Association Between Stress-Induced Weight Loss and Autophagy-Related Gene Expression in the Hippocampus and Midbrain of Depression Model Mice.

Aim: Recent studies have implicated autophagy in both weight regulation and depression. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress-induced weight loss and autophagy-related gene expression in a mouse model of depression.

Method: Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to a chronic immobilization stress (CIS) protocol for 14 days to induce depressive-like behavior.

A Novel Mutation of FOXC1 (P136L) in an Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome Patient With a Systematized Delusion of Jealousy: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: The main features of Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome (ARS) are ocular, auditory, neurological, and morphological brain abnormalities. Mutations in forkhead box protein C1 (FOXC1) are among the responsible genes causing ARS, but neuropsychiatric features have rarely been reported. The case of an ARS patient (a 77-year-old man) with delusions of jealousy and impairment of working memory, in addition to the main clinical features, glaucoma and leukoencephalopathy, is presented.

The association between benzodiazepine prescriptions and the risk of laxative use in schizophrenia treatment.

Aim: Constipation is one of the most common adverse effects in schizophrenia treatment, and it can sometimes cause severe gastrointestinal disease. However, the results of association studies between constipation and psychotropic medications in patients with schizophrenia are inconsistent. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of psychotropic and laxative prescriptions at discharge in patients with schizophrenia to clarify the association between psychotropics and constipation.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms and brain volumes in community-dwelling older persons from the Nakayama Study.

The frequency of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is high, and it is a challenge to elucidate its neural substrates underlying their development. In recent years, many findings have been reported on the relationship between BPSD and brain volume in dementia patients. However, the results are not fully conclusive.

Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and dementia in a community-dwelling Japanese older population (JPSC-AD).

In recent years, the association between neuroinflammatory markers and dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), has attracted much attention. However, the evidence for the relationship between serum-hs-CRP and dementia including AD are inconsistent. Therefore, the relationships of serum high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) with dementia including AD and with regions of interest of brain MRI were investigated.

Functional AGXT2 SNP rs180749 variant and depressive symptoms: Baseline data from the Aidai Cohort Study in Japan.

No study has shown the relationship between alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and depressive symptoms. The present case-control study examined this relationship in Japanese adults. Cases and control participants were selected from those who participated in the baseline survey of the Aidai Cohort Study, which is an ongoing cohort study.

Practical clinical guidelines and pharmacological treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in Asia.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Both, stimulant and nonstimulant medications have been approved for the treatment of this disorder. Several Western guidelines recommend the use of prescribed Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for ADHD along with parental training in behavior management and behavioral classroom intervention.

Effects of gestational haloperidol exposure on mRNA expressions related to glutamate and GABA receptors in offspring.

Antipsychotic treatment is vital for patients with schizophrenia even in the perinatal period, but the impact at the molecular biological level on offspring is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of intraperitoneal haloperidol injection to pregnant mice on glutamate and GABA receptors in the brain of offspring mice. Eight-week-old pregnant mice were treated with either intraperitoneal haloperidol or normal saline injection, and their offspring were defined as F1 mice.

Late-Life High Blood Pressure and Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in the Putaminal Regions of Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Persons.

Background: Enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) of the brain may be involved in dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Hypertension has been reported to be a risk factor for dementia and CSVD, but the association between blood pressure (BP) and perivascular spaces is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the association between BP and EPVS volumes and to examine the interactions of relevant factors.

School teachers' awareness of internet addiction in elementary school students: a regional survey in Japan.

In recent years, concerns about internet addiction (IA) among children have been increasing. This study focused on the awareness of IA in elementary school teachers. A web-based anonymous survey was conducted in November 2021.

Analysis of factors related to cognitive impairment in a community-based, complete enumeration survey in Japan: the Nakayama study.

Background: The number of patients with cognitive disorders is rapidly increasing in the world, becoming not only a medical problem, but also a social problem. There have been many reports that various factors are associated with cognitive dysfunction, but the factors have not yet been fully identified. This was a community-based complete enumeration study which aimed to identify risk and protective factors for dementia.

Aberrant Expression of GABA-Related Genes in the Hippocampus of 3xTg-AD Model Mice from the Early to End Stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: We explored the gene expression levels in the brain of 3xTg-AD model mice to elucidate the molecular pathological changes from the early to end stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: We re-analyzed our previously published microarray data obtained from the hippocampus of 3xTg-AD model mice at 12 and 52 weeks of age.

Methods: Functional annotation and network analyses of the up- and downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mice aged 12 to 52 weeks were performed.

Online training of Covid-19 infection prevention and control for healthcare workers in psychiatric institutes.

Background: This study aimed to develop a unique online infection prevention and control (IPC) training on Covid-19 for healthcare workers in psychiatric institutes in Japan and to examine its efficacy based on its impact on the knowledge, attitude, and confidence about IPC for Covid-19 among the healthcare workers.

Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using online training on Covid-19 IPC for healthcare workers in various psychiatric institutes from April 2021 to March 2022. An online training video on Covid-19 IPC was developed.

Gestational exposure to haloperidol changes Cdkn1a and Apaf1 mRNA expressions in mouse hippocampus.

Background: The onset of schizophrenia is associated with both genetic and environmental risks during brain development. Environmental factors during pregnancy can represent risk factors for schizophrenia, and we have previously reported that several microRNA and mRNA expression changes in fetal brains exposed to haloperidol during pregnancy may be related to the onset of this disease. This study aimed to replicate that research and focused on apoptotic-related gene expression changes.

MiR-15b-5p Expression in the Peripheral Blood: A Potential Diagnostic Biomarker of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is known to have a high degree of heritability. Diagnosis of ASD is difficult because of the high heterogeneity of the clinical symptoms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can potentially be diagnostic biomarkers for ASD, and several studies have shown the relationship between miRNAs and ASD pathogenesis.

Blood expression and methylation status in Alzheimer's disease.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the expression levels and methylation status of () in the blood of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Methods: Fifty AD outpatients and 50 healthy contorls were enrolled. Blood samples were collected for processing of complementary DNA and genomic DNA.

Effects of social media on body dissatisfaction in junior high school girls in Japan.

Aims: Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a serious problem related to the incidence of eating disorders. Social media (SM) use is known to be associated with BD. With a view to preventing the incidence of eating disorders, this study aimed to investigate the association between SM and BD, particularly, the role of SM in the encouragement of thinness and its relationship with adolescent girls' BD.

Prevalence of Comorbid Dementia in Late-life Depression and Bipolar Disorder: A Retrospective Inpatient Study.

Background: Dementia in patients with late-life mood disorders is clinically important.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of dementia in patients with late-life major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD) and to clarify the clinical characteristics associated with the diagnosis of dementia.

Methods: The prevalence of dementia at hospital discharge and the clinical characteristics at hospitalization who are diagnosed with MDD or BD over 65 years of age, from the medical records of 684 patients who had been admitted from 2015 to 2020 were investigated.

Functional AGXT2 SNP rs37369 Variant Is a Risk Factor for Diabetes Mellitus: Baseline Data From the Aidai Cohort Study in Japan.

Objectives: The relationship between alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and diabetes mellitus (DM) has not been investigated. Therefore, we performed a case-control study to examine this relationship.

Methods: The study subjects included 2,390 Japanese men and women aged 34 to 88 years.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis and postprandial hypoglycemia of anorexia nervosa.

Hypoglycemia is not rare in anorexia nervosa (AN). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by extensive akinesis of the apical region with hypercontraction of the basal segment of the ventricle in the absence of coronary artery disease. Its mechanism is not fully understood, but hypoglycemia is considered one of the physical factors.

Impact of clozapine on the expression of miR-675-3p in plasma exosomes derived from patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives: Recently, the expression changes of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the serum exosomes (EXO) of schizophrenia (SCZ) have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the global expression changes of miRNA derived from the plasma EXO of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and the effects of clozapine on miRNA expression.

Methods: Global miRNA expression changes in plasma EXO between TRS and controls were studied using microarray analysis.

Impact of Gestational Haloperidol Exposure on miR-137-3p and Nr3c1 mRNA Expression in Hippocampus of Offspring Mice.

Background: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Prenatal exposure to antipsychotics, an environmental factor for the fetal brain, induces apoptotic neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment of offspring similar to schizophrenia. The aim was to investigate molecular biological changes in the fetal hippocampus exposed to haloperidol (HAL) by RNA expression as a model of the disorder.