Does sound symbolism need sound?: The role of articulatory movement in detecting iconicity between sound and meaninga).

Ever since de Saussure [Course in General Lingustics (Columbia University Press, 1916)], theorists of language have assumed that the relation between form and meaning of words is arbitrary. However, recently, a body of empirical research has established that language is embodied and contains iconicity. Sound symbolism, an intrinsic link language users perceive between word sound and properties of referents, is a representative example of iconicity in language and has offered profound insights into theories of language pertaining to language processing, language acquisition, and evolution.

Enlarged Perivascular Spaces Are Independently Associated with High Pulse Wave Velocity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated an association between pulse wave velocity (PWV), cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), and cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease. However, the association between brachial-ankle PWV and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), one component of cerebral SVD remains controversial.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between brachial-ankle PWV and EPVS severity in participants without dementia.

Learning semantic categories of L2 verbs: The case of cutting and breaking verbs.

To attain native-like proficiency in second-language word usage, learners have to discover intricate semantic categories in the target language. We investigated the factors influencing the development of two aspects of second-language learners' semantic categories: the category center and category boundary of word meanings. In the experiment, second-language learners of Japanese, whose first language is Mandarin, were asked to produce the best verb for 28 videos depicting various cutting and breaking events.

Association between Reduction of Muscle Mass and Faster Declines in Global Cognition among Older People: A 4-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: A few studies reported that both decrease and increase in body mass index (BMI) were associated with the development of dementia in later life. However, it is unclear what changes in body composition are associated with cognitive decline. This study investigated the longitudinal influences of changes in body composition on cognitive function among community-dwelling adults.

Analysis of skin aging patterns using a facial imaging system in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Background: There are few studies on skin aging in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objectives: To clarify the characteristics of facial skin aging in AD patients.

Materials & Methods: Using facial images obtained by a digital imaging system (VISIA evolution), we compared the severity scores for 10 aging signs in 53 women in the AD group and 29 women in the healthy control group, all 35-49 years old.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Periodontal Disease and Cognitive Impairment Conducted in a Memory Clinic: The Pearl Study.

Background: Periodontal disease (PeD) is a risk factor of Alzheimer's disease and is associated with cognitive decline in older adults. However, the relationships between subitems of neuropsychological tests and PeD have not been fully clarified.

Objective: To evaluate associations between PeD and subitems of neuropsychological tests.

Earth's evolving geodynamic regime recorded by titanium isotopes.

Earth's mantle has a two-layered structure, with the upper and lower mantle domains separated by a seismic discontinuity at about 660 km (refs. ). The extent of mass transfer between these mantle domains throughout Earth's history is, however, poorly understood.

Relationship between tinnitus and olfactory dysfunction: audiovisual, olfactory, and medical examinations.

Introduction: Sensory dysfunctions and cognitive impairments are related to each other. Although a relationship between tinnitus and subjective olfactory dysfunction has been reported, there have been no reports investigating the relationship between tinnitus and olfactory test results.

Methods: To investigate the relationship between tinnitus and olfactory test results, we conducted sensory tests, including hearing and visual examinations.

Late delivery of exotic chromium to the crust of Mars by water-rich carbonaceous asteroids.

The terrestrial planets endured a phase of bombardment following their accretion, but the nature of this late accreted material is debated, preventing a full understanding of the origin of inner solar system volatiles. We report the discovery of nucleosynthetic chromium isotope variability (μCr) in Martian meteorites that represent mantle-derived magmas intruded in the Martian crust. The μCr variability, ranging from -33.

Relationship between cognitive domains and hearing ability in memory clinic patients: How did the relationship change after 6 months of introducing a hearing aid?

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between hearing ability and cognitive domains and determine how the relationship changes after 6 months of introducing a hearing aid.

Methods: We conducted a 6-month hearing aid lending study between September 2014 and March 2019, including 59 older participants who visited the Memory Clinic at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology. The hearing level was assessed using pure tone audiometry.

Cognitive impairment is correlated with olfactory identification deficits in older Japanese adults: A cross-sectional study using objective and subjective olfactory measures.

Aim: Olfactory impairment is associated with cognitive impairment. However, differences between subjective and objective olfactory impairment measurements in older adults and their relationship with cognitive impairment are unclear.

Methods: We assessed the relationship between cognitive and olfactory impairments via a single-center observational study in 2020.

Longitudinal association between nutritional status and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in older women with mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Background & Aims: While cross-sectional studies report associations between behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and nutritional status as a modifiable factor, their causal relationship remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of nutritional status on BPSD.

Methods: This study included women with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) from Memory Clinic, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology.

Early-onset Alzheimer Disease Associated With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Although recent reports have noted that cognitive impairment is common in NMOSD, little longitudinal information is available on the trajectories of cognitive function in the disease. Here, we report a case of a 55-year-old woman with an 11-year history of NMOSD who visited our memory clinic for progressive memory loss.

Organized Registration for the Assessment of Dementia by the Nationwide General Consortium Toward Effective Treatment (ORANGE) Registry: Current Status and Perspectives of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: With increasingly aging societies, a comprehensive strategy for dementia research is important. The Organized Registration for the Assessment of dementia by the Nationwide General consortium toward Effective treatment (ORANGE) Registry is the first longitudinal multicenter prospective trial-ready cohort in Japan.

Objective: To establish a large cohort for use in clinical trials and research in Japan.

Quantitative Analysis of White Matter Hyperintensity: Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Image Analysis Software.

Objective: White matter hyperintensity (WMH), defined as abnormal signals on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is an important clinical indicator of aging and dementia. Although MRI image analysis software can automatically detect WMH, the quantitative accuracy of periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) and deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) is unknown.

Materials And Methods: This study was a sub-analysis of MRI data from an ongoing hospital-based prospective cohort study (the Gimlet study).

Cross-Sectional Associations of Sarcopenia and Its Components with Neuropsychological Performance among Memory Clinic Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The association of sarcopenia with cognitive function in its specific domains remains poorly understood.

Objectives: To investigate the association of sarcopenia and its components with neuropsychological performance among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Relationship Between Plasma Lipopolysaccharides, Gut Microbiota, and Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated associations between gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and cognitive decline. However, relationships between these factors and lipopolysaccharides (LPS; molecules of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria) remain controversial.

Objective: To evaluate associations between plasma LPS, gut microbiota, and cognitive function.

Relationship Between Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain, Gut Microbiota, and Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated associations between gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and cognitive decline. However, relationships between these factors and neurofilament light chain (NfL; a disease-nonspecific biomarker of neural damage) remain controversial.

Objective: To evaluate the associations between plasma NfL, gut microbiota, and cognitive function.

Relationship between the Japanese-style diet, gut microbiota, and dementia: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: Previous studies have shown associations between the gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and cognitive decline. However, the effect of the dietary composition on such associations has not been fully investigated. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationships between adherence to a Japanese-style diet, the gut microbiota, and cognitive decline.