Late Potentials Research Articles

Correlation between Epsilon Wave and Late Potentials in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy-Do Late Potentials Define the Epsilon Wave?

Introduction: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetic disorder characterised by progressive fibrosis predominantly of the right ventricular (RV) myocardium, resulting in life-threatening arrhythmias and heart failure. The diagnosis is challenging due to a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms. The important role of ECG was covered in the current diagnostic criteria. The role of the epsilon wave (EW) is still under discussion. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine a potential association between the EW and late ventricular potentials (LPs) in ARVC patients (pts). The correlation between RV dilatation or dysfunction and LPs/EW was also analysed. Methods: The ARVC group consisted of 81 pts (53 men, aged 20-78 years) fulfilling 2010 International Task Force Criteria. 12-lead ECG, LPs, Holter, and ECHO were performed in all pts. The presence of EW was analysed in ECG by 3 investigators. LPs were detected by signal-averaged ECG (SAECG). SAECG was considered positive for LPs when at least two of the three following criteria were met: (1) the filtered QRS duration (fQRS) ≥ 114 msec; (2) the duration of the final QRS fragment in which low-amplitude signals lower than 40 μV are recorded (LAS-40 > 38 msec); and (3) the root mean square amplitude of the last 40 milliseconds of the fQRS complex (RMS-40 < 20 μV). The results were compared with a reference group consisting of 53 patients with RV damage in the course of atrial septum defect (ASD) or Ebstein's Anomaly (EA). Results: In the ARVC group, a significant relationship was observed between the occurrence of EW and the presence of LPs. EW was more common in the LP+ than in the LP- patients (48.1% vs. 6.9%, p < 0001; OR 12.5; 95% CI [2.691-58.063]). In ARVC pts, RVOT > 36 mm, RVIT > 41 mm, and RV S' < 9 cm/s were observed significantly more often in the LPs+ than in the LPs- group (OR [95% CI]: 8.3 [2.9-1.5], 6.4 [2.2-19.0] and 3.6 [1.1-12.2], respectively). In the ARVC group, any of fQRS > 114 ms, LAS > 38 ms, and RMS < 20 μV were significantly more frequent in EW+ pts. In multivariate analysis, the independent factors of the EW were LAS-40 and RV S'. In the LPs- subgroup, RVOT > 36 mm was more frequent in ASD/EA than in ARVC (70.4% vs. 25%, p = 0.002). Similarly, in the LPs- subgroup, RVIT > 41 mm was encountered more frequently in ASD/EA than in ARVC (85.2% vs. 48.3%, p = 0.004). Conclusions: In ARVC, there is an association between EW and LPs, with both probably resulting from the same process of fibrofatty substitution of the RV myocardium. Although RV dilatation is common in ASD and EA, it does not correlate with LPs.

Substrate Characterization and Outcomes of Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation in Amyloid Cardiomyopathy: A Multicenter Study.

Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) in cardiac amyloidosis is uncommon, and the substrate and outcomes of catheter ablation are not defined. We included 22 consecutive patients (mean age, 68±10 years; male sex, 91%) with cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR [transthyretin], n=16; light chain, n=6) undergoing catheter ablation for VT/ventricular fibrillation (VF) between 2013 and 2023 in a retrospective, observational, international study. The primary efficacy outcome was recurrent VT/VF during follow-up, while the primary safety end point included major procedure-related adverse events. The indication for ablation was drug-refractory VT in 17 patients (77%), and premature ventricular complex-initiated polymorphic VT/VF in 5 patients (23%). Catheter ablation was performed using endocardial (n=17.77%) or endo-epicardial approaches (n=5.23%). Complete endocardial electroanatomical voltage maps of the left and right ventricles were obtained in 17 (77%) and 10 (45%) patients, respectively. Each patient had evidence of low-voltage areas, most commonly involving the interventricular septum (n=16); late potentials were recorded in 16 patients (73%). A median of 1 (1-2) VT was inducible per patient; 12 of the 26 mappable VTs (46%) originated from the interventricular septum. Complete procedural success was achieved in 16 patients (73%), with 4 (18%) major procedure-related adverse events. After a median follow-up of 32 (14-42) months, sustained VT/VF recurrence was observed in 9 patients (41%); survival free from VT/VF recurrence was 56% (95% CI, 36%-86%) at 36-month follow-up, and most patients remained on antiarrhythmic drugs. A significant reduction in per patient implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies was noted in the 6-month period after ablation (before: 6 [4-9] versus after: 0 [0-0]; P<0.001). In multivariable analysis, complete procedural success was associated with reduced risk of recurrent VT/VF (hazard ratio, 0.002; P=0.034). Catheter ablation can achieve control of recurrent VT/VF in more than half of patients with cardiac amyloidosis, and the reduction in VT/VF burden post-ablation may be relevant for quality of life. Septal substrate and risk of procedure-related complications challenge successful management of patients with cardiac amyloidosis and VT/VF.

Characteristics and Outcome of Patients with or without Previous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Interventions Undergoing Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment in patients with ventricular tachycardia and appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapies. Methods: We enrolled 57 consecutive carriers of ICD undergoing CA for electrical storm (ES). Our aim was to investigate differences in clinical, device-related, and electroanatomic features among patients who had history of appropriate ICD interventions before the ES compared to those who had not. The primary endpoint was a composite of death from any cause and recurrences of sustained VT, ventricular fibrillation, appropriate ICD therapy, or ES. Results: During a median follow up of 39 months, 28 patients (49%) met the primary endpoint. Those with previous ICD interventions had a higher prevalence of late potentials and a greater unipolar low-voltage area at electroanatomic mapping. Patients who met the primary endpoint had a higher prevalence of ATP/shock episodes preceding the ES event. At Cox regression analysis, non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM), QRS duration, and previous ATP and/or shock before the ES were associated with arrhythmic recurrences and/or death. At multivariate analysis, NIDCM and previous shock were associated with arrhythmic recurrences and/or death. Conclusions: A history of recurrent ICD therapies predicts worse outcomes when CA is needed because of ES. Although more studies are needed to definitively address this question, our data speak in support of an early referral for CA of ES.

Domain-specific control for cognitive and emotional conflict: Evidence from the transfer of proportion congruency effects.

There is ongoing debate about whether control-related processing related to cognitive conflict and emotional conflict operate independently. This study manipulated the proportion of congruent to incongruent trials to determine the domain specificity or generality of these two types of conflict control. Two experiments were conducted in which spatial Simon conflict was combined with emotional face-word conflict. In Experiment 1, the proportion congruency (PC) of spatial conflict was manipulated, and in Experiment 2, the PC of emotional conflict was manipulated. The aim was to determine whether control-related processes elicited by cognitive or emotional conflict show domain-specific (within cognitive or within emotional control-related effects) or domain-general effects, where control elicited by cognitive conflict benefits emotional control processes and vice versa. Behavioral findings indicated that spatial and emotional conflict exhibited within-domain PC effects. For event-related brain potential (ERP) activity, PC effects were primarily reflected in a late slow potential, rather than an early negativity, suggesting that control-related adjustments impacted conflict resolution rather than conflict detection. Furthermore, the results did not show evidence of PC effects across domains for behavioral or ERP data, indicating that proactive control elicited by PC manipulation does not transfer across cognitive and emotional conflict. This study supports the modular nature of proactive control for processes related to cognitive and emotional control.

Low-Dose LSD Alters Early and Late Event-Related Potentials to Emotional Faces

Low-Dose LSD Alters Early and Late Event-Related Potentials to Emotional Faces

Characterizing Autism Spectrum Disorder through Fusion of Local Cortical Activation and Global Functional Connectivity using Game-Based Stimuli and a Mobile EEG System.

The deficit in social interaction skills among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is strongly influenced by personal experiences and social environments. Neuroimaging studies have previously highlighted the link between social impairment and brain activity in ASD. This study aims to develop a method for assessing and identifying ASD using a social cognitive game-based paradigm combined with electroencephalography (EEG) signaling features. Typically developing (TD) participants and autistic preadolescents and teenagers were recruited to participate in a social game while 12-channel EEG signals were recorded. The EEG signals underwent preprocessing to analyze local brain activities, including event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency features. Additionally, the global brain network's functional connectivity between brain regions was evaluated using phase-lag indices (PLIs). Subsequently, machine learning models were employed to assess the neurophysiological features. Results indicated pronounced ERP components, particularly the late positive potential (LPP), in parietal regions during social training. Autistic preadolescents and teenagers exhibited lower LPP amplitudes and larger P200 amplitudes compared to TD participants. Reduced theta synchronization was also observed in the ASD group. Aberrant functional connectivity within certain time intervals was noted in the ASD group. Machine learning analysis revealed that support-vector machines achieved a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 91.7%, and accuracy of 95.8% as part of the performance evaluation when utilizing ERP and brain oscillation features for ASD characterization. These findings suggest that social interaction difficulties in autism are linked to specific brain activation patterns. Traditional behavioral assessments face challenges of subjectivity and accuracy, indicating the potential use of social training interfaces and EEG features for cognitive assessment in ASD.

Association of the Achondroplasia Foramen Magnum Score and intraoperative neuromonitoring

IntroductionForamen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia carries a risk of sudden death. A proportion of these patients benefit from foramen magnum decompression (FMD). The Achondroplasia Foramen Magnum Score (AFMS) was developed...

Influence of network latency and bandwidth on robot-assisted laparoscopic telesurgery: A pre-clinical experiment.

Telesurgery has the potential to overcome spatial limitations for surgeons, which depends on surgical robot and the quality of network communication. However, the influence of network latency and bandwidth on telesurgery is not well understood. A telesurgery system capable of dynamically adjusting image compression ratios in response to bandwidth changes was established between Beijing and Sanya (Hainan province), covering a distance of 3000km. In total, 108 animal operations, including 12 surgical procedures, were performed. Total latency ranging from 170ms to 320ms and bandwidth from 15-20Mbps to less than 1 Mbps were explored using designed surgical tasks and hemostasis models for renal vein and internal iliac artery rupture bleeding. Network latency, jitter, frame loss, and bit rate code were systemically measured during these operations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and a self-designed scale measured the workload and subjective perception of surgeons. All 108 animal telesurgeries, conducted from January 2023 to June 2023, were performed effectively over a total duration of 3866min. The operations were completed with latency up to 320ms and bandwidths as low as 1-5Mbps. Hemostasis for vein and artery rupture bleeding models was effectively achieved under these low bandwidth conditions. The NASA-TLX results indicated that latency significantly impacted surgical performance more than bandwidth and image clarity reductions. This telesurgery system demonstrated safety and reliability. A total of 320ms latency is acceptable for telesurgery operations. Reducing image clarity can effectively mitigate the potential latency increase caused by decreased bandwidth, offering a new method to reduce the impact of latency on telesurgery.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Adaptive Scheduling for Wireless Time-Sensitive Networking.

Time-sensitive networking (TSN) technologies have garnered attention for supporting time-sensitive communication services, with recent interest extending to the wireless domain. However, adapting TSN to wireless areas faces challenges due to the competitive channel utilization in IEEE 802.11, necessitating exclusive channels for low-latency services. Additionally, traditional TSN scheduling algorithms may cause significant transmission delays due to dynamic wireless characteristics, which must be addressed. This paper proposes a wireless TSN model of IEEE 802.11 networks for the exclusive channel access and a novel time-sensitive traffic scheduler, named the wireless intelligent scheduler (WISE), based on deep reinforcement learning. We designed a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework to learn the repetitive transmission patterns of time-sensitive traffic and address potential latency issues from changing wireless conditions. Within this framework, we identified the most suitable DRL model, presenting the WISE algorithm with the best performance. Experimental results indicate that the proposed mechanisms meet up to 99.9% under the various wireless communication scenarios. In addition, they show that the processing delay is successfully limited within the specific time requirements and the scalability of TSN streams is guaranteed by the proposed mechanisms.

Enhancing Comprehensive Assessments in Chronic Heart Failure Caused by Ischemic Heart Disease: The Diagnostic Utility of Holter ECG Parameters.

Background and Objectives: Chronic heart failure (CHF) caused by ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and presents significant health challenges. Effective management of IHD requires prevention, early detection, and treatment to improve patient outcomes. This study aims to expand the diagnostic utility of various 24 h Holter ECG parameters, such as T-wave alternans (TWA), late ventricular potentials (LVPs), and heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with CHF caused by IHD. Additionally, we seek to explore the association between these parameters and other comorbid conditions affecting the prognosis of CHF patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective case-control study with 150 patients divided into two subgroups: 100 patients with CHF caused by IHD, and 50 patients in the control group. Data included medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, echocardiography, and 24 h Holter monitoring. Results: Our comparative analysis demonstrated that both TWA and LVPs were significantly higher in patients with CHF compared to the control group (p < 0.01), indicating increased myocardial electrical vulnerability in CHF patients. Both time and frequency-domain HRV parameters were significantly lower in the CHF group. However, the ratio of NN50 to the total count of NN intervals (PNN50) showed a borderline significance (p = 0.06). While the low-frequency (LF) domain was significantly lower in CHF patients, the high-frequency (HF) domain did not differ significantly between groups. Acceleration and deceleration capacities were also significantly altered in CHF patients. Categorizing CHF patients by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) revealed that the mean of the 5-min normal-to-normal intervals over the complete recording (SDNN Index) was significantly higher in patients with LVEF ≥ 50% compared to those with CHF with reduced EF and CHF with mildly reduced EF (p < 0.001), whereas the other HRV parameters showed no significant differences among the groups. Conclusions: Holter ECG parameters can become a reliable tool in the assessment of patients with CHF. The integration of multiple Holter ECG parameters, such as TWA, LVPs, and HRV, can significantly enhance the diagnostic assessment of CHF caused by IHD. This comprehensive approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of the patient's condition and potential outcomes.

Regulation of negative emotions through directed attention in high-trait-anxious women: Evidence from event-related potentials and eye-tracking

Abnormal emotional responses in high-trait-anxious (HTA) individuals may be related to the use of emotion regulation strategies. Directed attention is a substrategy of attention deployment, which has been proven to be effective in regulating individual negative emotions. The present study investigated whether HTA women can effectively utilize directed attention to decrease negative emotions. Two studies were conducted using the same directed attention paradigm, with one focusing on event-related potentials (ERPs) and the other utilizing eye-tracking techniques. Participants viewed negative and neutral pictures and rated their negative emotions experienced during viewing. During directed attention, attention was directed towards highly arousing aspects, less arousing aspects of negative pictures, or less arousing aspects of neutral pictures. In study 1, late positive potentials (LPP) were recorded in 26 HTA and 24 low-trait-anxious (LTA) women. In study 2, the latency of first fixation, the proportion of gaze duration and fixations in the specific area were recorded in 27 HTA and 23 LTA women. Both the HTA and LTA groups revealed a decrease in negative emotional ratings and LPP amplitudes when their attention was directed towards the less arousing aspects of negative pictures. Furthermore, in this condition, the HTA group had a shorter latency of first fixation on highly arousing aspects and a higher proportion of gaze duration on less arousing aspects of negative pictures compared to the LTA group. These results indicate that when confronted with negative pictures, HTA women are able to regulate their emotional responses through directed attention, which may be accompanied by attentional vigilance and avoidance tendencies.

Central α2-adrenergic mechanisms regulate human sympathetic neuronal discharge strategies.

The present study investigated the impact of central α2-adrenergic mechanisms on sympathetic action potential (AP) discharge, recruitment and latency strategies. We used the microneurographic technique to record muscle sympathetic nerve activity and a continuous wavelet transform to investigate postganglionic sympathetic AP firing during a baseline condition and an infusion of a α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, dexmedetomidine (10min loading infusion of 0.225µgkg-1; maintenance infusion of 0.1-0.5µgkgh-1) in eight healthy individuals (28±7years, five females). Dexmedetomidine reduced mean pressure (92±7 to 80±8mmHg, P < 0.001) but did not alter heart rate (61±13 to 60±14bpm; P=0.748). Dexmedetomidine reduced sympathetic AP discharge (126±73 to 27±24 AP100 beats-1, P=0.003) most strongly for medium-sized APs (normalized cluster 2: 21±10 to 5±5 AP100 beats-1; P < 0.001). Dexmedetomidine progressively de-recruited sympathetic APs beginning with the largest AP clusters (12±3 to 7±2 clusters, P=0.002). Despite de-recruiting large AP clusters with shorter latencies, dexmedetomidine reduced AP latency across remaining clusters (1.18±0.12 to 1.13±0.13s, P=0.002). A subset of six participants performed a Valsalva manoeuvre (20s, 40mmHg) during baseline and the dexmedetomidine infusion. Compared to baseline, AP discharge (Δ361±292 to Δ113±155 AP100 beats-1, P=0.011) and AP cluster recruitment elicited by the Valsalva manoeuvre were lower during dexmedetomidine (Δ2±1 to Δ0±2 AP clusters, P=0.041). The reduction in sympathetic AP latency elicited by the Valsalva manoeuvre was not affected by dexmedetomidine (Δ-0.09±0.07 to Δ-0.07±0.14s, P=0.606). Dexmedetomidine reduced baroreflex gain, most strongly for medium-sized APs (normalized cluster 2: -6.0±5 to -1.6±2 %mmHg-1; P=0.008). These data suggest that α2-adrenergic mechanisms within the central nervous system modulate sympathetic postganglionic neuronal discharge, recruitment and latency strategies in humans. KEY POINTS: Sympathetic postganglionic neuronal subpopulations innervating the human circulation exhibit complex patterns of discharge, recruitment and latency. However, the central neural mechanisms governing sympathetic postganglionic discharge remain unclear. This microneurographic study investigated the impact of a dexmedetomidine infusion (α2-adrenergic receptor agonist) on muscle sympathetic postganglionic action potential (AP) discharge, recruitment and latency patterns. Dexmedetomidine infusion inhibited the recruitment of large and fast conducting sympathetic APs and attenuated the discharge of medium sized sympathetic APs that fired during resting conditions and the Valsalva manoeuvre. Dexmedetomidine infusion elicited shorter sympathetic AP latencies during resting conditions but did not affect the reductions in latency that occurred during the Valsalva manoeuvre. These data suggest that α2-adrenergic mechanisms within the central nervous system modulate sympathetic postganglionic neuronal discharge, recruitment and latency strategies in humans.

Spatial analysis and characteristics of persistent late potentials after ablation of scar-related VT substrate: Implications for late potential elimination as a procedural endpoint with high-resolution mapping

BackgroundLate potential (LP) elimination has been proposed as a surrogate endpoint for scar-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation procedures. The characteristics, distribution, and predictors of persistent late potentials (pLPs) after ablation have not been studied. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to characterize the spatial distribution and features of pLP after catheter ablation of VT substrate with high-resolution mapping. MethodsCases of scar-related VT ablation with adequate pre- and postablation electroanatomic maps (EAMs) acquired exclusively using a high-density grid catheter were reviewed from 2021 to 2023. ResultsA total of 62 EAMs (pre- and postablation) from 31 cases using a high-density grid catheter were reviewed. pLPs were observed in 19 cases (61%) after ablation. New LP, spatially distinct from preablation LP, at the periphery of the ablation area comprised the majority of pLPs (16/19 [84%]). Isolated pLPs were more prevalent than fractionated pLPs, with a median amplitude of 0.26 mV (0.09–0.59 mV). The presence of pLP was associated with a significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and septal ablation but not low voltage, LP, or ablation area compared to absence of pLP (22.8% ± 7.8% vs 31.5% ± 8.0%, P = .008 for LVEF; 83% vs 44%, P = .033 for septal ablation). ConclusionFormation of spatially distinct new LP after targeted VT ablation is common, especially in patients with lower LVEF and septal substrate independent of ablation burden. This finding highlights the limitations of complete LP elimination as an endpoint to VT ablation procedures.

Maternal emotion regulation abilities affect adolescent depressive symptoms by mediating their emotion regulation ability: An ERP study

Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience significant difficulties in emotion regulation. This study aimed to explore emotion regulation in adolescents with depression using an emotion regulation paradigm combined with event-related potentials (ERP) while investigating the relationship between maternal emotion regulation and adolescent depressive symptoms through a mediation model. Overall, 38 healthy controls (HC) and 57 adolescents with depression (MDD) rated the pictures they saw according to aversive reappraisal (reappraisal of an aversive picture or down-regulate aversive emotions), aversive watch, and neutral conditions. Adolescents with depression gave more negative ratings to aversive images, and the emotional regulation success index (ERSI) of adolescents with depression was lower than that of healthy individuals. ERP data revealed an elevation in late positive potential (LPP) amplitude during the aversive reappraisal and aversive watch conditions compared with that in the neutral condition in the MDD group. Compared with the HC group, adolescents with depression showed larger LPP amplitudes under aversive watch conditions. The aversive reappraisal condition evoked a larger LPP than that in the other conditions in the HC group in the late time windows. The ΔLPP (separating the variability in the ERP wave associated with emotion regulation) was larger in the HC group than in the MDD group. Mediation analysis revealed that maternal emotion regulation influenced adolescent depression levels through its effect on the adolescent’s emotion regulation. These findings provide important insights into the emotion regulation process in adolescents with depression and offer suggestions for clinical interventions.

Characterization of Sequential Trial‐Curable Off‐Stoichiometric Amine‐Epoxy Thermosets with Ionic Liquids

This work aims to develop sequential trial‐curable off‐stoichiometric thermosets, patterning the approach upon the dual‐curing processing, which is a promising method to tailor material properties by combining two polymerization reactions. The presented epoxy resin systems are based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DG) as an epoxy resin, Gaskamine 240 (G) as a low‐temperature amine curing agent, and 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dicyanamide (IL) as an ionic liquid, which is known by its potential efficient latency. Therefore, three curing polymerization reactions take place, in contrast to common dual‐curable formulations. In this study, the target is to still separate the first curing process – which is the epoxy‐amine condensation reaction – from the remaining two curing processes, which are triggered by IL. The trial‐curable systems offer the possibility to achieve different intermediate materials, from highly viscous through shape‐conformable to rigid. This is attained by changing the relative contribution of the first and the other two curing steps, e.g. the change in the amount of G. Another motivation to use IL is to enhance the glass transition temperature of final samples; the values are between 84.4 and 152.2 °C.

How the Degree of Anthropomorphism of Human-like Robots Affects Users' Perceptual and Emotional Processing: Evidence from an EEG Study.

Anthropomorphized robots are increasingly integrated into human social life, playing vital roles across various fields. This study aimed to elucidate the neural dynamics underlying users' perceptual and emotional responses to robots with varying levels of anthropomorphism. We investigated event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related spectral perturbations (ERSPs) elicited while participants viewed, perceived, and rated the affection of robots with low (L-AR), medium (M-AR), and high (H-AR) levels of anthropomorphism. EEG data were recorded from 42 participants. Results revealed that H-AR induced a more negative N1 and increased frontal theta power, but decreased P2 in early time windows. Conversely, M-AR and L-AR elicited larger P2 compared to H-AR. In later time windows, M-AR generated greater late positive potential (LPP) and enhanced parietal-occipital theta oscillations than H-AR and L-AR. These findings suggest distinct neural processing phases: early feature detection and selective attention allocation, followed by later affective appraisal. Early detection of facial form and animacy, with P2 reflecting higher-order visual processing, appeared to correlate with anthropomorphism levels. This research advances the understanding of emotional processing in anthropomorphic robot design and provides valuable insights for robot designers and manufacturers regarding emotional and feature design, evaluation, and promotion of anthropomorphic robots.

You're Beautiful When You Smile: Event-Related Brain Potential (ERP) Evidence of Early Opposite-Gender Bias in Happy Faces.

Studies of social cognition have shown gender differences regarding human face processing. One interesting finding is the enhanced processing of opposite-gender faces at different time stages, as revealed by event-related brain potentials. Crucially, from an evolutionary perspective, such a bias might interact with the emotional expression of the face. To investigate this, 100 participants (50 female, 50 male) completed an expression-detection task while their EEG was recorded. In three blocks, fearful, happy and neutral faces (female and male) were randomly presented, with participants instructed to respond to only one predefined target expression level in each block. Using linear mixed models, we observed both faster reaction times as well as larger P1 and late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes for women compared to men, supporting a generally greater female interest in faces. Highly interestingly, the analysis revealed an opposite-gender bias at P1 for happy target faces. This suggests that participants' attentional templates may include more opposite-gender facial features when selectively attending to happy faces. While N170 was influenced by neither the face nor the participant gender, LPP was modulated by the face gender and specific combinations of the target status, face gender and expression, which is interpreted in the context of gender-emotion stereotypes. Future research should further investigate this expression and attention dependency of early opposite-gender biases.

Late Positive Potential Elicited by Monetary Reward Feedback Predicts Changes of Disordered Eating From Age 11 to Age 12 in Community-Dwelling Girls.

Early adolescence is marked by elevated psychopathology, including disrupted eating attitudes and behaviors. Reward processing is an identified mechanism in portending eating pathology, that is, aberrant reward responsivity may contribute to disrupted reward-seeking behaviors (e.g., food consuming). This literature has focused on adults or mid-to-late adolescents, with little work done on early adolescence. We examined the linkages between reward feedback processing, indexed by event-related potentials (ERPs), and changes of emerging disordered eating in community-dwelling early adolescents. At T1, 115 youths (66 girls, mean/SD age = 11.00/1.16 years) completed an EEG monetary reward Doors task. Youths completed the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire Short at T1 and ~6 months (T2) and ~12 months (T3) after T1. In the ERP data, we isolated a reward positivity (RewP) and a late positive potential (LPP) via principal component analysis. We applied multilevel modeling to examine whether baseline ERPs interacted with Time in predicting disordered eating and whether these interactions varied by sex. We found a significant Time × LPP interaction in girls but not boys. Among girls, only those with a smaller LPP toward the losses (versus wins), which might reflect suboptimal evaluation and regulatory processes in undesired situations, showed increases in disordered eating from T1 to T3. We provided preliminary yet novel evidence concerning the prospective associations between reward processing and changes of disordered eating in early adolescents. Future studies along this line will be critical for understanding the early mechanisms of eating pathology, identifying youths at risk, and developing prevention strategies.

Acupuncture combined with repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation for mild to moderate post-stroke depression: a randomized controlled trial

To explore the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for mild to moderate post-stroke depression. Ninety patients with mild to moderate post-stroke depression were randomly divided into a combination group (30 cases, 4 cases dropped out), an acupuncture group (30 cases, 3 cases dropped out) and a rTMS group (30 cases, 5 cases dropped out). All the three groups received basic treatment, the combination group was treated with acupuncture combined with rTMS, the acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture, and the rTMS group was treated with rTMS. The acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 24+) , Danzhong (CV 17) and bilateral Shenmen (HT 7), Taichong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6). All the three groups were treated once a day, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) score, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score and event-related potential were compared among the three groups before and after treatment. After treatment, the HAMD-17 scores and PSQI scores in the three groups were reduced compared with those before treatment (P<0.01) , and the HAMD-17 score and PSQI score in the combination group were lower than those in the acupuncture group and the rTMS group (P<0.05). After treatment, the latency of event-related potential (P300, mismatch negativity［MMN］) in the three groups was shortened compared with that before treatment (P<0.05), and the latency of event-related potential in the combination group was shorter than that in the acupuncture group and the rTMS group (P<0.05). Acupuncture combined with rTMS can effectively alleviate the depressive state of patients with mild to moderate post-stroke depression, improve the sleep quality and the latency of event-related potential P300 and MMN.

Task execution latency minimization for energy-sensitive IoTs in wireless powered mobile edge computing: A DRL-based method

Wireless powered mobile edge computing (MEC) has become a vital component of future 6G networks, offering efficient computational capabilities to internet of things (IoT) devices and ensuring a stable energy supply. In this paper, we propose an innovative design for a wireless powered MEC-assisted energy-sensitive IoT systems. The system integrates wireless power technology (WPT), allowing IoT devices to efficiently perform tasks under wireless power supply without consuming their battery energy. Therefore, we formulate a dynamic computational task execution latency minimization (DCTELM) problem to tackle the impacts of unpredictable energy requirements and potential communication latency on resource allocation. We also analyze the differences between time division multiple access and non-orthogonal multiple access communication protocols. Given the complexity and dynamic nature of this problem, we define it as a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem. To address this problem, we introduced an enhanced deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm. First, the DCTELM problem is transformed into a Markov decision process (MDP), which simplifies the structure of the problem. Then, after determining the offloading decision, we reveal the convex relationship between resource allocation and task latency. Furthermore, the action space of MDP is further reduced, and a multi-head proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm is proposed to deal with the simplified MDP problem. This process reduces the complexity of problem solving, decreases the consumption of computational resources. Simulation results demonstrate that our method outperforms other baselines in terms of computation latency, particularly with the introduction of an exploration strategy during the training phase, which significantly reduces task latency.