Discordant Relationship Between Evaluation of Facial Expression and Subjective Pain Rating Due to the Low Pain Magnitude.

Introduction: Facial expression to pain is an important pain indicator; however, facial movements look unresponsive when perceiving mild pain. The present study investigates whether pain magnitude modulates the relationship between subjective pain rating and an observer's evaluation of facial expression.

Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers were recruited to obtain 108 samples for pain rating with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Development of a hematocrit-insensitive device to collect accurate volumes of dried blood spots without specialized skills for measuring clozapine and its metabolites as model analytes.

Dried blood spots have been used as alternatives to traditional plasma and serum samples. We have now developed new devices, named volumetric absorptive paper disc (VAPD) and mini-disc (VAPDmini), to collect accurate volumes of dried blood spots in a simple manner and without the need for additional instruments. VAPD consists of a filter paper disc and a filter paper sheet with holes slightly larger than the disc.

Phase-Amplitude Coupling of the Electroencephalogram in the Auditory Cortex in Schizophrenia.

Background: Cross-frequency interactions may coordinate neural circuits operating at different frequencies. While neural oscillations associated with particular circuits in schizophrenia (SZ) are impaired, few studies have examined cross-frequency interactions. Here we examined phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in the electroencephalograms of individuals with SZ and healthy control subjects (HCs).

NADPH Oxidase-Related Pathophysiology in Experimental Models of Stroke.

Several experimental studies have indicated that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (Nox) exert detrimental effects on ischemic brain tissue; -knockout mice generally exhibit resistance to damage due to experimental stroke following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Furthermore, our previous MCAO study indicated that infarct size and blood-brain barrier breakdown are enhanced in mice with pericyte-specific overexpression of Nox4, relative to levels observed in controls. However, it remains unclear whether Nox affects the stroke outcome directly by increasing oxidative stress at the site of ischemia, or indirectly by modifying physiological variables such as blood pressure or cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Cognitive insight and functional outcome in schizophrenia; a multi-center collaborative study with the specific level of functioning scale-Japanese version.

The Specific Levels of Functioning Scale (SLOF) has been reported to provide a measure of social function in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this multi-center study was to determine convergent validity of the Japanese version of SLOF, and if cognitive insight would be associated with social function. Fifty-eight patients with schizophrenia participated in the study.

Chronic Kidney Disease and Subclinical Brain Infarction Increase the Risk of Vascular Cognitive Impairment: The Sefuri Study.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the complex associations among chronic kidney disease (CKD), subclinical brain infarction (SBI), and cognitive impairment.

Methods: We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the complex relationships among CKD, SBI, and cognitive function with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; global function) and modified Stroop test (executive function) in a population-based cohort of 560 non-demented elderly subjects.

Results: Path analysis based on SEM revealed that the direct paths from estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to SBI and from SBI to executive function were significant (β = -.

Right hemisphere pitch-mismatch negativity reduction in patients with major depression: An MEG study.

Background: The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the event-related potential and its magnetic counterpart, the MMNm, are generated by a mismatch between the physical features of a deviant stimulus and a neuronal sensory-memory trace produced by repetitive standard stimuli. Deficits in the MMN/MMNm have been reported in patients with major depression; however, the results are inconsistent. The present study investigated the pitch-MMNm in patients with major depression using whole-head 306-channel magnetoencephalography (MEG).

Hippocampal atrophy and memory dysfunction associated with physical inactivity in community-dwelling elderly subjects: The Sefuri study.

Background: Physical inactivity is one of the modifiable risk factors for hippocampal atrophy and Alzheimer's disease. We investigated the relationship between physical activity, hippocampal atrophy, and memory using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Materials And Methods: We examined 213 community-dwelling elderly subjects (99 men and 114 women with a mean age of 68.

Increased Anterior Pelvic Angle Characterizes the Gait of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Background: Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently have motor problems. Previous studies have reported that the characteristic gait in children with ADHD is immature and that subjects demonstrate higher levels of variability in gait characteristics for the lower extremities than healthy controls. However, little is known about body movement during gait in children with ADHD.

Estimated cognitive decline in patients with schizophrenia: A multicenter study.

Aim: Studies have reported that cognitive decline occurs after the onset of schizophrenia despite heterogeneity in cognitive function among patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of estimated cognitive decline in patients with schizophrenia by comparing estimated premorbid intellectual functioning and current intellectual functioning.

Methods: A total of 446 patients with schizophrenia (228 male, 218 female), consisting of three sample sets obtained from 11 psychiatric facilities, and 686 healthy controls participated in this study.

Increased BOLD Signals Elicited by High Gamma Auditory Stimulation of the Left Auditory Cortex in Acute State Schizophrenia.

Recent MRI studies have shown that schizophrenia is characterized by reductions in brain gray matter, which progress in the acute state of the disease. Cortical circuitry abnormalities in gamma oscillations, such as deficits in the auditory steady state response (ASSR) to gamma frequency (>30-Hz) stimulation, have also been reported in schizophrenia patients. In the current study, we investigated neural responses during click stimulation by BOLD signals.

Higher pain rating results in lower variability of somatosensory cortex activation by painful mechanical stimuli: An fMRI study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to find pain-related brain activity which corresponds to self-report pain ratings based on degree of response and repeatability.

Methods: Three painful mechanical stimuli were applied to the right hands of 25 healthy volunteers using monofilaments (forces of 0.98N, 2.

Prevalence and Trends in Alcohol Dependence and Alcohol Use Disorders in Japanese Adults; Results from Periodical Nationwide Surveys.

Aims: Nationwide surveys to clarify the characteristics and trends of the drinking behavior of Japanese adults were carried out in 2003, 2008, and 2013.

Methods: These were periodical cross-sectional surveys. Subjects were chosen through a stratified two-stage random sampling method.

Advanced Test of Attention in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Japan for Evaluation of Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine Effects.

Objective: This study was conducted to validate the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA) of the visual attention version of Japanese children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to evaluate the efficacy of methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) and atomoxetine medications.

Methods: To assess pharmacotherapy efficacy, the visual version of ATA was administered to 42 children with ADHD. Results were assessed using discriminant analysis, ANOVA for indices of ATA before and after medication treatment, and correlation analysis between the improvement of indices of ATA and clinical symptoms during medication treatment.

Differentiation between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder by auditory steady-state responses.

Background: The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) elicited by gamma band neural oscillations has received considerable interest as a biomarker of psychiatric disorders. Although recent ASSR studies have reported that patients with bipolar disorder (BD) show altered ASSRs, little is known about ASSRs in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ASSRs in MDD subjects differed from those in BD subjects or normal controls (NC).

Focal Ischemic Injury with Complex Middle Cerebral Artery in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats with Loss-Of-Function in NADPH Oxidases.

By means of introgressing a loss-of-function mutation in the p22phox gene from the Matsumoto Eosinophilia Shinshu (MES) rat to stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), we constructed the SHRSP-based congenic strain lacking the P22PHOX expression (i.e., lacking NADPH oxidases [NOX] activities) (SHRSP.

A patient with Alzheimer's disease complicated by elderly-onset Cushing's syndrome who had undergone surgical treatment for adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a rare disorder, especially in older people. Loss of brain volume and neurocognitive impairment of varying degrees has been demonstrated in patients with CS. However, there is a large difference between the median age of presentation of CS and that of Alzheimer's disease.

Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity Associated with Vascular Depression or Apathy in Community-Dwelling Elderly Subjects: The Sefuri Study.

Background: Although physical inactivity is a major public health problem, the causative factors for physical inactivity per se are poorly understood. To address this issue, we investigated the relationship between deep white matter lesions (DWMLs) on magnetic resonance imaging, apathy, and physical activities using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Methods: We examined 317 community-dwelling elderly subjects (137 men and 180 women with a mean age of 64.

Neurodegenerative changes in patients with clinical history of bipolar disorders.

Neurodegeneration in bipolar disorder (BPD) is poorly understood. Therefore, the current study was designed to assess the immunohistochemical changes in neurodegenerative markers in patients with BPD. Eleven consecutive autopsy cases diagnosed with BPD were analyzed.

Brief intervention in the workplace for heavy drinkers: a randomized clinical trial in Japan.

Aims: To investigate the effectiveness of brief intervention (BI) conducted in the workplace for heavy drinkers.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at six companies in Japan. Participants were heavy drinkers who met the inclusion criteria and were randomized into three groups: the BI group, BI with diary group and a control group.