Reduced P50 auditory sensory gating response in professional musicians

Evoked potential studies have demonstrated that musicians have the ability to distinguish musical sounds preattentively and automatically at the temporal, spectral, and spatial levels in more detail. It is however not known whether there is a difference in the early processes of auditory data processing of musicians. The most emphasized and studied early process, especially for neuropsychiatric purposes, is sensory gating. The suppression percentage of the midlatency auditory evoked potential P50, and rarely the N100, wave is used for sensory gating studies. Our aim in this study was to investigate whether there was a difference in the auditory P50 and N100 suppression of control subjects who were professional musicians with no psychiatric problems. 34 professional musicians and 19 non-musicians (the control group) were included in this study. P50 and N100 measurements were taken, the suppression percentage of P50 and N100 was calculated and the results compared. Musicians showed significantly less P50 suppression when compared to non-musicians. There was no significant difference for N100 suppression. What the decreased P50 suppression in musicians when compared to non-musician subjects means, when we also take into account that N100 suppression is not decreased, and how it may contribute to the music perception and production processes of these persons is discussed.     

β受体阻滞剂治疗充血性心力衰竭的思考

β受体阻滞剂治疗充血性心力衰竭(CHF)是一次革命,它的应用标志着随着对CHF发病机理认识的不段深入而引起CHF治疗的一次根本性转变.对CHF的治疗不仅要改善症状,还要改善CHF患者的生活质量,延长CHF患者的寿命,降低死亡率.故对β受体阻滞剂应从系统、综合及长期治疗效果作出客观评价.