Bingren Zhang

Inhibitory brainstem reflexes under external emotional-stimuli in bipolar I and II disorders

BackgroundBipolar disorder types I (BD I) and II (BD II) might present different dysfunctions of the cortex and brainstem, as reflected by the second exteroceptive suppression period of temporalis muscle activity (ES2) under different stimuli of external emotions.MethodsThis study included 30 BD I and 20 BD II patients, and 40 healthy volunteers. All participants were invited to answer the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Hypomania Checklist-32, and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression inventory, as well as to undergo the ES2 test under external emotional-stimuli (emotional pictures plus sounds) of Disgust, Erotica, Fear, Happiness, and Sadness.ResultsThe scale scores were elevated in both patient groups, but were not correlated with ES2 parameters. Compared to healthy controls, BD I showed prolonged ES2 latency under Erotica, and their perceived happiness and sadness intensities were negatively correlated with the respective ES2 durations, while BD II showed prolonged ES2 latencies under Disgust and Happiness, and shortened ES2 durations under Disgust, Happiness and Sadness. Moreover, ES2 duration under Sadness was significantly shorter in BD II than that in BD I.ConclusionsThe cortico-brainstem inhibitory dysfunctions in BD I and BD II was different, and this difference was independent of the patient’s ongoing emotions. Our study thus provides some hints to distinguish the two types of bipolar disorders.

Intensity Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials in Primary Dysmenorrhea

Some studies suggest that women with primary dysmenorrhea have distinct emotional or personality features. For example, they might exaggerate their responses to external stimuli, such as to intensity-increasing auditory stimuli. Fifteen women with primary dysmenorrhea and 15 healthy women were invited to undergo tests of the intensity dependence of auditory evoked potentials (IDAEP), the Functional and Emotional Measure of Dysmenorrhea, and the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory. Study participants with dysmenorrhea showed higher Functional and Emotional scale scores and stronger IDAEP. Regarding the IDAEP generation, the source inversion of N1 and P2 disclosed the activated bilateral superior temporal gyri, medial and superior prefrontal gyri in all participants, and additionally, the middle frontal gyri in dysmenorrhea patients. We report a pronounced IDAEP in primary dysmenorrhea, which indicates the decreased cerebral serotonergic innervations and points to increased activations in the prefrontal and frontal areas in the disorder. PERSPECTIVE Using an IDAEP technique, the authors found decreased serotonergic innervation and altered cerebral activation in women with primary dysmenorrhea, which might offer some pharmacotherapeutic clues for the disorder.

Family Functions in Relation to Behavioral and Psychological Disorders in Chinese Culture

Family is comprised of two or more individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption. It basically functions to satisfy the varied hierarchy of needs for each individual. In Chinese culture or society, family structure may have some uniqueness, and its functions are greatly influenced by Confucianism, which suppresses some desires of an individual in order to let him or her fit into the collectivistic community. Contemporary literature has illustrated that many behavioral and psychological disorders in China are associated with family, most of which might be due to the malfunctions of family. There is however no literature that specifically illustrates the link between the Chinese culture and family-related mental disorders. Anxiety, depression, personality disorder, sexual disorder, alcoholism, and others which are documented in China, nevertheless, are related to the malfunctioned family under Chinese culture. Future well-designed studies are needed to fully address the Chinese culture contributions to the etiopathologies of these disorders.

Short communication: Effects of dietary 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole supplementation on vitamin B12 supply, lactation performance, and energy balance in dairy cows during the transition period and early lactation

The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) supplementation to the feed during the transition period and early lactation on the vitamin B12 supply, lactation performance, and energy balance in postpartum cows. Twenty-four prepartum Holstein dairy cows were divided into 12 blocks based on their parity and milk yield at the last lactation and were then randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatments: a basal diet without DMB (control) or a treatment diet that contained 1.5 g of DMB/d per cow. The study started at wk 3 before the expected calving day and ended at wk 8 postpartum. The feed intake and the lactation performance were measured weekly after calving. Blood parameters were measured on d -10, 0, 8, 15, 29, 43, and 57 relative to the calving day. Body weight was measured on the calving day and on d 57 after calving. The yields of milk, protein, and lactose in cows fed DMB were higher than in the control throughout the whole postpartum stage. On wk 8 postpartum, the vitamin B12 content in the milk and sera was greater in cows fed DMB than in the control. The overall body weight loss from wk 1 to 8 postpartum was less in cows fed DMB than in the control. The plasma content of nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyric acid was significantly lower in cows fed DMB than in the control throughout the whole experimental stage. In conclusion, dietary DMB fed during the transition period and early lactation improved the vitamin B12 supply, milk production, and energy balance of postpartum dairy cows.

Headache symptoms from migraine patients with and without aura through structure-validated self-reports

BackgroundHeadache symptoms self-reported by migraine patients are largely congruent with the clinician-used diagnostic criteria, but not always so. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer additional clues to characterize migraine with (MA) and without (MO) aura more precisely.MethodsFirstly, we invited 324 participants with a life-long headache attack to answer an item-matrix measuring symptoms of primary headaches, then we performed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to their answers and refined a headache symptom questionnaire. Secondly, we applied this questionnaire to 28 MA and 52 MO patients.ResultsIn participants with a life-long headache, we refined a 27-item, structure-validated headache symptom questionnaire, with four factors (scales) namely the Somatic /Aura Symptoms, Gastrointestinal and Autonomic Symptoms, Tightness and Location Features, and Prodromal/Aggravating Symptoms. Further, we found that MA patients reported higher than did MO patients on the Somatic/Aura Symptoms and Tightness and Location Features scales.ConclusionsCompared to MO, MA was conferred with more prominent tightness and location features besides its higher somatic or aura symptoms. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer more clues to distinguish two types of migraine besides their clinician-defined criteria.

Color preferences in participants with high or low hypnotic susceptibility

Purpose Color preferences vary among normal individuals and psychiatric patients, and this might be related to their different levels of hypnotic susceptibility. We hypothesized that individuals with higher hypnotic susceptibility prefer more arousing colors such as red. Patients and methods Out of 440 participants, we selected 70 with higher (HIGH) and 66 with lower (LOW) hypnotic susceptibilities, and asked them to undergo the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSSC) test, then to order their preferences of 11 colors. Results The HIGH group preferred red more and scored higher on the total SHSSC. The preference order of black was negatively predicted by the SHSSC Taste hallucination but positively by Arm rigidity, and the preference of yellow was positively predicted by Posthypnotic amnesia and Taste hallucination in the HIGH group. Conclusion The red preference and the SHSSC associations with black and yellow preferences in participants with high hypnotic susceptibility help to clarify the individual difference of color preference and provide research hints for behavioral studies in normal individuals and psychiatric patients.

Effect of dietary supplements of biotin, intramuscular injections of vitamin B12, or both on postpartum lactation performance in multiparous dairy cows

The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of biotin, intramuscular injections of vitamin B12 (VB12), or both beginning at the prepartum period on feed intake and lactation performance in postpartum dairy cows. Forty-eight dairy cows were allocated into 12 blocks, based on parity and milk yield of the previous lactation cycle, and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments. Supplementation of VB12 (weekly intramuscular injections of 0 or 10 mg) and biotin (dietary supplements of 0 or 30 mg/d) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design of 12 blocks with repeated measures. The study started at 3 wk before the expected calving date and ended at 8 wk after calving. Feed intake and lactation performance (milk yield and composition) were recorded weekly after calving. Blood variables were measured on d -10, 0, 8, 15, 29, 43, and 57 relative to calving. When VB12 was given, the cows had greater feed intake, better lactation performance and lower body weight loss in the postpartum period compared with animals without injection of VB12. The VB12-injected cows had lower plasma nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations but higher plasma superoxide dismutase activity compared with cows without VB12. Cows fed a biotin supplement had higher milk protein yield (6 and 8 wk) and lactose yield (6-8 wk), compared with animals without biotin. However, under the present experimental conditions, we found no additive effect of a combined supplement of biotin and vitamin B12 on lactation performance of dairy cows.

Electrocardiographic and Electrooculographic Responses to External Emotions and Their Transitions in Bipolar I and II Disorders

Bipolar disorder has two main types, bipolar I (BD I) and II (BD II), which present different affective states and personality characteristics, they might present different modes of emotional regulation. We hypothesized that the electrocardiogram and electrooculogram to external emotions are different in BD I and BD II. We asked 69 BD I and 54 BD II patients, and 139 healthy volunteers to undergo these tests in response to disgust, erotica, fear, happiness, neutral, and sadness, and their transitions. Their affective states were also measured. The heart rate in BD I was significantly higher under background fear after target neutral. The eyeball movement was quicker in BD I under target happiness after background disgust; in BD I under target sadness after background disgust; and in BD I under background disgust after target neutral. Some electrocardiographic and electrooculographic changes were correlated with affective states in patients. BD I and BD II had different physiological responses to external emotions and their transitions, indicating different pathophysiologies and suggesting different emotional-therapies for BD I and BD II.

Personality traits and perception of Müller-Lyer illusion in male Chinese military soldiers and university students

Abstract Background In military men, performance such as gun-shooting precision relies on factors such as the ability to resist visual illusion, and this misperception of visual stimulus might be linked with sensation seeking related personality. Methods We have invited 103 male military men and 104 age-matched university male students to undergo the experiment of the Brentano version of the Müller-Lyer illusion and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) tests. Results The military men scored significantly lower than students did on the ZKPQ Impulsive Sensation Seeking test but higher on Aggression-Hostility and Sociality test, and displayed less misperception magnitude to the illusion. The Impulsive Sensation Seeking, Neuroticism-Anxiety and Aggression-Hostility traits in military men, and the Activity in students were respectively correlated with the misperception magnitudes of the illusion in different manners. Conclusion Limited results in our study have indicated that the military men had pronounced personality traits which were correlated with the misperception magnitude of the Müller-Lyer illusion.

Relationship between hypnosis and personality trait in participants with high or low hypnotic susceptibility

Background The relationship between normal personality and hypnotic susceptibility is important for understanding mental processing and mental disorders, but it is less consistent in normal people or in patients with a psychiatric disorder. We have hypothesized that the correlation exists but varies in individuals with different levels of hypnotizability. Participants and methods We invited 72 individuals with high (HIGH group) and 47 individuals with low (LOW group) hypnotic susceptibilities to undertake tests of NEO-PI-R and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSSC). Results The HIGH group scored significantly higher than the LOW group did on openness to experience and its facet openness to feelings. In the LOW group, SHSSC total was positively predicted by openness to ideas; age regression was positively predicted by openness to experience and negatively predicted by extraversion; anosmia to ammonia was negatively predicted by agreeableness; and negative visual hallucination was positively predicted by openness to experience. In the HIGH group, hallucinated voice was positively predicted by openness to experience and negatively predicted by agreeableness, and posthypnotic amnesia was positively predicted by extraversion and negatively predicted by openness to experience. Conclusion The associations between normal personality traits and hypnotic susceptibility items were weak and different in the two groups, which imply that managing mental or somatoform disorders might be through adjusting hypnotizability and mobilizing personality functions.