.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide but could be more curable if diagnosed at an earlier stage. At present, the capability to predict the efficaciousness of molecular diagnosis for GC for each patient remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to identify tumor biomarkers through systems analysis of multigene predictors exploiting the available data resource. In this study, we investigated the top 10% overexpressed genes in GC from five data sets of the Oncomine platform, with 265 GC samples versus 174 normal gastric mucosa samples. Sixteen candidate genes were identified as predictors of GC, of which 14 genes were verified through the comparison of expression levels in specimens from normal (chronic gastritis, 21 samples) and GC groups (38 samples). In addition, unique molecular portraits of diffuse adenocarcinoma (DA), intestinal adenocarcinoma (IA), and mixed adenocarcinoma (MA) were studied through Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, where DA showed higher extracellular matrix alteration while IA and MA showed higher cell-cycle alteration than other types. We also found that the elevated expressions of genes during GC progression were independent of gene mutations, and high core-binding factor subunit ß expression is correlated with a high overall survival rate in GC patients. Our research may provide an efficient clinical diagnosis of GC at an early stage with high accuracy and thus help improve the overall survival rate through early therapeutic interventions.

Nightmare experience and family relationships in healthy volunteers and nightmare disorder patients.

BACKGROUND: Nightmares are associated with parental bonding styles and various psychiatric disorders, but the exact connections between different nightmare experience features and family relationships in healthy volunteers and nightmare disorder patients are still unclear. METHODS: We therefore invited 62 nightmare disorder patients and 135 healthy volunteers to undergo tests of the Nightmare Experience Questionnaire (NEQ), the Family Relationship Questionnaire (FRQ), and the Plutchik - van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). RESULTS: Besides the higher nightmare frequency and the higher PVP and four NEQ scale scores, the nightmare disorder patients had higher scores of FRQ Paternal Abuse, and lower ones of General Attachment, Maternal Encouragement, Maternal Freedom Release, and Paternal Freedom Release. The PVP was correlated with some NEQ and FRQ scales in both healthy volunteers and patients, and it functioned as a mediator between Physical Effect and Maternal Dominance in patients. Regarding predicting NEQ by FRQ, Paternal Abuse predicted Physical Effect, Maternal Dominance predicted Physical Effect and Horrible Stimulation, General Attachment predicted Horrible Stimulation (-) in healthy volunteers; Maternal Dominance predicted Physical Effect, Meaning Interpretation, and Horrible Stimulation, Paternal Freedom Release predicted Physical Effect (-), and Paternal Dominance predicted Meaning Interpretation and nightmare frequency in patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has demonstrated that the inappropriate family relationships were linked with different aspects of nightmare experience, especially in nightmare disorder patients.

Body image concerns in bipolar I and II disorders: their relationships with personality styles and affective states.

BACKGROUND: Body image concerns are associated with the poor prognosis of bipolar disorder, but it is unknown whether bipolar I (BD I) and II (BD II) types differ in these concerns and their associations with personality styles or affective states. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We therefore invited 89 BD I, 91 BD II patients, and 159 healthy volunteers to undergo the tests of the Body Image Concern Scale (BICS), the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Hypomania Checklist - 32, the Plutchik - van Praag Depression Inventory, and the Parker Personality Measure. RESULTS: Both BD I and BD II displayed higher scores of ongoing affective states and of personality disorder functioning styles than healthy controls did. BD II scored higher on all six BICS scales than controls did, and higher on five than BD I did. The depressive measure predicted four, and Dependent style predicted three BICS scales in BD I; and the depressive measure predicted all six BICS scales, hypomanic measure predicted one, and Avoidant style predicted one in BD II. CONCLUSIONS: Body image concerns and their associations with the affective states and personality styles were different in BD I and BD II, suggesting different pathological mechanisms, clinical symptom severities and managements for the two types of bipolar disorder.

Effect of timing of renal replacement therapy on outcomes of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.

AIM: Currently, indications for renal replacement therapy (RRT) remain controversial. Whether early RRT can improve the prognosis of critically ill patients in the ICU is unclear. This study aimed to assess the relationship between timing of RRT initiation and short-term prognosis of patients in the ICU. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of data obtained from 28 hospitals in Beijing. The subjects received RRT treatment in the ICU from March 2012 to August 2012. RESULTS: A total of 9049 cases were reviewed, and 281 patients who underwent RRT were enrolled and divided into the non-survival (n = 144) and survival (n = 137) groups, according to their outcome at 28 days from ICU admission. Median RRT initiation times were 1 (0-25) and 1 (0-21) days in the non-survival and survival groups, respectively (P = 0.001) and oliguria/anuria frequency at RRT initiation were 76.6% and 65.3% (P = 0.036), respectively. The mortality of patients administered RRT within 24 h of ICU admission was lower than that of those treated after 24 h (P = 0.014). In patients with oliguria/anuria at RRT initiation, the 28-day mortality rate was 52.8%, which was higher than 39.0% obtained for those with no oliguria/anuria at RRT initiation (P = 0.036). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that late initiation of RRT was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality (HR = 1.139, 95%CI 1.046-1.242, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Timing of RRT is associated with 28-day mortality of ICU treated patients. Early RRT might improve patient survival.

Study of spinel LiTi2O4 superconductors via near-infrared reflection experiments.

We present an optical study on high-quality and single-phase LiTi2O4 (LTO) superconductor thin films grown on MgAl2O4 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The near infrared (NIR) reflectivity is measured for samples with (001) and (111) lattice orientations. The temperature-induced metal-superconductor transition can be observed, and the superconducting transition temperature can be measured for both samples. We find that the NIR reflection experiment can reflect rightly the basic features of LTO superconductor thin films. Furthermore, the results obtained from this simple optical measurement suggest that the photo-induced electronic localization effect can be present in LTO thin films in a metallic state. Such information cannot be obtained directly from conventional transport and magneto-transport measurements. These interesting and important findings demonstrate that the NIR reflection experiment is a powerful optical technique for contactless characterizations and investigations of superconductor materials.

Serum S100A12 and Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification Over 4 Years in Hemodialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Vascular calcification is common and contributes to increased cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In this prospective study, we aimed to investigate the associations of serum S100A12 in the presence of severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) and the progression of CAC in HD patients. METHODS: Sixty maintenance HD patients and 30 controls were enrolled. Serum S100A12 levels were measured using ELISA. CAC scores (CACs) were measured twice at a 4-year interval using multislice spiral CT. The HD patients were classified as rapid progressors or slow progressors according to the change in the CACs across these 2 measurements (x0394;CACs). RESULTS: The incidences of rapid progression of CAC in patients with baseline CACs ≤10, CACs >10 and CACs >400 were 12.5, 40.0 and 64.3%, respectively. Both baseline and 4-year serum S100A12 levels were significantly higher in the rapid progressors than in the slow progressors (medians of 45.6 vs. 30.2 ng/ml, p < 0.001 and 62.3 vs. 39.4 ng/ml, p = 0.002, respectively). The serum S100A12 levels were significantly correlated with baseline CACs (r = 0.466, p < 0.001), 4-year CACs (r = 0.440, p < 0.001) and x0394;CACs (r = 0.392, p < 0.001). Importantly, the x0394;CACs were significantly correlated with x0394;S100A12 levels (r = 0.396, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the serum S100A12 level was as an independent determinant of the presence of severe CAC and that the increment in the serum S100A12 level was a factor that was significantly independently associated with the progression of CAC. CONCLUSIONS: Serum S100A12 levels were significantly associated with the presence of severe CAC, and the increment in serum S100A12 levels was an independent determinant of the progression of CAC.

Room-Temperature, Current-Induced Magnetization Self-Switching in A Van Der Waals Ferromagnet.

2D layered materials with broken inversion symmetry are being extensively pursued as  spin source layers to realize high-efficiency magnetic switching. Such low-symmetry layered systems are, however, scarce. In addition, most layered magnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy show a low Curie temperature. Here, the experimental observation of spin-orbit torque magnetization self-switching at room temperature in a layered polar ferromagnetic metal, Fe2.5 Co2.5 GeTe2 is reported. The spin-orbit torque is generated from the broken inversion symmetry along the c-axis of the crystal. These results provide a direct pathway toward applicable 2D spintronic devices.

Spin disorder control of topological spin texture.

Stabilization of topological spin textures in layered magnets has the potential to drive the development of advanced low-dimensional spintronics devices. However, achieving reliable and flexible manipulation of the topological spin textures beyond skyrmion in a two-dimensional magnet system remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the introduction of magnetic iron atoms between the van der Waals gap of a layered magnet, Fe3GaTe2, to modify local anisotropic magnetic interactions. Consequently, we present direct observations of the order-disorder skyrmion lattices transition. In addition, non-trivial topological solitons, such as skyrmioniums and skyrmion bags, are realized at room temperature. Our work highlights the influence of random spin control of non-trivial topological spin textures.

Chinese version of the auditory verbal learning test: normative study and clinical applications in Chinese-speaking population in Shijiazhuang city.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes were to establish standardized values for the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) in the communities of Shijiazhuang city (China), with particular focus on the influences of age, education and sex, and to detect the discriminant validity data of the AVLT in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: 406 Chinese-speaking subjects (age: 50-84 years old) from Shijiazhuang city, were brought into this study. Using linear regression analyses, standardized values were developed for three variables of interest, including scores on short-term memory (sum of AVLT trials 1-3), delayed recall (AVLT trial 4), and an index representing recognition memory corrected for false-positive identifications (AVLT trial 5). 177 patients with AIS were included to probe the discriminant validity of the AVLT. RESULTS: The linear regression analysis showed statistically significant effect of age and sex on all trials of the AVLT. Years of education contributed significantly to trial 1-3 and trial 4 but not trial 5. Based on the results obtained, trail 1-3 and trail 4 of AVLT norms were stratified by age (3 strata), education (2 strata), and sex (2 strata). Trail 5 norms were stratified by age (3 strata) and sex (2 strata). Moreover, AIS groups performed significantly worse on most AVLT trials than matched cognitively healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data stratified by age, education and sex for the Chinese-speaking community-residents in Shijiazhuang was presented for use in research and clinical settings. The AVLT measures adequately differentiated between the cognitive performance (especially memory decline) of healthy adults and patients with AIS.

The Presence of a Visual Dividing Line Increases Consumer Memory Through Attention Grabbing.

Marketers often use a visual line to divide the product information on an advertisement into left-right (or top-bottom) segments for aesthetic or categorization purposes. The present research examined the effect of the dividing line on the consumer memory. Across three studies (including an eye-tracking study and a field one), we showed that the presence of a dividing line enhances consumers' memory about the products displayed on the left/top of an advertisement. This effect occurs because the dividing line orients participants' first eye fixation to the left/top area of the advertisement, such that their visual attention is largely restricted to that area and they could better remember the contents displayed on that area. The theoretical contributions and implications for marketers and consumers are discussed.

Cerebral processing of emotions in phantom eye pain patients: An event related potential study.

Purpose: Phantom eye pain (PEP) is a major clinical problem after eye removal with no standard treatment protocol to date. As pain is a multidimensional experience associated with emotional and cognitive components, this study aimed to explore the possible neuropsychological mechanisms of PEP in a perspective of emotional cognition, in order to provide a basis for clinical treatment. Methods: Visual oddball event-related potentials (ERPs) under different external emotional stimuli (Disgust, Fear, Sadness, Happiness, Erotica and Neutral) were tested in 12 patients and 12 healthy volunteers. Participants' affective states were measured with the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32), and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). The amplitudes and latencies of N1, P2, N2 and P3 components were analyzed by three-way ANOVA, i.e., group (2) â€‹× â€‹emotion (6) â€‹× â€‹electrode (3). Multiple comparisons were performed using Bonferroni's test. Results: Longer N1 latencies, increased N1 amplitudes; shorter P2 latencies under Disgust and Happiness, decreased P2 amplitudes; shorter N2 latencies under Erotica, increased N2 amplitudes were found in patients compared with controls. There was no main effect of group or interaction effect on P3 latencies and P3 amplitudes. The MDQ and HCL-32 scores were lower, and the N1 latencies under Sadness were negatively correlated with PVP scores in patients. Conclusions: PEP patients showed reversed patterns in exogenous attention allocation and enhanced involuntary attention to emotional stimuli compared with controls. This study demonstrated cortical processing of emotions in PEP patients and could provide a basis for developing emotional intervention therapy.