Publications by authors named "Mao Fujioka"
Mismatch negativity (MMN) has gained attention as a biomarker for psychosis and a translational intermediate phenotype in animal models of psychosis, including rodents and non-human primates. MMN has been linked to global functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF] score) and prognosis (psychosis onset or remission), suggesting that MMN reflects activities beyond auditory processing alone. This review examines the 45-year history of MMN from the perspective of psychiatric researchers and discusses current advances in computational and translational research on MMN, summarizing the current understanding of the MMN generation mechanism.
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- The gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is a brain signal related to hearing and attention, which is found to be weaker in people with schizophrenia.
- The study looked at how this weaker signal connects to changes in brain white matter, especially in areas on the right side of the brain.
- Results showed that healthy people had a good connection between the gamma-band ASSR and white matter, but people with schizophrenia didn't show the same connection, suggesting that their brain networks might not work as well.
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited renal disease characterized by the bilateral development of multiple cysts in the kidneys. Pain management is a clinically important issue, especially because approximately 60% of patients with ADPKD experience chronic pain related to hemorrhage from renal cysts, which significantly reduces their daily life. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, the molecule responsible for cyst formation in ADPKD, is also the cause of cystic fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescence is a critical period for psychological difficulties. Auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) and gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) are representative electrophysiological indices that mature during adolescence. However, the longitudinal association between MMN/ASSR and psychological difficulties among adolescents remains unclear.
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- The study investigates how changes in clinical symptoms relate to quality of life in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis and those with recent-onset psychotic disorders.
- Researchers followed up with participants over a period ranging from 6 months to less than 5 years, assessing symptoms and quality of life using established measurement scales.
- Results show that higher levels of anxiety/depression at the start were linked to poorer quality of life later, while improvements in these symptoms were associated with better quality of life outcomes.
The excellence of the brain is its robustness under various types of noise and its flexibility under various environments. However, how the brain works is still a mystery. The critical brain hypothesis proposes a possible mechanism and states that criticality plays an important role in the healthy brain.
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- Previous studies have examined the link between demographic and clinical factors and outcomes in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) and those experiencing first-episode psychosis (FEP), but this study looks specifically at long-term outcomes beyond two years.
- The research involved 38 UHR individuals and 29 FEP patients, using various measurement techniques like cognitive tests and brain imaging to investigate how these factors relate to clinical outcomes at 13 and 28 months.
- Findings indicated that in UHR, a larger cortical surface area in a specific brain region was linked to fewer disorganized symptoms after 13 months, while in FEP, a larger surface area in another region was associated with better social functioning after 28 months
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- Gamma oscillations reflect key brain processes related to perception and cognition, involving specific types of interneurons and are notably altered in disorders like schizophrenia and autism.
- The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) serves as a key measure of these gamma oscillations, showing reduction in patients with neuropsychiatric conditions, though the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear.
- A study using high-density electrocorticography in epilepsy patients revealed that ASSR exhibits a complex, frequency-tuned distribution across various cortical regions, indicating differentiated processing pathways for auditory information.
Article Synopsis
- Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an auditory response that tracks unexpected changes in sounds, and its reduced presence in schizophrenia makes it a potential biomarker for the disorder.
- A study was conducted using macaque monkeys to investigate the duration-deviant MMN (dMMN), which has not been previously observed in non-human primate models but is more significantly reduced in schizophrenia than the frequency-deviant MMN (fMMN).
- The results showed that macaques displayed a robust dMMN, similar to humans, which could help connect basic and clinical research to enhance therapeutic approaches for schizophrenia.
Article Synopsis
- This study focused on individuals identified as ultra-high risk (UHR) for developing psychosis, aiming to find biomarkers that predict their prognosis, including remission and neurocognitive function.
- Participants included 24 UHR individuals and 18 healthy controls, with mismatch negativity (MMN) measured through auditory tasks, assessing differences in their brain responses.
- Results indicated that UHR individuals showed poorer MMN responses compared to controls, and those with larger dMMN amplitudes were more likely to achieve remission and display better cognitive functioning after six months.
Article Synopsis
- Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an important indicator in schizophrenia research, showing reduced amplitude in patients, which is linked to cognitive issues and poorer outcomes.
- * Recent studies suggest that this reduced MMN amplitude may be due to altered predictive coding in schizophrenia, impacting how individuals process expectations and probabilities.
- * Various experimental paradigms, including the roving oddball and omission paradigms, indicate specific impairments in prediction error and hierarchical processing in schizophrenia, highlighting the need for further research to understand its complexities and improve treatment approaches.
Background: Quality of life is severely impaired in patients with depressive disorders. Previous studies have focused on biomarkers predicting depressive symptomatology; however, studies investigating biomarkers predicting quality of life outcomes are limited. Improving quality of life is important because it is related not only to mental health but also to physical health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) is a translatable electroencephalographic biomarker automatically evoked in response to unattended sounds that is robustly associated with cognitive and psychosocial disability in patients with schizophrenia. Although recent animal studies have tried to clarify the neural substrates of the MMN, the nature of schizophrenia-related deficits is unknown. In this study, we applied a novel paradigm developed from translational animal model studies to carefully deconstruct the constituent neurophysiological processes underlying MMN generation.
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- * Recent studies indicate that ASSR alterations may serve as a significant link to understanding E/I imbalance and could reflect the clinical progression of these disorders.
- * Research involving animal models suggests that specific synaptic interactions in the brain contribute to the regulation of E/I balance, which impacts gamma oscillation generation and provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of neuropsychiatric diseases.
Article Synopsis
- * The auditory oddball paradigm allows for the measurement of MMN without requiring behavioral responses, making it applicable across different species, including rodents and nonhuman primates, enhancing our understanding of its mechanisms.
- * Recent studies focus on MMN's neural computations and mechanisms, and future research may lead to innovative treatment strategies by linking basic and clinical knowledge about schizophrenia.
Article Synopsis
- Studies indicate that immune checkpoint inhibitors are less effective for acral and mucosal melanoma compared to cutaneous melanoma, prompting an investigation into the combined effects of radiotherapy (RT) and anti-PD-1 therapy specifically for these types of melanoma.
- In a retrospective analysis at Sapporo Medical University, the response rates for patients treated with the combined therapy were 40% overall, with notable differences between mucosal melanoma (RR of 57.1%) and acral melanoma (RR of 0%).
- The study found a significant incidence of vitiligo in patients post-RT (50%), suggesting that while the combination therapy may not be effective for all, it could yield positive results, especially in mucosal melanoma patients
Article Synopsis
- - Previous research highlighted that both glutamatergic and GABAergic dysfunctions play roles in schizophrenia, indicating a disrupted balance of excitatory and inhibitory signals in the brain.
- - A study involving participants with recent-onset schizophrenia, ultra-high risk individuals, and healthy controls found significant impairments in mismatch negativity (MMN) and gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) in those with schizophrenia and at ultra-high risk.
- - The results showed a notable correlation between MMN and gamma-band ASSR in individuals with recent-onset schizophrenia, suggesting a potential link between NMDAR and GABA dysfunctions during the early stages of psychosis.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) as a potential biomarker for predicting long-term outcomes in early psychosis, particularly in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia and ultra-high risk individuals.
- It found that both groups exhibited reduced gamma-band ASSR levels, and this reduction was linked to future symptoms in recent-onset schizophrenia patients.
- The findings suggest that measuring gamma-band ASSR could be useful for forecasting the symptomatic progression of early psychosis, indicating its potential as a long-term prognosis biomarker.