Neuroscience Letters,  2013,553,7–  12

Sensitivity of the  late positive potentials evoked by emotionalpictures to  neuroticism during the menstrual cycle

Wenjuan  Zhang^a, Renlai Zhou^a,b,c,, Qingguo  Wang^d, Yan Zhao^d, Yanfeng Liu^e

^aBeijing Key  Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal  University, Beijing, China

^b State Key  Laboratory of Cognitive Neurosciences and Learning, Beijing Normal University,  Beijing, China

^cResearch  Center of Emotion Regulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing,  China

d School of  Pre-clinical Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing,  China

^eDongzhimen  Hospital Attached to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing,  China

Abstract: The present event-related potentials (ERPs) study set  out to investigate the effect of neuroticism on emotion evaluation during the  menstrual cycle, with high and low neuroticism females viewing and evaluating  valence and arousal of emotional pictures in the menstruation, late follicular  and luteal phases.Behavioral results revealed no group or phase effect. ERPs  data showed modulations of the menstrual cycle and neuroticism on the late  positive potential (LPP), with the larger LPP (300–1000 ms poststimulus) during  the late follicular phase than that during the luteal phase and larger LPP  (1000–3000 ms post-stimulus) in the high neuroticism group than that in the low  neuroticism group. Furthermore, significant positive correlations between the  LPP amplitudes and valence and arousal evaluations were observed mainly in the  high neuroticism group. The present study provides electrophysiological  evidences that the LPP evoked by emotional pictures are modulated both by the  menstrual cycle and neuroticism.

Key words: Neuroticism,  Menstrual cycle, Emotion,  Event-related potentials

Fig.1. Grand average ERPs recorded during menses, late follicular  and luteal phases in high and low neuroticism group on Pz site. The late  positive potentials are defined in 300-400ms and 400-1000ms. N=neuroticism.

Fig.2. Grand average ERPs for high and low neuroticism group during  the menses, late follicular and luteal phases on Pz site. The late positive  potentials are defined in 400-1000ms, 1000-3000ms and 3000-6000ms. N=neuroticism.

Fig.3. Grand-averaged event-related potential waveform (μV) for positive, neutral and negative pictures at the  Pz site in high and low neuroticism group. The late positive potentials are  defined in 400-1000ms, 1000-3000ms and 3000-6000ms. N=neuroticism.

Fig.4. The scalp topographies of positive picture during the late  follicular phase in both high and low neuroticism group across the relevant  intervals for late positive potentials (300-400ms,400-1000ms, 1000-3000ms  and 3000-6000ms). N=neuroticism.

月经周期中情绪图片诱发的晚正电位对神经质具有敏感性

张文娟¹, 周仁来^1,2,3,, 王庆国⁴, 赵燕⁴,  刘雁峰⁵

¹北京师范大学心理学院应用实验心理北京市重点实验室 北京  100875

²北京师范大学认知神经科学与学习国家重点实验室 北京  100875

³北京师范大学情绪调节研究中心，北京100875

⁴北京中医药大学基础临床医学，北京，100029

⁵北京中医药大学东直门附属医院，北京，100029

摘要：女性在月经周期中往往伴随着情绪的波动，而神经质可以反映个体的情绪稳定性。目前对于不同神经质水平的女性在月经周期中的情绪变化仍在探索中。本研究采用事件相关电位技术，让高低神经质水平的女性在月经期、卵泡晚期和黄体中晚期观看和评定三类效价图片（正性、中性和负性），并填写正性负性情绪量表。结果发现，在正性负性情绪量表和图片主观评定上未发现组别效应。而在脑电上，从刺激后1000毫秒到3000毫秒，高神经质组的晚正电位波幅显著大于低神经质组。从刺激后300毫秒到1000毫秒，卵泡晚期的晚正电位波幅显著大于黄体中晚期。而从刺激后300毫秒到6000毫秒，正性图片一直诱发了最大的波幅，负性次之，中性最小。结果提示，在整个月经周期中，高神经质女性对情绪刺激的加工更深，投入资源更多。而P300和晚正电位对月经周期较敏感，其影响机制可能和卵巢激素水平、动机等因素有关。

关键词：神经质，月经周期，情绪，事件相关电位