Publications by authors named "A Takeoka"

Spinal circuits are central to movement adaptation, yet the mechanisms within the spinal cord responsible for acquiring and retaining behavior upon experience remain unclear. Using a simple conditioning paradigm, we found that dorsal inhibitory neurons are indispensable for adapting protective limb-withdrawal behavior by regulating the transmission of a specific set of somatosensory information to enhance the saliency of conditioning cues associated with limb position. By contrast, maintaining previously acquired motor adaptation required the ventral inhibitory Renshaw cells.

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This study aimed to verify whether an eHealth-based self-management program can reduce irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptom severity. An open-label simple randomized controlled trial was conducted that compared an intervention group (n = 21) participating in an eHealth self-management program, which involved studying IBS-related information from an established self-help guide followed by in-built quizzes, with a treatment-as-usual group (n = 19) that, except for pharmacotherapy, had no treatment restrictions. Participants were female Japanese university students.

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Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition after central nervous system (CNS) injury leads to inhibitory scarring in humans and other mammals, whereas it facilitates axon regeneration in the zebrafish. However, the molecular basis of these different fates is not understood. Here, we identify small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) as a contributing factor to regeneration failure in mammals.

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Introduction Migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) are chronic diseases associated with significant socioeconomic losses and social and psychological impact (current global prevalence: 10% and 38%, respectively). Thus, they require accurate identification and classification. In clinical practice, validated screening tools able to quickly determine migraine and TTH with high sensitivity and specificity help provide an objective and multifaceted understanding of patients' headache symptoms.

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Background/aims: Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gut-brain interaction disorder, deteriorate patients' quality of life and increase medical needs; therefore, IBS represents a significant global burden. The estimated global prevalence is approximately 10%; however, accumulated evidence shows international heterogeneity. In this study, we have described and compared the prevalence of IBS in 3 East Asian countries: Japan (Tokyo and Fukuoka), China (Beijing), and South Korea (Seoul).

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