Associations of serum microRNA-20a, -27a, and -103a with cognitive function in a Japanese population: The Yakumo study.

Objectives: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) dysregulate gene expression by binding to target messenger RNAs, and play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Circulating miRNAs have increasingly been recognized as biomarkers for detecting and diagnosing those diseases. Few studies have investigated the association of circulating miRNA with the early stages of cognitive impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment, in the general population.

Relation between cognitive and cerebello-thalamo-cortical functions in healthy elderly people: Evidence from the Yakumo Study.

Relations between cognitive and cerebello-thalamo-cortical functions in healthy elderly people (65-75 years old) were examined by longitudinal behavioral data. Based on the individually calculated cognitive decline ratio in D-CAT (digit cancelation test) and in LMT (Logical Memory Test) during the period of 11 years, participants were classified into the and the groups and group differences in the postural tremor measures (Quotient of Romberg) were compared. Significant group differences were shown in the postural tremor measure in D-CAT that reflects prefrontal function, but it was not the case in LMT.

Visual Search Load Effects on Age-Related Cognitive Decline: Evidence From the Yakumo Longitudinal Study.

The validity of Bucur and Madden's (2010) proposal that an age-related decline is particularly pronounced in executive function measures rather than in elementary perceptual speed measures was examined via the Yakumo Study longitudinal database. Their proposal suggests that cognitive load differentially affects cognitive abilities in older adults. To address their proposal, linear regression coefficients of 104 participants were calculated individually for the digit cancellation task 1 (D-CAT1), where participants search for a given single digit, and the D-CAT3, where they search for 3 digits simultaneously.

Severity of Premenstrual Symptoms Predicted by Second to Fourth Digit Ratio.

Women of reproductive age often experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms prior to the onset of menstruation. While genetics may influence the variability of these symptoms and their severity among women, the exact causes remain unknown. We hypothesized that symptom variability originates from differences in the embryonic environment and thus development caused by variation in exposure to sex hormones.

Age and gender differences in the influences of eNOS T-786C polymorphism on arteriosclerotic parameters in general population in Japan.

Objective: The influence of T-786C polymorphism in the promoter region of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) on arteriosclerotic parameters by age and gender were examined.

Methods: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), heart-rate adjusted augmentation index (AIx@75), pulse pressure (PP) and albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) were assessed as arteriosclerotic parameters in addition to non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) to HDL-C (non-HDL-C/HDL-C) ratio in 1499 participants. T-786C polymorphism (rs2070744) was screened using a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay.

Effect of metabolic syndrome components and their clustering on carotid atherosclerosis in a sample of the general Japanese population.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) on carotid atherosclerosis in a Japanese population. A total of 1727 subjects (805 males and 922 females) were included. Intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured using ultrasonography.

[Relations among higher brain function, trust, and gullibility in middle-aged and elderly people].

In this study, we examined the relationships among higher brain function, trust or distrust, and gullibility in middle-aged and elderly people. It has been pointed out that the trust can be regarded the psychological frame of automatic processing in decision-makinig. The participants were 309 rural community dwellers (127-males and 182 females) whose mean age was 64.

Developmental trajectories of verbal and visuospatial abilities in healthy older adults: comparison of the hemisphere asymmetry reduction in older adults model and the right hemi-ageing model.

Two models of cognitive ageing, the hemisphere asymmetry reduction in older adults (HAROLD) model and the right hemi-ageing model, were compared based upon the verbal memory and visuospatial task performance of 338 elderly participants. Comparison of the developmental trajectories for four age groups (50s, 60s, 70s and 80s) supported the HAROLD model, but not the right hemi-ageing model. Performance differences between the verbal memory and visuospatial tasks in the earlier age groups decreased in the later age groups.

Relationship between blood pressure response during step exercise test and atherosclerotic markers.

Abstract The relationship between blood pressure (BP) response to exercise and atherosclerotic markers were evaluated in a population based sample of 426 normotensive subjects. The subjects with greater increase of SBP during exercise and delayed recovery of SBP after exercise showed higher hs-CRP and SBP2. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the greater BP response and delayed BP recovery were independently associated with SBP2 after adjusting for resting SBP, age, and gender.

The relation between cognitive function and UI in healthy, community-dwelling, middle-aged and elderly people.

The aim of this study was to examine the relation between UI and cognitive function among non-disabled middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling people. A total of 201 participants (86 men and 115 women) were given a structured questionnaire regarding their condition of UI as well as a cognitive assessment battery (memory, attention, verbal fluency, information processing speed, and visuospatial function). The results showed a significant relation between UI and cognitive tasks for letter fluency, attention, and information processing speed, while no relation was found in cognitive tasks for memory and visuospatial function.