Exploring relationships between autistic traits and body temperature, circadian rhythms, and age.

The number of clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing annually. Interestingly, the human body temperature has also been reported to gradually decrease over the decades. An imbalance in the activation of the excitatory and inhibitory neurons is assumed to be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD.

Three-dimensional visualization of neural networks inside bone by Osteo-DISCO protocol and alteration of bone remodeling by surgical nerve ablation.

Bone is one of the largest organ systems in humans and is considered to regulate whole-body homeostasis in cooperation with other organs. We have previously reported that a sympathetic or sensory nervous system inside bone regulates bone homeostasis. However, the detailed regulatory mechanism, including the distribution of nerves inside bone, remains unknown.

Modulation of corticospinal excitability related to the forearm muscle during robot-assisted stepping in humans.

In recent years, the neural control mechanisms of the arms and legs during human bipedal walking have been clarified. Rhythmic leg stepping leads to suppression of monosynaptic reflex excitability in forearm muscles. However, it is unknown whether and how corticospinal excitability of the forearm muscle is modulated during leg stepping.

Cortical oscillations and interareal synchronization as a preparatory activity for postural response.

Neural mechanisms of human standing are expected to be elucidated for preventing fallings. Postural response evoked by sudden external perturbation originates from various areas in the central nervous system. Recent studies have revealed that the corticospinal pathway is one of the key nodes for an appropriate postural response.

l-Type amino acid transporter 1 in hypothalamic neurons in mice maintains energy and bone homeostasis.

Hypothalamic neurons regulate body homeostasis by sensing and integrating changes in the levels of key hormones and primary nutrients (amino acids, glucose, and lipids). However, the molecular mechanisms that enable hypothalamic neurons to detect primary nutrients remain elusive. Here, we identified l-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) in hypothalamic leptin receptor-expressing (LepR-expressing) neurons as being important for systemic energy and bone homeostasis.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of self-reported sensory issues in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Introduction: Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and specific learning disorders (SLD) have various types of sensory characteristics.

Methods: This study investigated sensory issues in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders using a web-based questionnaire for qualitative and quantitative analysis, categorized the contents of their three most distressful sensory issues, and evaluated their order of priority.

Results: Auditory problems were reported as the most distressing sensory issue among the participants.

Effect of colour-shape associations on visual feature discrimination.

Non-synesthetes exhibit a tendency to associate specific shapes with particular colours (i.e., circle-red, triangle-yellow, and square-blue).

A concept for emotion recognition systems for children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities based on artificial intelligence using physiological and motion signals.

Purpose: This study proposes a concept for emotion recognition systems for children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) based on artificial intelligence (AI) using physiological and motion signals.

Methods: First, the heartbeat interval (R-R interval, RRI) of a child with PIMD was measured, and the correlation between the RRI and emotion was briefly tested in a preliminary experiment. Then, a concept based on AI for emotion recognition systems for children with PIMD was created using physiological and motion signals, and an emotion recognition system based on the proposed concept was developed using a random forest classifier taking as inputs the RRI, eye gaze, and other data acquired using low physical burden sensors.

Effects of temporal properties of facial expressions on the perceived intensity of emotion.

A series of multiple facial expressions can be temporally perceived as an averaged facial expression in a process known as ensemble perception. This study examined the effect of temporal parameters on the perceived intensity of facial expression in each emotion, and how the effect varies with autistic traits in typically developing people. In the experiment, we presented facial expressions that switched from emotional to neutral expressions, and vice versa, for 3 s.

Comparison of bleeding complications after pediatric kidney biopsy between intravenous sedation and general anesthesia: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: An increasing number of studies are evaluating the safety of intravenous sedation compared with that of general anesthesia; however, data on bleeding complications after pediatric percutaneous renal biopsy performed under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia are lacking. We aimed to examine differences in bleeding complications between intravenous sedation and general anesthesia in pediatric patients.

Methods: Data of pediatric patients aged ≤ 15 years undergoing percutaneous kidney biopsy for kidney disease between July 2007 and March 2019 were retrieved from a national inpatient database in Japan.

Validation of the Japanese version of the Interoception Sensory Questionnaire for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

The Interoception Sensory Questionnaire (ISQ) is a self-report instrument used to assess the characteristics of interoceptive processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies have shown that scores of the ISQ are more appropriate than other subjective measures for evaluating difficulties in interoceptive processing in individuals with ASD. Yet, no prior research has demonstrated the validation of the ISQ in Japanese samples.

Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on families of patients with congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis.

Background: Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks have dramatically changed lifestyles, with various effects on the physical and mental health of families and children with various childhood-onset neurological diseases. A questionnaire survey was conducted to identify family-specific issues and needs of patients with congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) during major changes in their daily lives due to the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was sent to 56 families that were members of the Association of Patients and Families of CIPA in Japan between October and November 2020, the first 2 months of the third outbreak.

Hand-foot coordination is significantly influenced by motion direction in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Generally, when individuals attempt to move two limbs rhythmically in the opposite direction (e.g., flex the left hand and extend the left foot along the sagittal plane), the movements tend to be instead performed in the same direction.

Characteristics of Trunk Compensation Movements during Walking in People with Bilateral Transtibial Amputation: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: The gait characteristics of people with bilateral transtibial amputation are not well understood. This study aimed to clarify changes in trunk lateral bending and the trunk flexion angle during walking in people with bilateral transtibial amputation.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, four participants with bilateral transtibial amputation who could walk without assistance (BTTA group) and ten able-bodied participants (control group) were recruited.

Quantitative Measurement of the Pressure and Shear Stress Acting on the Body of a Wheelchair User Using a Wearable Sheet-Type Sensor: A Preliminary Study.

To provide a safer sitting environment for wheelchair users, it is important to quantitatively measure the forces acting on the contact surface between the seat and the person in the wheelchair. In addition to the pressure acting on the buttocks, shear forces have received particular attention in recent years; however, measuring shear force is more difficult than measuring pressure. To obtain this measurement, a thin and flexible sensor that can be used in a natural state on a wheelchair is needed.

Senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8) in male as a spontaneous osteoarthritis model.

Background: Animal models of spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA) are sparse and not well characterized. The purpose of the present study is to examine OA-related changes and mechanisms in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) that displays a phenotype of accelerated aging.  METHODS: Knees of male SAMP8 and SAM-resistant 1 (SAMR1) mice as control from 6 to 33 weeks of age were evaluated by histological grading systems for joint tissues (cartilage, meniscus, synovium, and subchondral bone), and µCT analysis.

Conditional inactivation of the L-type amino acid transporter LAT1 in chondrocytes models idiopathic scoliosis in mice.

Scoliosis, usually diagnosed in childhood and early adolescence, is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), encoded by solute carrier transporter 7a5 (Slc7a5), plays a crucial role in amino acid sensing and signaling in specific cell types. We previously demonstrated the pivotal role of LAT1 on bone homeostasis in mice, and the expression of LAT1/SLC7A5 in vertebral cartilage of pediatric scoliosis patients; however, its role in chondrocytes on spinal homeostasis and implications regarding the underlying mechanisms during the onset and progression of scoliosis, remain unknown.

Pupil Dilation Reflects Emotional Arousal Via Poetic Language.

We investigated pupillary responses to the world's shortest fixed verses, Japanese as aesthetic poetry (AP) and as comic poetry (CP), in comparison with non-poetry control stimuli (NP) comprised of slogans that had the same rhythm patterns. Native Japanese speakers without literary training listened to these stimuli while we recorded their pupil diameters. We found that participants' pupils were significantly dilated for CP compared to NP in an early time window.

Trends in osteoporosis prevalence over a 10-year period in Japan: the ROAD study 2005-2015.

Introduction: This study aimed to clarify the trends in the prevalence of osteoporosis among general inhabitants using population-based cohort data of the baseline and the survey 10 years later.

Materials And Methods: The baseline survey of the Research on Osteoarthritis/Osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) study was conducted in 2005-2007; 1690 participants (596 men, 1094 women, mean age 65.2 years) completed all examinations of osteoporosis, including a questionnaire of medical information in the present/past and bone mineral density measurement using dual-energy absorptiometry.

Application of Passive Head Motion to Generate Defined Accelerations at the Heads of Rodents.

Exercise is widely recognized as effective for various diseases and physical disorders, including those related to brain dysfunction. However, molecular mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of exercise are poorly understood. Many physical workouts, particularly those classified as aerobic exercises such as jogging and walking, produce impulsive forces at the time of foot contact with the ground.