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Increased activity in frontopolar cortex when writing meaningful sentences
Get PDFInvolvement of frontal and parietal cortices when writing single characters or words has been shown extensively in clinical and neuroimaging studies. However, brain activity when writing long sentences with a natural posture seen in the daily life has not been studied . Using near-infrared spectroscopy, we measured brain activities during sentence writing. Oxy-hemoglobin signals were compared between two test conditions: writing natural sentences with meaning, as compared to writing randomized letter combinations made from the same sentences. The right frontopolar area showed significantly higher activity while writing meaningful sentences than when writing random character combinations. These results differ from those of previous neuroimaging studies of writing single characters or words with a comparatively unnatural posture. The right frontopolar cortex is suggested by these results to be involved in processing sentence meanings, in combination with motor control of the hands in a natural posture.ORIGINAL ARTICLEarticl
Comparison of erector spinae muscle activity and center of body mass variability between forward and backward walking
Get PDFBackward walking is often used in rehabilitation to improve balance, although it differs biomechanically from forward walking. This study investigated the variability of the center of mass movement and the intensity of erector spinae muscle activity during backward walking and forward walking. The analysis included intra-participant variability (one participant performed 10 trials each of forward walking and backward walking) and
inter-participant variability (eight participants each performed one trial of forward walking and backward walking). The results showed that center of mass was positioned higher and exhibited greater variability during backward walking, particularly in the single support phase. In contrast, erector spine muscle activity did not consistently increase during backward walking, and the timing of muscle activation differed between backward walking and forward walking. While backward walking requires unique postural control strategies and dynamic balance adjustments, it does not therefore necessarily lead to increased erector spine muscle activation.ORIGINAL ARTICLEarticl
Assessment of cognitive reserve
Get PDFCognitive reserve (CR) is a construct that can be used to describe individual differences in the relationship between brain state and cognitive status. It refers to an individual’s potential to limit cognitive decline despite the effects of brain pathology and ageing. Multiple longitudinal population-based studies have shown that factors that increase CR contribute to dementia risk, and this has been confirmed by pathological and clinical data. CR cannot be directly measured because it is the cumulative effect of several protective and risk factors. However, the use of surrogate measures of CR remains controversial. Proxy-based measurements are quantitative methods of assessing CR. Commonly-used proxies for CR include years of education, occupational attainment and participation in leisure activities. In this review, we identify and summarize published methodologies for quantitative assessment of CR from overseas, and outline the small number of CR proxy-focused studies from Japan. CR can be used to infer prognostic predictors of cognitive function due to lesion or injury, as well as the extent of cognitive decline. Better assessment scales for CR could lead to more effective cognitive rehabilitation.REVIEW ARTICLEarticl
Recombinant human neuroblastoma sh-sy5y cells overexpressing α-synuclein form amyloid aggregates in seed-dependent and seed-independent manners
Get PDFAlpha-synuclein (α-Syn) has prion-like properties and is one of the causative proteins of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Neuronal loss is thought to result from amyloid aggregation caused by misfolding of protein and propagation of misfolded protein aggregate as seeds through the neural network. This may contribute to the progression of PD and DLB. Prevention of accumulation and propagation of amyloid and neuronal loss is therefore important in the prevention and slowing of the progression of PD and DLB. In this study, we aimed to establish a neuronal cell line stably overexpressing α-Syn and to clarify its ellular characteristics for the study of amyloid aggregation and aggregation inhibition. Through gene transfer and selection with the antibiotic G418, we obtained subclones derived from SH-SY5Y, the human euroblastoma cell line that overexpress α-Syn. The subclones were found to form amyloid aggregates in a markedly short period of time upon addition of α-Syn amyloid fibril-derived seeds. They also expressed βIII tubulin, a mature neuron marker, in long-term culture with differentiation induction by retinoic acid or brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulation. The subclones are thus suggested to retain the ability to differentiate into mature neurons as well as the wild type. Furthermore, the subclones in long-term culture showed seed-independent aggregate formation, nuclear condensation, and fragmentation. This suggests that the subclones spontaneously form ggregates and undergo cell death under long-term culture due to high α-Syn expression levels. The α-Syn-overexpressing SH-SY5Y cell line established in this study is thought to be useful for research on α-Syn amyloid aggregate formation, inhibition of aggregate formation, propagation, and aggregate-associated cell death. Moreover, the study suggests the potential for use in research on neuronal dysfunction by inducing differentiation into mature neurons, and is therefore expected to be useful in preventing and slowing the progression of PD and DLB.ORIGINAL ARTICLEarticl
Health benefits of laughter and humor - Does simulated laughter have health benefits?
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Laughter and smiling are characteristic human behaviors that may have health benefits. Laughter is deeply connected to human emotions, and also serves various social functions. Physiological, endocrinological, psychological, and social perspectives must be considered when examining the health benefits of laughter. Various health benefits have been expected from laughter resulting from humor, and studies are underway on both the physiological basis and neural basis in the brain. Despite the reported health benefits of laughter interventions, no strict distinctions have been made between laughter and humor. This paper adds a discussion of the health effects of simulated laughter and the suggestion of the possibility that even inauthentic simulated laughter may also have health-promoting effects.REVIEW ARTICLEarticl
