Treatment Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty for Open-angle Glaucoma Receiving Maximal-tolerable Medical Therapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) for patients with open-angle glaucoma receiving maximal-tolerable medical therapy.

Patients And Methods: Consecutive patients with open-angle glaucoma who were followed up for at least 1 year after SLT were retrospectively evaluated. The effectiveness was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with 2 criteria for failure: (1) intraocular pressure (IOP) equal to or more than baseline; and (2) <20% reduction from baseline, on 2 consecutive visits.

Postoperative hormonal therapy prevents recovery of neurological damage after surgery in patients with breast cancer.

Cancer survivors are exposed to several risk factors for cognitive dysfunction, such as general anesthesia, surgical trauma, and adjuvant therapies. In our recent study we showed that thalamic volume reduction and attentional dysfunction occurred shortly after surgery. Here, we examined the 6-month prognosis of the 20 patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery.

Effects of post-traumatic growth on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after a disaster.

The relating to others factor of post-traumatic growth (PTG), which involves mutual help and a strong sense of connection with humanity, is important for young people who are coping with stress. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), may play an important role in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with regard to coping and resilience. We hypothesized that the neural correlates of PTG may be responsible for resilience to the correlates of PTSD.

Neural bases of the adaptive mechanisms associated with reciprocal partner choice.

In our society, partner choice is often reciprocal and, therefore, compromising one's choice may be adaptive depending on one's own market price. To reveal the neural mechanisms underlying this adaptive process, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on 27 male subjects during virtual partner choice tasks involving a dance-partner choice or a part-time job choice. Following the evaluation of a rival, the subjects chose a partner either in the face of competition with a rival (reciprocal choice condition) or during no competition (nonreciprocal condition).

Creative females have larger white matter structures: Evidence from a large sample study.

The importance of brain connectivity for creativity has been theoretically suggested and empirically demonstrated. Studies have shown sex differences in creativity measured by divergent thinking (CMDT) as well as sex differences in the structural correlates of CMDT. However, the relationships between regional white matter volume (rWMV) and CMDT and associated sex differences have never been directly investigated.

Sex-Related Differences in the Effects of Sleep Habits on Verbal and Visuospatial Working Memory.

Poor sleep quality negatively affects memory performance, and working memory in particular. We investigated sleep habits related to sleep quality including sleep duration, daytime nap duration, nap frequency, and dream content recall frequency (DCRF). Declarative working memory can be subdivided into verbal working memory (VWM) and visuospatial working memory (VSWM).

RAMP1 suppresses mucosal injury from dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice.

Background And Aims: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is thought to be involved in the modulation of intestinal motility. CGRP receptor is composed of receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP) 1 combined with calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) for CGRP. The study investigated the role of CGRP in mice with experimentally induced colitis.

Neuroanatomical bases of effortful control: evidence from a large sample of young healthy adults using voxel-based morphometry.

Effortful control (EC) is a base of individuality in cognition and psychological adjustment. EC is defined as a capacity to control responses and behaviors. We investigated associations between individual differences of EC and regional gray and white matter volume (rGMV/rGMV) in 374 men and 306 women (age, 20.

The beneficial effects of cognitive training with simple calculation and reading aloud in an elderly postsurgical population: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: This project proposes a pilot study to investigate the positive healing effects of cognitive training with simple arithmetic and reading aloud on elderly postsurgical patients. Elderly patients undergoing surgery have an increased risk of Postoperative Cognitive Decline (POCD), a condition in which learning, memory, and processing speed is greatly reduced after surgery. Since elderly patients are more likely to exhibit symptoms of POCD, the incidence is increasing as the population receiving surgery has aged.

Neural correlates of second-language communication and the effect of language anxiety.

Communicative speech is a type of language use that involves goal-directed action targeted at another person based on social interactive knowledge. Previous studies regarding one's first language (L1) have treated the theory of mind system, which is associated with understanding others, and the sensorimotor system, which is associated with action simulation, as important contributors to communication. However, little is known about the neural basis of communication in a second language (L2), which is limited in terms of its use as a communication tool.

Differences in gray matter structure correlated to nationalism and patriotism.

Nationalism and patriotism both entail positive evaluations of one's nation. However, the former inherently involves derogation of other nations, whereas the latter is independent of comparisons with other nations. We used voxel-based morphometry and psychological measures and determined nationalism and patriotism's association with gray matter density (rGMD) and their cognitive nature in healthy individuals (433 men and 344 women; age, 20.

Mean diffusivity of basal ganglia and thalamus specifically associated with motivational states among mood states.

Previously, we proposed that the mean diffusivity (MD), a measure of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in areas of the dopaminergic system (MDDS), is associated with motivation. In this study, we tested if and how the motivational state is associated with MD in comparison with other mood states. We also tested the associations of these mood states with multiple cognitive functions.

Regional Volume Decreases in the Brain of Pax6 Heterozygous Mutant Rats: MRI Deformation-Based Morphometry.

Pax6 is a transcription factor that pleiotropically regulates various developmental processes in the central nervous system. In a previous study, we revealed that Pax6 heterozygous mutant (rSey2/+) adult rats exhibit abnormalities in social interaction. However, the brain malformations underlying the behavioral abnormality are unknown.

Reading Aloud and Solving Simple Arithmetic Calculation Intervention (Learning Therapy) Improves Inhibition, Verbal Episodic Memory, Focus Attention and Processing Speed in Healthy Elderly People: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Previous reports have described that simple cognitive training using reading aloud and solving simple arithmetic calculations, so-called "learning therapy", can improve executive functions and processing speed in the older adults. Nevertheless, it is not well-known whether learning therapy improve a wide range of cognitive functions or not. We investigated the beneficial effects of learning therapy on various cognitive functions in healthy older adults.

Electrical velocimetry for noninvasive cardiac output and stroke volume variation measurements in dogs undergoing cardiovascular surgery.

Objective: To compare electrical velocimetry (EV) noninvasive measures of cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume variation (SVV) in dogs undergoing cardiovascular surgery with those obtained with the conventional thermodilution technique using a pulmonary artery catheter.

Study Design: Prospective experimental trial.

Animals: Seven adult Beagle dogs with a median weight of 13.

Parental Praise Correlates with Posterior Insular Cortex Gray Matter Volume in Children and Adolescents.

A positive parenting style affects psychological and cognitive development in children. Neuroimaging studies revealed that a positive parenting style influenced brain structure in children. Parental praise is a concrete behavior observed in positive parenting.

Are Plasma Oxytocin and Vasopressin Levels Reflective of Amygdala Activation during the Processing of Negative Emotions? A Preliminary Study.

Plasma oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are associated with individual differences in emotional responses and behaviors. The amygdala is considered to be an important brain region for regulating emotion-based behavior, with OT and AVP modulating activity in the amygdala during the processing of negative emotions. In particular, increased OT levels may diminish amygdala activation (anxiolytic effects) and enhanced AVP levels may augment amygdala activation (anxiogenic effects) when negative emotions are processed.

Interpersonal frontopolar neural synchronization in group communication: An exploration toward fNIRS hyperscanning of natural interactions.

Research of interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning is an expanding nascent field. This field still requires the accumulation of findings and establishment of analytic standards. In this study, we therefore intend to extend fNIRS-based INS research in three directions: (1) verifying the enhancement of frontopolar INS by natural and unstructured verbal communication involving more than two individuals; (2) examining timescale dependence of the INS modulation; and (3) evaluating the effects of artifact reduction methods in capturing INS.

Impact of reading habit on white matter structure: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Psychological studies showed the quantity of reading habit affects the development of their reading skills, various language skills, and knowledge. However, despite a vast amount of literature, the effects of reading habit on the development of white matter (WM) structures critical to language and reading processes have never been investigated. In this study, we used the fractional anisotropy (FA) measure of diffusion tensor imaging to measure WM microstructural properties and examined cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between reading habit and FA of the WM bundles in a large sample of normal children.

Noninvasive targeting delivery and in vivo magnetic resonance tracking method for live apoptotic cells in cerebral ischemia with functional Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles.

Background: Apoptotic neuronal death is known as programmed cell death. Inhibition of this progression might contribute to a new treatment strategy. However, methods for in vivo detection of live apoptotic cells are in need to be developed and established.

The anterior midcingulate cortex as a neural node underlying hostility in young adults.

Anger typically manifests for only a short period of time, whereas hostility is present for a longer duration. However, both of these emotions are associated with an increased likelihood of psychological problems. The nodes within the neural networks that underlie hostility remain unclear.

Basal ganglia correlates of fatigue in young adults.

Although the prevalence of chronic fatigue is approximately 20% in healthy individuals, there are no studies of brain structure that elucidate the neural correlates of fatigue outside of clinical subjects. We hypothesized that fatigue without evidence of disease might be related to changes in the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex and be implicated in fatigue with disease. We aimed to identify the white matter structures of fatigue in young subjects without disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Effects of Fast Simple Numerical Calculation Training on Neural Systems.

Cognitive training, including fast simple numerical calculation (FSNC), has been shown to improve performance on untrained processing speed and executive function tasks in the elderly. However, the effects of FSNC training on cognitive functions in the young and on neural mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated the effects of 1-week intensive FSNC training on cognitive function, regional gray matter volume (rGMV), and regional cerebral blood flow at rest (resting rCBF) in healthy young adults.

High-gamma power changes after cognitive intervention: preliminary results from twenty-one senior adult subjects.

Introduction: Brain-imaging techniques have begun to be popular in evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive intervention training. Although gamma activities are rarely used as an index of training effects, they have several characteristics that suggest their potential suitability for this purpose. This pilot study examined whether cognitive training in elderly people affected the high-gamma activity associated with attentional processing and whether high-gamma power changes were related to changes in behavioral performance.