Psychological characteristics and GoNogo research of patients with functional constipation

The emotional state, psychological characteristics, cognitive function, and the relevance among above factors in patients with functional constipation (FC) are complex. This study aimed to investigate whether FC symptoms might be related to implicit processing such as psychological characteristics and emotional somatization. Thirty-five FC patients and 24 normal volunteers were recruited to collect event-related potentials (ERP) behavior and electroencephalogram data when simple digital GoNogo visual tasks were performed. Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Symptom Checklist, and Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPQ) were assessed before the ERP test. There was significant difference in average score, positive index, somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression and psychoticism in HAMD-17, HAMA, Symptom Checklist, and extroversion or introversion and neuroticism in EPQ between the FC patients group and the normal control group (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the amplitude of ERP-P300 at site F4, F7, and FZ (P < 0.05). FC patients showed anxiety and depression. The asymmetric forebrain abnormal activities in the 2 hemispheres might initiate implicit automatic processing, such as somatization and obsessive-compulsive disorder, in order to cope with painful experience caused by anxiety and depression in patients with FC. Cognitive dysfunction of implicit processing might be involved in the abnormality of visual communication and information processing.