Study of event-related potentials to identify differences in verbal working memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment with different Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes

doi:10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.01.020

Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 211-218.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.01.020

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Study of event-related potentials to identify differences in verbal working memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment with different Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes

LIU Yong¹, HOU Junlin²^,³^,⁴, ZHAO Ziwei⁵, YAN Guoli⁶, LI Ning²^,³^,⁴^,⁷, ZHAO Chuan⁶, ZHOU Liyue⁸, ZHAN Xianghong²^,³^,⁴()

1 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
2 Department of Basic Teaching for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
3 Henan Province Engineering Technology Research Center for Chinese and Western Integrative Prevention and Treatment of Brain Cognitive Disease, Zhengzhou 450046, China
4 Zhengzhou key laboratory for Chinese & Western integrative prevention and treatment of brain cognitive disease, Zhengzhou 450046, China
5 Research and Experimental Center, Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
6 Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
7 Department of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
8 Department of Management Science and Engineering, College of Management, Henan university of technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China

Received:2024-10-18 Accepted:2025-05-17 Online:2026-02-15 Published:2026-01-28
Contact: ZHAN XiangHong, Department of Basic Teaching for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan university of Chinese medicine, Zhengzhou 450046. zxh371@163.com;Telephone: +86-371-65680202
Supported by:
National Natural Science Foundation of China-funded Project: Study on Mechanism of “Smoothing The Liver Therapy” on Working Memory of the Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment Caused by Negative Emotion Regulation(81473556);Effects and Mechanism of Liver’s Failing to Facilitate the Coursing of Qi on Decline Process of Cognitive Function of Normal People and Patients with MCI(81873208)

Abstract

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To examine the differences in cognitive processing between patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of different Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome types to provide evidence supporting the TCM typing of MCI.

METHODS: Participants were screened using a battery of scales for spleen and kidney deficiency (SKD) / liver Qi stagnation (LQS)-type MCI or those without syndrome or normal control (NC). Following sex, age, and educational matching, behavioral and electroencephalographic data were recorded using the verbal N-back experimental paradigm. The data were then analyzed and compared with respect to the reaction time and correctness of the participants in each group, as well as the amplitude and latency of the event-related potential (ERP) components of P2, N2, and P3.

RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the accuracy or reaction times of the behavioral data of the groups. Regarding ERP data, the SKD group had a shorter P2 latency than the LQS and NC groups, while the latter two groups did not differ statistically. The SKD group had a shorter N2 latency than the NC group, while the SKD group did not differ from the LQS group. The SKD and LQS groups had a shorter P3 latency than the NC group.

CONCLUSION: Our study offers objective evidence of the distinction between the types of TCM syndrome. Different types of TCM syndromes produce different disease mechanisms, resulting in brain damage with different presentations of cognitive impairment and cognitive processing characteristics.

Key words: mild cognitive impairment, Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome types, event-related potential, N-back paradigm

LIU Yong, HOU Junlin, ZHAO Ziwei, YAN Guoli, LI Ning, ZHAO Chuan, ZHOU Liyue, ZHAN Xianghong. Study of event-related potentials to identify differences in verbal working memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment with different Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(1): 211-218.

Figures/Tables 2

Figure 1 ERP results for the verbal N-back experiment for three groups of subjects. A: ERPs were used to measure the P2, N2, and P3 components in the verbal 0-back task among the NC, SKD, and LQS group. A1: FCZ electrode site; A2: CPZ electrode site. B: ERPs were used to measure the P2, N2, and P3 components in the verbal 1-back task among the NC, SKD, and LQS group. B1: FCZ electrode site; B2: CPZ electrode site. NC: normal control (cognitively normal subjects); SKD: MCI patients with spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome; LQS: MCI patients with liver Qi stagnation syndrome; MCI: mild cognitive impairment; FCZ: frontal-central midline; CPZ: centro-parietal midline. Repeated measures analysis of variance was adopted. If an interaction effect existed between factors, simple effect analysis was performed subsequently.

Figure 2 Topographic map of the verbal N-back experiment for three groups of subjects A: topographic maps were used to display the voltage distribution of the P2, N2, and P3 components in the verbal 0-back task. A1: P2 for NC; A2: P2 for SKD; A3: P2 for LQS; A4: N2 for NC; A5: N2 for SKD; A6: N2 for LQS; A7: P3 for NC; A8: P3 for SKD; A9: P3 for LQS. B: topographic maps were used to display the voltage distribution of the P2, N2, and P3 components in the verbal 1-back task. B1: P2 for NC; B2: P2 for SKD; B3: P2 for LQS; B4: N2 for NC; B5: N2 for SKD; B6: N2 for LQS; B7: P3 for NC; B8: P3 for SKD; B9: P3 for LQS. NC: normal control (cognitively normal subjects); SKD: MCI patients with spleen-kidney deficiency syndrome; LQS: MCI patients with liver Qi stagnation syndrome; MCI: mild cognitive impairment.

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