bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Auditory Event‐Related Potentials (P300) and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Elderly Depressed Patients
Authors: Harada Kazuyoshi , Sumi Noriaki , Fujimoto Osamu , Tada Kunitoshi , Nan‐no Hisashige , Nishimura Tsuyoshi , Takeda Masatoshi 
Published: August 2007

Background:In order to evaluate the degree of impairment of cerebral function and the organic factors involved in elderly depressed patients, auditory event‐related potentials (ERP; P300) and N‐isopropyl‐p [123I] iodoamphetamine (123I‐IMP) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were examined. Methods:Three groups of patients, the depression (D) group, consisting of 23 cases where the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no abnormalities, the depression with silent cerebral infarction (D/SCI) group, consisting of 28 cases with silent cerebral infarction, and the post‐stroke depression (D/PS) group, consisting of 19 cases at over six months after onset of cerebral infarction where no abnormalities in intellectual function were seen, but neurological symptoms such as hemiplegia were present, and 27 healthy individuals were investigated. All of the patients fulfilled the ICD‐10 diagnostic criteria for depressive episode, and disease onset occurred when the patients were over 55 years. The ERP (P300) was recorded using a tone discrimination task. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by 123I‐IMP SPECT, and the relative rCBF of each region of interest was evaluated by comparison with the mean cerebellar rCBF. In addition, the mean cerebral blood flow (MCBF) in the cerebral cortex was assessed. Results:The D group included many cases in which the P300 peak latency was relatively short and the MCBF was stable, relative to the other two groups. In the D/PS group, there were many cases where the P300 peak latency was prolonged and the MCBF was reduced. In the D/SCI group, many differences in the results from both indicators existed among individual cases, and no fixed trend was identified. Conclusion: From the perspective of determining therapeutic tactics for elderly depressed patients and forecasting prognosis, it is important to review in detail, on an individual basis, components such as higher brain functions including cognitive functions, cerebral circulatory dynamics, and psychological/environmental factors. We believe that it is useful to evaluate a combination of factors when making such a review, including diagnostic imaging such as MRI, ERP (P300), and rCBF.
Global Increase in Cortical Opioid Binding Potential with Aging: In Vivo Quantification with 11C diprenorphine PET
Authors: Uema Takeshi , Rakshi James S. , Ito Kengo , Nishikawa Takashi , Takeda Masatoshi , Brooks David J. 
Published: August 2007

Background:Recent studies using positron emission tomography (PET) have shown an increase of μ‐opioid receptors with aging in the human brain. However, its physiological role and relationship between the other subtypes of opioid receptors is still obscure. We used a non‐selective radiotracer [11C]diprenorphine and PET to estimate the effects of aging on brain opioid binding. Methods:Seventeen normal male subjects were studied. Their ages ranged from 27 to 65 years (mean; 46 years). The data was analysed with global and regional opioid activities on images reflecting binding potential (Bmax/Kd) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Results:The main effect of age was shown in the global opioid binding potential (p=0.046). A post‐hoc test revealed that the binding potentials began to increase abruptly in those aged 40 and above. SPM found that the binding activity of brain opioid receptors significantly increased with age throughout the cerebral cortex except in the primary visual and sensory‐motor cortices where little specific binding occurs. There were no age‐related changes in subcortical structures except for a part of the putamen. Conclusion:The increase of opioid binding activities with aging probably depends on the density of μ‐opioid receptors, not K‐ nor δ‐ opioid receptors in association cortices. The detailed distribution shown by SPM suggests that this phenomenon may not be due to compensatory up‐regulation by the decrease in the endogenous opioid. The Increase of cortical opioid binding may contribute to the pathophysiology of depression and high risk of suicide attempts with advancing age.
Assessment of Competency to Contract for Care Insurance in Aichi Prefecture
Authors: Mizuno Yutaka , Endo Hidetoshi , Kakimoto Makoto , Imai Makoto , Shibayama Hiroto 
Published: August 2007

Background: A nursing care insurance system went into effect in April 2000 in Japan. Under the new system, the user (person requiring care) enters a contract directly with the service provider. Hence a pertinent issue is whether or not the user has the decision‐making capacity to enter a contract (competency to contract) and the degree of that capacity. The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of the competency to contract under the new system. Methods: The subjects were elderly residents who entered a care insurance facility after April 2000. Ten institutions from among the care insurance facilities in Aichi Prefecture cooperated in this study. The study was sufficiently explained to the elderly residents and their families, and written informed consent was obtained from both. Respective municipalities were requested to allow access to the results of the nursing care certification process of the subjects, with their consent and the consent of their families. In addition, the care manager of the facility gave the residents a Mini‐Test that we had prepared to determine competency to contract. Results: The results revealed that most subjects had little understanding of the care system, and surprisingly, that they were not in the care insurance facility of their own volition. The competency to contract in the dementia group was significantly lower than in the non‐dementia group. Conclusion: It may be unreasonable to believe that all such people are competent to enter a contract, especially those with dementia. However, the results suggest that people with a mild care grade, even if they have dementia, may have such competency. Further study including psychiatric assessment and diagnosis of the capacity to contract is necessary.
Critical Role of Presynaptic Nicotinic ACh Receptor in the Formation of Long‐Term Potentiation: Implications for Development of Anti‐Dementia Drugs
Authors: Nishizaki Tomoyuki , Nomura Tamotsu , Matsuyama Shogo , Kondoh Takeshi , Fujimoto Etsuko , Yoshii Mitsunobu 
Published: August 2007

Background: Since neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors are involved in the cognitive function, they have been studied as a target of anti‐dementia drugs. The present study was designed to understand the role of nicotinic ACh receptors in the expression of long‐term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model of learning and memory.Methods: The ultrastructural localization of neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors in the rat hippocampus was examined electron‐immunohistochemically using an antibody against the α7 subunit, forming a brain‐type nicotinic ACh receptor. Miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) were monitored in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Schaffer collateral‐CA1 LTP and perforant path LTP were analyzed by recording field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) and population spikes (PSs) in the CA1 region and the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices or in the intact mouse hippocampus.Results: α7 receptors are preferentially localized on presynaptic terminals, where the receptors are employed in the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate. The probability of LTP development was markedly reduced in the presence of the neuronal nicotinic ACh receptor antagonists, α‐bungarotoxin and mecamylamine, in both the CA1 region and the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices. Perforant path LTP was never induced in slices with selective cholinergic denervation using 192 IgG‐saporin, while it was not affected by atropine, a selective muscarinic ACh receptor antagonist, in normal slices. Nicotine facilitated hippocampal neurotransmission with the saturation occluding the potentiation induced by tetanic stimulation, and vice versa. A similar occlusion was also obtained with an intact mouse hippocampus. These types of LTP, which are dependent uponN‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors, were still induced by treatment with nicotine in the presence of D‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid (APV), a selective NMDA receptor antagonist.Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that presynaptic nicotinic ACh receptors play a critical role as a target of retrograde messengers in the formation of NMDA receptor‐dependent LTP. This may account for the involvement of nicotinic ACh receptors in cognitive function. Drugs enhancing the activity of neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors, therefore, are capable of expressing LTP, conversely, ameliorating dementia.
Effect of Aging on Gene Expression of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 and Glutamate Transporter‐1 in the Prefrontal Cortex of Schizophrenics
Authors: Shimada Hideho , Ohnuma Tohru , Emson Piers C. , Aral Heii 
Published: August 2007

Background: The involvement of the glutamatergic system in the patho‐physiology of schizophrenia is attracting interest because an antagonist of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor has been demonstrated to induce schizophrenic‐like symptoms in normal subjects. The results of previous studies have also suggested that glutamatergic function is reduced in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of diagnosed schizophrenics. In order to provide additional evidence for this, we investigated whether expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and glutamate transporter‐1 (GLT‐1) in the PFC is altered in schizophrenia. Methods: We compared the expression of mGluRS and GLT‐1 by in situ hybridization in Brodmann area 9 (B9) and 10 (B10) of the prefrontal cortex in 5 normal individuals and 5 schizophrenics that were younger than in previous studies, and examined the relationship between age and mRNA expression. Results: There were no significant differences in either mGluR5 or GLT‐1 mRNA expression between the schizophrenics and controls, however, there was a significant correlation to increase mGluR5 mRNA levels in the schizophrenics in both layer III and layer V of B9 with age, a finding not observed in the controls. Conclusion: The results suggest that the brains of schizophrenics may be vulnerable to aging and that the glutamatergic dysfunctions previously reported in schizophrenics may be partly explained by the aging process.
Basic and Clinical Studies on the Measurement of β‐amyloid(1–42) in Cerebrospinal Fluid as a Diagnostic Marker for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders: Multi Center Study in Japan
Authors: Takeda Masatoshi , Tanaka Toshihisa , Arai Hiroyuki , Sasaki Hidetada , Shoji Mikio , Okamoto Koichi , Urakami Katsuya , Nakashima Kenji , Matsubayashi Takeyuki , Sugita Mitsunori , Yoshida Hiroshi 
Published: August 2007

Background: The development of diagnostic markers for earlier and more accurate clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential to identify unequivocally AD patients during life. This study is to investigate the basic performance and clinical significance of β‐amyloid(1–42) (Aβ42) level measurement in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alone or in combination with CSF tau for distinguishing AD from non‐AD disorders. Methods: The basic characteristics of the reagent for measuring Aβ42, which used Sandwich ELISA, was examined. The clinical studies were done at 5 centers in Japan. CSF samples from 353 patients were collected and classified into the following six groups; AD (n=189), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI: n=25), Neurodegenerative disorders without AD (ND: n=66), Cerebrovascular disturbance (CVD: n=28), Other neurological disorders (OND: n=18) and Neurological control (NC: n=27) group. Results: Mean levels of Aβ42 in CSF were significantly lower in AD (395 pg/mL) than MCI (586 pg/mL;p<0.001), ND (530 pg/mL; p<0.001), CVD (504 pg/mL; p<0.001) and NC (605 pg/mL; p<0.001), respectively. Mean levels of AD unit (tau/Aβ42) were significantly higher in AD (1.63) than MCI (0.79; p<0.001), ND (0.56; p<0.001), CVD (0.34; p<0.001) and NC (0.19; p<0.001), respectively. Discrimination of AD from other related disorders was significantly improved by the combined assessment of Aβ42 and tau. When the cut‐off level of an AD unit was 0.67, the sensitivity for AD was 80% and the specificity for other related disorders was 86%. The positive rate (AD unit>0.67) of MCI patients who had progressed to AD within a few years was 79% (15/19). Conclusion: The combined measurement of CSF Aβ42 and tau is clinically a useful diagnostic marker to discriminate AD at an early stage including MCI from normal aging and other related disorders.
Reliability of a Rating Scale to Assess Post‐stroke Psychiatric Symptoms
Authors: Kusunoki Tadashi , Inomata Tomokazu , Homma Akira , Hirai Shunsaku 
Published: August 2007

Background: Various rating scales for post‐stroke psychiatric symptoms such as cognitive impairment have long been used in drug efficacy trials in Japan. However, their reliability has not been established. The purpose of the present study was to examine the inter‐rater and intra‐rater reliability of a rating scale, which has been conventionally used in Japan. Methods: The most frequent symptoms, including apathy, emotional and cognitive impairment, found in post‐stroke patients were assessed using a rating scale comprising 17 items and 4 global assessment scales. Semi‐structured interviews of 18 patients with symptoms with various degrees of severity were videotaped. Twelve physicians who were not interviewers independently assessed the severity of symptoms in the 18 patients by replaying the videotapes. This procedure was repeated twice with an interval of two months to examine inter‐rater and test‐retest reliability. Results: The results revealed almost satisfactory reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients were over 0.6 in the inter‐rater analysis for most items and the concordance correlation coefficients were over 0.7 in the intra‐rater analysis. The rating scale was considered to be reliable, although some items showed relatively low agreement. Conclusion: The conventional rating scale to assess post‐stroke psychiatric symptoms showed satisfactory inter‐rater and intra‐rater reliability by the videotape method. The validity study should be further investigated.
Pacing Rhythms of “Wanderers” with Dementia
Authors: Hori Koji , Inada Toshiya , Tominaga Itaru , Oda Tatsuro , Teramoto Hiroshi , Kashima Haruo 
Published: August 2007

Background: As wandering in the demented is difficult to define qualitatively, we tride to define it quantitatively. We investigated the relationship between wandering and rhythm abnormalities. Methods: In order to study the pacing rhythms of wanderers observed in a subgroup of demented inpatients (dementia due to Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia), we assessed 115 inpatients in terms of steps during four parts of a day and total daily steps using a pedometer.As the mean+2 S.D. of total daily steps in the nondemented was 9,979, we defined 10,000 steps in a day as the cut off for defining demented wanderers versus nonwanderers. Then, the pacing rhythms (nadir part and amplitude) were compared among demented wanderers, demented nonwanderers and nondemented subjects. Results: That there were no statistically significant differences among the three groups. But wandering groups defined by pedometer exhibited many of the same characteristics in wanderers observed in other studies. Conclusion: The quantification of steps might provide a good hallmark of wandering behaviors in the demented, and these results might indicate hyperpacing rather than rhythm dysfunctions to be essential to wandering behavior.
Delusional Parasitosis
Authors: Hayashi Takuji 
Published: August 2007

Abstract: In order to examine the clinical characteristics of delusional parasitosis in a large sample, we previously analyzed 102 cases reported in Japan. In this article, these results are shown briefly, and psychopathological symptoms and nosological classifications are discussed.In our study, 53 cases were classified in to pure type excluding endogenous psychoses, induced psychosis and somatically based psychoses. Two thirds of the pure type cases had visual experiences. These cases involved both hallucinatory and delusional factors, and symptoms considered delusional perception or bodily hallucinations “being made” by parasites were included in these experiences. Although these symptoms are thought to be specific to schizophrenia, some biological findings were often present. Furthermore, the facts concerning sex difference, age at onset, and no personality changes resembled late‐onset paraphrenia, that is, a type of atypical psychoses. Therefore, both psychopathological and biological studies should be carried out continuously from now on.
Region‐specific and Age‐related Decrease of Parvalbumin Gene Expression in the Prefrontal Cortex of Elderly Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Takahashi Tadashi , Emson Piers C. , Arai Heii 
Published: August 2007

Background: Multiple studies on schizophrenia have suggested a dysfunction of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and some vulnerability of the central nervous system to the aging process. Since one of the calcium‐binding proteins, parvalbumin (PV) is a useful marker for a subpopulation of GABAergic local circuit neurons, we determined the PV gene expression in the PFC in schizophrenic brains to study a possible involvement of GABAergic system and its vulnerability, if any, to the aging process.Methods: We attempted a detailed in situ hybridization to determine the PV gene expression throughout the three PFC subregions (Brodmann areas; BAs 9, 10, and 11) from six elderly patients with schizophrenia and five age‐matched normal individuals.Results: The regional levels of PV messenger RNA (mRNA) were significantly decreased in BAs 9 and 10 of schizophrenics compared with controls. The cellular levels were significantly decreased in layers III, IV, and V in BAs 9 and 10 of schizophrenics. However, in BA 11 of schizophrenics, the cellular level was significantly decreased in layer in alone. There were significant reverse correlations between the PV mRNA levels in those areas and the age at death in the schizophrenic group, but not in the controls.Conclusion: The present results not only provide further evidence of a disturbance in GABA transmission in the PFC of schizophrenics, but also suggest that such dysfunction may be region‐specific and vulnerable to the aging process.
Cognitive Patterns of Good and Poor Namers in Old Age
Authors: Nakaaki Shutaro , Nakanishi Masao , Fujiwara Nakako , Hamajima Hideki , Nakamura Hikaru , Yoshida Shinichi , Sato Junko , Tatsumi Hiroshi , Furuhashi Kyoko , Furukawa Toshiaki , Connor Lisa Tabor , Lindfield Kimberly C. , Albert Martin L. 
Published: August 2007

Background: Word finding difficulties are common complaints among healthy elderly persons. Recently, both cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies have demonstrated a decline in naming ability, particularly in subjects 70 years old or over. It is unclear which cognitive mechanisms cause this reduction of lexical retrieval ability with advancing age.Methods: Based on their performance in the Picture Naming Test, normal elderly subjects, predominantly in their 70's were divided into two groups, namely, good and poor namers. The two groups did not differ significantly with respect to age, education, or Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) test score. We administrated a comprehensive neuropsychological battery involving a verbal and non‐verbal memory task, semantic memory task, and attention task. The performance in each test was compared between the two groups.Results: Significant differences between the two groups were demonstrated in only two tasks, the Trail Making Test (part B) and the Stroop Colored Word Test.Conclusion: Set‐switching and inhibitory processes in attentional control, as reflected on by the results in the Trail Making Test (part B) and the Stroop Colored Word Test, may contribute to lexical ability in normal aged people. There is little evidence that verbal and non‐verbal memory or semantic memory are associated with naming ability. Poor performance in naming tasks of elderly people may be attributable to their inability to suppress inappropriate responses.
Cross‐sectional Evaluation of Aged Schizophrenics at Home‐Influence of Aging and Social Support
Authors: Saito Haruna , Kanamatsu Naoya 
Published: August 2007

Background: We carried out a cross‐sectional evaluation on the living state and social support in aged schizophrenic patients and the circumstances that enables them to live at home.Methods: There were 19 aged schizophrenic outpatients at Nagano prefectural Kiso Hospital who were at home. Eight were male and 11 were female, and their age ranged from 65 to 82 years with a mean of 70.3 years. Based on medical records and interviews at the outpatient clinic, we investigated the following factors: the family environment, care providers, relations with medical institutions, present symptoms, and the influence of aging.Results: Of the 19 patients, 18 were in remission. The characteristics of daily life common to them were the following: (1) They had a family as the care providers. The patients living alone depended on care providers in welfare activities in the community. (2) Seventeen patients continued to visit the hospital without admission. All of them were close to the medical institutions. (3) Dementia such as Alzheimer's dementia or cerebrovascular dementia was not suspected in 18 patients. Of the 19 patients, 9 had made an application for care insurance.Conclusion: The characteristics common to the patients with remission were the presence of care providers, participation in community life, the presence of nearby medical institutions and ongoing treatment. These may be important for maintaining a healthy life not only in aged schizophrenic patients but also in the general aged population. Therefore, the results in this study support the theory that the social state and social adaptation in aged schizophrenic patients generally approaches that found with general aging.
What Environmental and Staffing Characteristics Predict Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Nursing Home Residents?
Authors: Brodaty Henry , Draper Brian , Low Lee‐Fay 
Published: August 2007

Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in nursing home residents and distressing. Factors leading to their occurrence are incompletely understood.Aim:To investigate environmental and staffing variables associated with the prevalence of BPSD.Methods:Survey of Directors of Nursing and 505 residents of 11 nursing homes in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Resident variables included measures of cognition, dependency, and BPSD using the BEHAVE‐AD. Directors of nursing completed a questionnaire that rated physical design, staff and resident characteristics.ResultsThere was a two‐to three‐fold difference in the prevalence of total and subscale scores on the BEHAVE‐AD. Higher scores were associated with higher resident to bedroom ratio, living with less functional residents, lower levels of staffing, less staff training, fewer activities for residents and management less geared towards managing difficult behaviours.Conclusion:The number of residents sharing a bedroom, the mix of residents' functional capacity, staff numbers and training and the use of activity programs may influence BPSD.