Trait and State Anxiety Effects on Mismatch Negativity and Sensory Gating Event-Related Potentials

We used the auditory roving oddball to investigate whether individual differences in self-reported anxiety influence event-related potential (ERP) activity related to sensory gating and mismatch negativity (MMN). The state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was used to assess the effects of anxiety on the ERPs for auditory change detection and information filtering in a sample of thirty-six healthy participants. The roving oddball paradigm involves presentation of stimulus trains of auditory tones with certain frequencies followed by trains of tones with different frequencies. Enhanced negative mid-latency response (130–230 ms post-stimulus) was marked at the deviant (first tone) and the standard (six or more repetitions) tone at Fz, indicating successful mismatch negativity (MMN). In turn, the first and second tone in a stimulus train were subject to sensory gating at the Cz electrode site as a response to the second stimulus was suppressed at an earlier latency (40–80 ms). We used partial correlations and analyses of covariance to investigate the influence of state and trait anxiety on these two processes. Higher trait anxiety exhibited enhanced MMN amplitude (more negative) (F(1,33) = 14.259, p = 6.323 × 10−6, ηp2 = 0.302), whereas state anxiety reduced sensory gating (F(1,30) = 13.117, p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.304). Our findings suggest that high trait-anxious participants demonstrate hypervigilant change detection to deviant tones that appear more salient, whereas increased state anxiety associates with failure to filter out irrelevant stimuli

State anxiety influences P300 and P600 event-related potentials over parietal regions in the hollow-mask illusion experiment

The hollow-mask illusion is an optical illusion where a concave face is perceived as convex. It has been demonstrated that individuals with schizophrenia and anxiety are less susceptible to the illusion than controls. Previous research has shown that the P300 and P600 event-related potentials (ERPs) are affected in individuals with schizophrenia. Here, we examined whether individual differences in neuroticism and anxiety scores, traits that have been suggested to be risk factors for schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, affect ERPs of healthy participants while they view concave faces. Our results confirm that the participants were susceptible to the illusion, misperceiving concave faces as convex. We additionally demonstrate significant interactions of the concave condition with state anxiety in central and parietal electrodes for P300 and parietal areas for P600, but not with neuroticism and trait anxiety. The state anxiety interactions were driven by low-state anxiety participants showing lower amplitudes for concave faces compared to convex. The P300 and P600 amplitudes were smaller when a concave face activated a convex face memory representation, since the stimulus did not match the active representation. The opposite pattern was evident in high-state anxiety participants in regard to state anxiety interaction and the hollow-mask illusion, demonstrating larger P300 and P600 amplitudes to concave faces suggesting impaired late information processing in this group. This could be explained by impaired allocation of attentional resources in high-state anxiety leading to hyperarousal to concave faces that are unexpected mismatches to standard memory representations, as opposed to expected convex faces

Acute mental stress has a prolonged unfavorable effect on arterial stiffness and wave reflections

Objective: Large-artery stiffness and arterial wave reflections have been identified as independent markers and prognosticators of cardiovascular risk. Mental stress is a novel risk factor for coronary artery disease and has been associated with left ventricular dysfunction, myocardial ischemia and infarction, and Sudden cardiac death. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of acute mental stress on aortic stiffness and wave reflections. Methods: The effect of a mental arithmetic test was assessed in 19 healthy individuals using a randomized, sham-procedure-control led, crossover design. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and augmentation index were measured as indices of aortic stiffness and wave reflections, respectively. Results: Mental stress induced a sustained increase in central systolic and pulse pressure throughout the Whole study (systolic: by 7.5 mm Fig, p < .05; pulse: by 5.7 mm Fig, p < .01). The increase in peripheral systolic and pulse pressure was not significant throughout the study, but only when their peak values were compared with baseline (systolic: by 6.2 mm Fig, peak at 0 minutes; pulse: by 6.6 mm fig, peak at 5 minutes, p < .05 for both). There was a sustained increase in Pulse wave velocity (by 0.57 m/s, p < .005) throughout the study denoting a sustained increase in aortic stiffness. Similarly, augmentation index showed a sustained increase with mental stress (by 6.16%, p < .05) denoting increased wave reflections from the periphery. Conclusion: Acute mental stress results in a prolonged increase in aortic stiffness and wave reflections. Given the important pathophysiologic and prognostic role of these parameters, our results provide important mechanistic links between acute mental stress and increased cardiovascular risk

Statins in diabetes mellitus

Statins are a group of lipid-lowering medications that have been proven to be efficient in the protection of patients with dyslipidaemia from cardiovascular disease. The beneficial role of statins in both primary and secondary prevention has been well documented in many large randomized clinical trials. This beneficial effect extends to patients with diabetes mellitus. Their safety profile is overall good with mainly mild side effects. However, data indicate that statins may promote new onset diabetes mellitus. We review the current evidence regarding the overall efficacy and safety profile of statins in patients with diabetes mellitus; further we put into a broader perspective the debated diabetogenic effect of these drugs. © 2017 Bentham Science Publishers

Chronic coffee consumption has a detrimental effect on aortic stiffness and wave reflections

Background: The effect of coffee consumption on the cardiovascular system is still an unresolved issue. Aortic stiffness and wave reflections are important prognosticators of cardiovascular disease risk. We have shown that caffeine acutely increases aortic stiffness and wave reflections. Objective: The objective was to investigate the effect of chronic coffee consumption on aortic stiffness and wave reflections. Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 228 healthy subjects: 141 men (x̄ ± SD: 41 ± 8 y old) and 87 women (41 ± 9 y old). Aortic stiffness was evaluated with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Wave reflections were evaluated with augmentation index (AIx) and augmented pressure (AP) of the aortic pressure waveform with the use of high-fidelity pulse wave analysis. Coffee consumption was ascertained over 1 y with a food-frequency questionnaire. Results: A linear relation between coffee consumption and PWV, AIx, and AP was observed (P for trend < 0.05). Compared with the nonconsumption group, PWV was on average 13% higher, AIx was 2-fold higher, and AP was 2.4-fold higher (P < 0.01 for all) in the high-consumption group (>450 mL/d). The findings remained significant after control for confounders such as age, sex, smoking habits, body mass index, total and LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, blood glucose, mean blood pressure, and heart rate. The linear relation (P for trend < 0.05) observed between coffee consumption and arterial pressures was largely explained when the covariates were entered in the model. Conclusions: Chronic coffee consumption exerts a detrimental effect on aortic stiffness and wave reflections, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. © 2005 American Society for Clinical Nutrition