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This study compared postoperative motor recovery between anterior spinal fusion (ASF) and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) who had motor deficits. From a database maintained by surgeons across 27 institutions, 227 patients undergoing primary ASF or PCF for CSR without myelopathy were evaluated. Among these, 106 patients with upper-limb motor deficits (manual muscle testing [MMT] grade 0-3) were observed for at least 12 months post-surgery. Data on preoperative and postoperative MMT grades were collected at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery and at the final follow-up. The recovery of motor function was compared between the ASF and PCF groups using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. While the overall excellent recovery rates (MMT grade ≥ 2) at the final follow-up were similar between the ASF and PCF group (74 % vs. 86 %, p = 0.15), the PCF group showed significantly faster motor recovery at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, with recovery rates of 43 %, 63 %, and 82 %, respectively, compared to 18 %, 46 %, and 54 % in the ASF group (HR = 1.62, p = 0.031). These findings suggest that PCF may offer a quicker recovery of motor function and could be a more suitable surgical procedure than ASF for patients with CSR and motor deficits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To elucidate the functional characteristics of the brain in the presence of chronic pain using electroencephalography (EEG), with a focus on the dynamics of neural excitation and inhibition., Methods: Resting-state EEG was performed in: 17 patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) who exhibited chronic pain higher than 20 on the visual analogue scale (VAS), 6 patients with reduced CRPS symptoms and chronic pain less than 20 on VAS, and healthy age-matched controls. For the analysis, 50 s of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were extracted from EEG recordings during wakefulness and rest with eyes closed. The envelope of the alpha frequency band was calculated by examining the positive and negative accelerations of the envelope oscillation, ratio of positive (Ap) to negative (An) accelerations (Ap-An ratio), and mean amplitude of the envelope. Comparisons were made between patients and controls, and correlations between these EEG measures and the subjective pain VAS were evaluated.Significant differences in the value of Ap, An and Ap-An ratio were observed at temporal and central electrodes between patients with pain symptoms and controls. Those with reduced CRPS symptoms exhibited a distinct Ap-An ratio at the majority of electrodes when compared with those exhibiting chronic pain., Conclusions: Distinct patterns in alpha wave envelope dynamics, reflecting excitatory and inhibitory activities, were associated with chronic pain in patients with CRPS. The pain-relieved state of CRPS suggested that a new balance of activities was established. This relationship indicated a potential association between altered alpha oscillation characteristics and the subjective experience of pain., Significance: This study introduces a novel method for analyzing alpha oscillation envelopes, providing new insights into the neural pathophysiology of chronic pain in CRPS patients. This approach has the potential to enhance our understanding of the alterations in brain function that occur under chronic pain conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that may appear to have influenced the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Alpha waves, one of the major components of resting and awake cortical activity in human electroencephalography (EEG), are known to show waxing and waning, but this phenomenon has rarely been analyzed. In the present study, we analyzed this phenomenon from the viewpoint of excitation and inhibition. The alpha wave envelope was subjected to secondary differentiation. This gave the positive (acceleration positive, Ap) and negative (acceleration negative, An) values of acceleration and their ratio (Ap-An ratio) at each sampling point of the envelope signals for 60 seconds. This analysis was performed on 36 participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 23 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 29 age-matched healthy participants (NC) whose data were provided as open datasets. The mean values of the Ap-An ratio for 60 seconds at each EEG electrode were compared between the NC and AD/FTD groups. The AD (1.41 ±0.01 (SD)) and FTD (1.40 ±0.02) groups showed a larger Ap-An ratio than the NC group (1.38 ±0.02, p<0.05). A significant correlation between the envelope amplitude of alpha activity and the Ap-An ratio was observed at most electrodes in the NC group (Pearson's correlation coefficient, r = -0.92 ±0.15, mean for all electrodes), whereas the correlation was disrupted in AD (-0.09 ±0.21, p<0.05) and disrupted in the frontal region in the FTD group. The present method analyzed the envelope of alpha waves from a new perspective, that of excitation and inhibition, and it could detect properties of the EEG, Ap-An ratio, that have not been revealed by existing methods. The present study proposed a new method to analyze the alpha activity envelope in electroencephalography, which could be related to excitatory and inhibitory neural activity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Sano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Connector hubs are specialized brain regions that connect multiple brain networks and therefore have the potential to affect the functions of multiple systems. This study aims to examine the involvement of connector hub regions in essential tremor., Methods: We examined whole-brain functional connectivity alterations across multiple brain networks in 27 patients with essential tremor and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls to identify affected hub regions using a network metric called functional connectivity overlap ratio estimated from resting-state functional MRI. We also evaluated the relationships of affected hubs with cognitive and tremor scores in all patients and with motor function improvement scores in 15 patients who underwent postoperative follow-up evaluations after focused ultrasound thalamotomy., Results: We have identified affected connector hubs in the cerebellum and thalamus. Specifically, the dentate nucleus in the cerebellum and the dorsomedial thalamus exhibited more extensive connections with the sensorimotor network in patients. Moreover, the connections of the thalamic pulvinar with the visual network were also significantly widespread in the patient group. The connections of these connector hub regions with cognitive networks were negatively associated (FDR q < 0.05) with cognitive, tremor, and motor function improvement scores., Conclusion: In patients with essential tremor, connector hub regions within the cerebellum and thalamus exhibited widespread functional connections with sensorimotor and visual networks, leading to alternative pathways outside the classical tremor axis. Their connections with cognitive networks also affect patients' cognitive function., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Gen Sobue reports a relationship with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation that includes: paid expert testimony and speaking and lecture fees. Gen Sobue reports a relationship with Cyberdine, Inc that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Gen Sobue reports a relationship with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited that includes: paid expert testimony and speaking and lecture fees. Gen Sobue reports a relationship with Biogen Japan Ltd that includes: paid expert testimony. Ryuta Saito reports a relationship with Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Japan Co Ltd that includes: funding grants. Ryuta Saito reports a relationship with Kaneka Corporation that includes: funding grants. Ryuta Saito reports a relationship with Eisai Inc that includes: speaking and lecture fees. Ryuta Saito reports a relationship with Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd Tokyo that includes: speaking and lecture fees. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We investigated the connectivity of neural signals from movement-related cortical areas to the primary motor area (M1) in the hemisphere contralateral to the movement side during the period of movement-related magnetic fields before movement., Materials and Methods: Participants were 13 healthy adults, and nerual signals were recorded using magnetoencephalography. Spontaneous extension of the right wrist was performed at the participant's own pace and following a visual cue in internal (IC) and external (EC) cue tasks. The connectivity of neural signals to M1 from each movement-related motor area was assessed by Granger causality analysis (GCA). The GCA was performed on the neural activity elicited in a frequency band between 7.8 and 46.9 Hz during the pre-movement periods, which occurred durng the readiness field (RF) and the negative slope prime (NSp). F-values, as connectivity values obtained by GCA, were compared between the EC and IC cue tasks., Results: For NSp periods, the connectivity of neural signals from the left superior frontal area (SF-L) to M1 was dominant in the IC task, whereas that from the left superior parietal area (SP-L) to M1 was dominant in the EC task. The F value in the GCA from SP-L to M1 was greater in the EC task during RF than in the IC task during equivalent periods., Conslusions: In the present study, there were differences in the connectivity of neural signals to M1 between IC and EC tasks. The present results suggested that the pattern of pre-movement neural activity that resulted in a movement was not uniform but differed between movement tasks just before the movement.

Flopropione (Flo) has been used for gallstone and urolithiasis as a spasmolytic agent almost exclusively in Japan. According to the package insert, its main mechanism is catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibition and anti-serotonergic effect. This is obviously contrary to pharmacological common sense, but it is described that way in pharmacology textbooks and occurs in questions in the National Examination for Pharmacists in Japan. As this is a serious problem in education, we re-examined the action of Flo. The guinea pig ureter was hardly contracted by serotonin, but noradrenaline (NA) elicited repetitive twitch contraction, which was inhibited by Flo. The sphincter of Oddi (SO) exhibited a spontaneous repetitive twitch contraction, which was inhibited by NA and Flo. The inhibitory effect of NA was reversed by α- and β-blockers, whereas that of Flo was not. Entacapone, a representative COMT inhibitor, did not affect the movement of the ureter and the SO. Nifedipine suppressed carbachol-induced contraction of the taenia coli, spontaneous movement of the SO, and NA-induced contraction of the ureter to almost the same extent, whereas Flo did not inhibit the taenia coli, but inhibited the contraction of the SO and the ureter. The inhibitory pattern of Flo resembled that of the ryanodine receptor agonist 4-chloro-m-cresol and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) receptor antagonist 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate. It is concluded that COMT inhibition or serotonin inhibition is not involved in the spasmolytic action of Flo. Flo might act on ryanodine receptors and/or IP 3 receptors, which are responsible for periodic Ca release from Ca stores, to disrupt coordinated Ca dynamics.

Objective : Severe pain and other symptoms in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), such as allodynia and hyperalgesia, are associated with abnormal resting-state brain network activity. No studies to date have examined resting-state brain networks in CRPS patients using electroencephalography (EEG), which can clarify the temporal dynamics of brain networks. Methods : We conducted microstate analysis using resting-state EEG signals to prospectively reveal direct correlations with pain intensity in CRPS patients (n = 17). Five microstate topographies were fitted back to individual CRPS patients' EEG data, and temporal microstate measures were subsequently calculated. Results : Our results revealed five distinct microstates, termed microstates A to E, from resting EEG data in patients with CRPS. Microstates C, D and E were significantly correlated with pain intensity before pain treatment. Particularly, microstates D and E were significantly improved together with pain alleviation after pain treatment. As microstates D and E in the present study have previously been related to attentional networks and the default mode network, improvement in these networks might be related to pain relief in CRPS patients. Conclusions : The functional alterations of these brain networks affected the pain intensity of CRPS patients. Therefore, EEG microstate analyses may be used to identify surrogate markers for pain intensity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) is a common complication after gynecological cancer treatment, which significantly reduces the quality of life. While early diagnosis and intervention can prevent severe complications, there is currently no consensus on the optimal screening strategy for postoperative LEL. In this study, we developed a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) software for LEL screening in pelvic computed tomography (CT) images using deep learning. A total of 431 pelvic CT scans from 154 gynecological cancer patients were used for this study. We employed ResNet-18, ResNet-34, and ResNet-50 models as the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture. The input image for the CNN model used a single CT image at the greater trochanter level. Fat-enhanced images were created and used as input to improve classification performance. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate our method. The ResNet-34 model with fat-enhanced images achieved the highest area under the curve of 0.967 and an accuracy of 92.9%. Our CAD software enables LEL diagnosis from a single CT image, demonstrating the feasibility of LEL screening only on CT images after gynecologic cancer treatment. To increase the usefulness of our CAD software, we plan to validate it using external datasets., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

We proposed a bimodal artificial intelligence that integrates patient information with images to diagnose spinal cord tumors. Our model combines TabNet, a state-of-the-art deep learning model for tabular data for patient information, and a convolutional neural network for images. As training data, we collected 259 spinal tumor patients (158 for schwannoma and 101 for meningioma). We compared the performance of the image-only unimodal model, table-only unimodal model, bimodal model using a gradient-boosting decision tree, and bimodal model using TabNet. Our proposed bimodal model using TabNet performed best (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUROC]: 0.91) in the training data and significantly outperformed the physicians' performance. In the external validation using 62 cases from the other two facilities, our bimodal model showed an AUROC of 0.92, proving the robustness of the model. The bimodal analysis using TabNet was effective for differentiating spinal tumors., Competing Interests: Authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

This work aimed to investigate the involvement of the thalamic nuclei in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and identify the influence of interictal epileptic discharges on the neural basis of memory processing by evaluating the functional connectivity (FC) between the thalamic nuclei and default mode network-related area (DMNRA) using magnetoencephalography. Preoperative datasets of nine patients with MTLE with seizure-free status after surgery and those of nine healthy controls were analyzed. The FC between the thalamic nuclei (anterior nucleus [ANT], mediodorsal nucleus [MD], intralaminar nuclei [IL]), hippocampus, and DMNRA was examined for each of the resting, pre-spike, spike, and post-spike periods in the delta to ripple bands using magnetoencephalography. The FC between the ANT, MD, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex increased in the gamma to ripple bands, whereas the FC between the ANT, IL, and DMNRA decreased in the delta to beta bands, compared with that of the healthy controls at rest. Compared with the rest period, the pre-spike period had significantly decreased FC between the ANT, MD, and DMNRA in the ripple band. Different FC changes between the thalamic nuclei, hippocampus, and DMNRA of specific connections in a particular band may reflect impairment or compensation in the memory processes., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This prospective study investigated psychological factors affecting wound healing in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Fifty patients with PAD in a local hospital were enrolled. The Geriatric Depression Scale short version, Type-D scale 14, Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Independence Measure, Self-efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale, Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale, and Mini Nutritional Assessment were applied to assess physical and psychological factors. Wound occurrence and healing were evaluated at 6 months after discharge, and 34 and 30 patients could be followed, respectively. The patient group with wound occurrence showed poorer mental component score (MCS) and better role/social component score (RCS) category scores of SF-36, and a higher stage in the Fontaine classification, than those without wound occurrence. On comparing Fontaine classification-matched subgroups, patients with wound occurrence showed poorer general health factor and MCS and better RCS of SF-36 than those without wound occurrence. Logistic analysis showed that MCS and RCS predicted wound occurrence and needs for local medical treatment, respectively. Among the psychological factors tested, MCS was a major factor associated with wound occurrence in the present study, with wide variation in clinical conditions and factors associated with PAD. Psychological factors were important as biological, physical, and social factors for patients with PAD during the long-term follow-up period, and an appropriate battery to evaluate psychological factors focused on patients with PAD should be developed.

Accumulating evidence from anatomical and neuroimaging studies suggests that the cerebellum is engaged in a variety of motor and cognitive tasks. Given its various functions, a key question is whether the cerebellum also plays an important role in the brain's integrative functions. Here, we hypothesize the existence of connector regions, also known as connector hubs, where multiple resting state networks converged in the cerebellum. To verify this, we employed a recently developed voxel-level network measure called functional connectivity overlap ratio (FCOR), which could be used to quantify the spatial extent of a region's connection to several large-scale cortical networks. Using resting state functional MRI data from 101 healthy participants, cerebellar FCOR maps were constructed and used to identify the locations of connector hubs in the cerebellum. Results showed that a number of cerebellar regions exhibited strong connectivity with multiple functional networks, verifying our hypothesis. These highly connected regions were located in the posterior cerebellum, especially in lobules VI, VII, and IX, and mainly connected to the core neurocognitive networks such as default mode and executive control networks. Regions associated with the sensorimotor network were also localized in lobule V, VI, and VIII, albeit in small clusters. These cerebellar connector hubs may play an essential role in the processing of information across the core neurocognitive networks., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aging brain undergoes structural changes even in very healthy individuals. Quantifying these changes could help disentangle pathologic changes from those associated with the normal human aging process. Using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 227 carefully selected healthy human cohort with age ranging from 50 to 80 years old at baseline scan, we quantified age-related volumetric changes in the brain of healthy human older adults. Longitudinally, the rates of tissue loss in total gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) were 2497.5 and 2579.8 mm 3 per year, respectively. Across the whole brain, the rates of GM decline varied with regions in the frontal and parietal lobes having faster rates of decline, whereas some regions in the occipital and temporal lobes appeared relatively preserved. In contrast, cross-sectional changes were mainly observed in the temporal-occipital regions. Similar longitudinal atrophic changes were also observed in subcortical regions including thalamus, hippocampus, putamen, and caudate, whereas the pallidum showed an increasing volume with age. Overall, regions maturing late in development (frontal, parietal) are more vulnerable to longitudinal decline, whereas those that fully mature in the early stage (temporal, occipital) are mainly affected by cross-sectional changes in healthy older cohort. This may suggest that, for a successful healthy aging, the former needs to be maximally developed at an earlier age to compensate for the longitudinal decline later in life and the latter to remain relatively preserved even in old age, consistent with both concepts of reserve and brain maintenance., (Copyright © 2022 Bagarinao et al.)

In this data file, the synthetic procedures for the preparation of a series of anticancer tetrazolato-bridged dinuclear platinum(II) complexes ([{ cis -Pt(NH 3 ) 2 } 2 (μ-OH)(μ-5-R-tetrazolato- N 2, N 3)] n+ ( n  = 1 or 2, tetrazolato-bridged complexes)) and of the bridging ligands of 5-substituted 1 H -tetrazoles (5-R-1 H -tetrazoles) are described. These compounds were characterized by 1 H-, 13 C-, 19 F- and 195 Pt-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background : Neural connectivity in brain has been known as indicators for neural function and recovery of brain. Although previous studies reported that neural connectivity predicted the recovery of upper limb function after stroke, the relationship between neural connectivity and lower limb function has not been clear. Objectives : To clarify whether functional connectivity (FC) assessed by electroencephalographiy (EEG) with five electrodes placed on motor-related areas could be related to the functional motor recovery of the lower limbs in patients after stroke. Methods : Twenty-four patients with stroke during the recovery phase were recruited. Motor function of the lower limbs was assessed using Fugl-Meyer Assessment lower limb section (FMAL). EEG signals were recorded by five electrodes (C3, C4, FC3, FC4, and FCz) at rest and during ankle movement. Amplitude envelope correlations, as values for FC, were calculated in α (8-12 Hz), β (13-30 Hz), low-β (13-19 Hz), and high-β (20-30 Hz) frequency bands. The predictive regression equation of the FMAL score in the eighth week after stroke (8 W) was created by FCs in the fourth week (4 W). Results : The higher intra-hemispheric FC in both hemispheres in the resting state and during the ankle movement at 4 W was related to a higher lower limb function at 8 W. Additionally, the higher inter-hemispheric FC between M1 on both sides during the ankle movement was related to a higher function recovery. Conclusions : The intra- and inter-hemispheric FC among motor-related areas at 4 W after stroke might be related to the functional recovery of the lower limbs at 8 W.

Purpose: The estimation of functional connectivity (FC) measures using resting state functional MRI (fMRI) is often affected by head motion during functional imaging scans. Head motion is more common in the elderly than in young participants and could therefore affect the evaluation of age-related changes in brain networks. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of head motion in FC estimation when evaluating age-related changes in brain networks., Methods: This study involved 132 healthy volunteers divided into 3 groups: elderly participants with high motion (OldHM, mean age (±SD) = 69.6 (±5.31), N = 44), elderly participants with low motion (OldLM, mean age (±SD) = 68.7 (±4.59), N = 43), and young adult participants with low motion (YugLM, mean age (±SD) = 27.6 (±5.26), N = 45). Head motion was quantified using the mean of the framewise displacement of resting state fMRI data. After preprocessing all resting state fMRI datasets, several resting state networks (RSNs) were extracted using independent component analysis (ICA). In addition, several network metrics were also calculated using network analysis. These FC measures were then compared among the 3 groups., Results: In ICA, the number of voxels with significant differences in RSNs was higher in YugLM vs. OldLM comparison than in YugLM vs. OldHM. In network analysis, all network metrics showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in comparisons involving low vs. high motion groups (OldHM vs. OldLM and OldHM vs. YugLM). However, there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the comparison involving the low motion groups (OldLM vs. YugLM)., Conclusion: Our findings showed that head motion during functional imaging could significantly affect the evaluation of age-related brain network changes using resting state fMRI data.

Purpose: Maintenance of cognitive performance is important for healthy aging. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between brain networks and cognitive function in subjects maintaining relatively good cognitive performance. Methods: A total of 120 subjects, with equal number of participants from each age group between 20 and 70 years, were included in this study. Only participants with Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R) total score greater than 83 were included. Anatomical T1-weighted MR images and resting-state functional MR images (rsfMRIs) were taken from all participants using a 3-tesla MRI scanner. After preprocessing, several factors associated with age including the ACE-R total score, scores of five domains, sub-scores of ACE-R, and brain volumes were tested. Morphometric changes associated with age were analyzed using voxel based morphometry (VBM) and changes in resting state networks (RSNs) were examined using dual regression analysis. Results: Significant negative correlations with age were seen in the total gray matter volume (GMV, r = -0.58), and in the memory, attention, and visuospatial domains. Among the different sub-scores, the score of the delayed recall (DR) showed the highest negative correlation with age (r = -0.55, p < 0.001). In VBM analysis, widespread regions demonstrated negative correlation with age, but none with any of the cognitive scores. Quadratic approximations of cognitive scores as functions of age showed relatively delayed decline compared to total GMV loss. In dual regression analysis, some cognitive networks, including the dorsal default mode network, the lateral dorsal attention network, the right / left executive control network, the posterior salience network, and the language network, did not demonstrate negative correlation with age. Some regions in the sensorimotor networks showed positive correlation with the DR, memory, and fluency scores. Conclusion: Some domains of the cognitive test did not correlate with age, and even the highly correlated sub-scores such as the DR score, showed delayed decline compared to the loss of total GMV. Some RSNs, especially involving cognitive control regions, were relatively maintained with age. Furthermore, the scores of memory, fluency, and the DR were correlated with the within-network functional connectivity values of the sensorimotor network, which supported the importance of exercise for maintenance of cognition., Competing Interests: The handling editor declared a past co-authorship with one of the author GS. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Maesawa, Mizuno, Bagarinao, Watanabe, Kawabata, Hara, Ohdake, Ogura, Mori, Nakatsubo, Isoda, Hoshiyama, Katsuno, Saito, Ozaki and Sobue.)

The thalamus is critical for the brain's integrative hub functions; however, the localization and characterization of the different thalamic hubs remain unclear. Using a voxel-level network measure called functional connectivity overlap ratio (FCOR), we examined the thalamus' association with large-scale resting-state networks (RSNs) to elucidate its connector hub roles. Connections to the core-neurocognitive networks were localized in the anterior and medial parts, such as the anteroventral and mediodorsal nuclei areas. Regions functionally connected to the sensorimotor network were distinctively located around the lateral pulvinar nucleus but to a limited extent. Prominent connector hubs include the anteroventral, ventral lateral, and mediodorsal nuclei with functional connections to multiple RSNs. These findings suggest that the thalamus, with extensive connections to most of the RSNs, is well placed as a critical integrative functional hub and could play an important role for functional integration facilitating brain functions associated with primary processing and higher cognition., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Conscious perception of a near-threshold (NT) stimulus is characterized by the pre- and post-stimulus brain state. However, the power of pre-stimulus neural oscillations and strength of post-stimulus cortical activity that lead to conscious perception have rarely been examined in individual cortical areas. This is because most previous electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG, respectively) studies involved scalp- and sensor-level analyses. Therefore, we recorded MEG during a continuous NT somatosensory stimulus detection task and applied the reconstructed source data in order to identify cortical areas where the post-stimulus cortical activity and pre-stimulus alpha oscillation predict the conscious perception of NT somatosensory stimuli. We found that the somatosensory hierarchical processing areas, prefrontal areas and cortical areas belonging to the default mode network showed stronger cortical activity for consciously perceived trials in the post-stimulus period, but the cortical activity in primary somatosensory area (SI) is independent of conscious perception during the early stage of NT stimulus processing. In addition, we revealed that the pre-stimulus alpha oscillation only in SI is predictive of conscious perception. These findings suggest that the bottom-up stream of somatosensory information flow following SI and pre-stimulus alpha activity fluctuation in SI as a top-down modulation are crucial constituents of conscious perception., (© 2021 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Quantitative objective measurement of chronic pain is important. We elucidated chronic pain-related cortical neural activity and neural connectivity among pain-related brain regions in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Resting-state magnetoencephalography recordings were performed. Cortical current density and neural connectivity, revealed by amplitude envelope correlation (AEC), were estimated on standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging. Intra-experiment pain was assessed subjectively using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The correlation between current density and VAS scores was calculated for the occipital areas and pain-related cortices. Current density in the primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory cortex and precuneus in both hemispheres was negatively correlated with the pain VAS score. The AEC and VAS values were significantly correlated for the SII and the precuneus and for the SII and insular cortex in the alpha frequency band in the right hemisphere. In the theta frequency band, the AEC and VAS values correlated for the SII and posterior cingulate cortex in the right hemisphere. Our results suggested that disruption of pain processes and functions in the default mode network occurs in CRPS. Our method targeting the neural mechanism of pain has the potential to offer a clinically objective means of evaluating it., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Neuroimaging studies have shown that the brain is functionally organized into several large-scale brain networks. Within these networks are regions that are widely connected to several other regions within and/or outside the network. Regions that connect to several other networks, known as connector hubs, are believed to be crucial for information transfer and between-network communication within the brain. To identify regions with high between-network connectivity at the voxel level, we introduced a novel metric called functional connectivity overlap ratio (FCOR), which quantifies the spatial extent of a region's connection to a given network. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, FCOR maps were generated for several well-known large-scale resting state networks (RSNs) and used to examine the relevant associations among different RSNs, identify connector hub regions in the cerebral cortex, and elucidate the hierarchical functional organization of the brain. Constructed FCOR maps revealed a strong association among the core neurocognitive networks (default mode, salience, and executive control) as well as among primary processing networks (sensorimotor, auditory, and visual). Prominent connector hubs were identified in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate, lateral parietal, middle temporal, dorsal anterior cingulate, and anterior insula, among others, regions mostly associated with the core neurocognitive networks. Finally, clustering the whole brain using FCOR features yielded a topological organization that arranges brain regions into a hierarchy of information processing systems with the primary processing systems at one end and the heteromodal systems comprising connector hubs at the other end., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Recent studies have demonstrated that connector hubs, regions considered critical for the flow of information across neural systems, are mostly involved in neurodegenerative dementia. Considering that aging can significantly affect the brain's intrinsic connectivity, identifying aging's impact on these regions' overall connection strength is important to differentiate changes associated with healthy aging from neurodegenerative disorders. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a carefully selected cohort of 175 healthy volunteers aging from 21 to 86 years old, we computed an intrinsic connectivity contrast (ICC) metric, which quantifies a region's overall connectivity strength, for whole brain, short-range, and long-range connections and examined age-related changes of this metric over the adult lifespan. We have identified a limited number of hub regions with ICC values that showed significant negative relationship with age. These include the medial precentral/midcingulate gyri and insula with both their short-range and long-range (and thus whole-brain) ICC values negatively associated with age, and the angular, middle frontal, and posterior cingulate gyri with their long-range ICC values mainly involved. Seed-based connectivity analyses further confirmed that these regions are connector hubs with connectivity profile that strongly overlapped with multiple large-scale brain networks. General cognitive performance was not associated with these hubs' ICC values. These findings suggest that even healthy aging could negatively impact the efficiency of regions critical for facilitating information transfer among different functional brain networks. The extent of the regions involved, however, was limited., (Copyright © 2020 Bagarinao, Watanabe, Maesawa, Mori, Hara, Kawabata, Yoneyama, Ohdake, Imai, Masuda, Yokoi, Ogura, Taoka, Koyama, Tanabe, Katsuno, Wakabayashi, Kuzuya, Hoshiyama, Isoda, Naganawa, Ozaki and Sobue.)

White matter (WM) fiber bundles change dynamically with age. These changes could be driven by alterations in axonal diameter, axonal density, and myelin content. In this study, we applied a novel fixel-based analysis (FBA) framework to examine these changes throughout the adult lifespan. Using diffusion-weighted images from a cohort of 293 healthy volunteers (89 males/204 females) from ages 21 to 86 years old, we performed FBA to analyze age-related changes in microscopic fiber density (FD) and macroscopic fiber morphology (fiber cross section [FC]). Our results showed significant and widespread age-related alterations in FD and FC across the whole brain. Interestingly, some fiber bundles such as the anterior thalamic radiation, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus only showed significant negative relationship with age in FD values, but not in FC. On the other hand, some segments of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway only showed significant negative relationship with age in FC, but not in FD. Analysis at the tract-level also showed that major fiber tract groups predominantly distributed in the frontal lobe (cingulum, forceps minor) exhibited greater vulnerability to the aging process than the others. Differences in FC and the combined measure of FD and cross section values observed between sexes were mostly driven by differences in brain sizes although male participants tended to exhibit steeper negative linear relationship with age in FD as compared to female participants. Overall, these findings provide further insights into the structural changes the brain's WM undergoes due to the aging process., (© 2020 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Deep-seated epileptic focus estimation using magnetoencephalography is challenging because of its low signal-to-noise ratio and the ambiguity of current sources estimated by interictal epileptiform discharge (IED). We developed a distributed source (DS) analysis method using a volume head model as the source space of the forward model and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography combined with statistical methods (permutation tests between IEDs and baselines and false discovery rate between voxels to reduce variation). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the combined DS (cDS) analysis in surgical cases. In total, 19 surgical cases with adult and pediatric focal epilepsy were evaluated. Both cDS and equivalent current dipole (ECD) analyses were performed in all cases. The concordance rates of the two methods with surgically identified epileptic foci were calculated and compared with surgical outcomes. Concordance rates from the cDS analysis were significantly higher than those from the ECD analysis (68.4% vs. 26.3%), especially in cases with deep-seated lesions, such as in the interhemispheric, fronto-temporal base, and mesial temporal structures (81.8% vs. 9.1%). Furthermore, the concordance rate correlated well with surgical outcomes. In conclusion, cDS analysis has better diagnostic performance in focal epilepsy, especially with deep-seated epileptic focus, and potentially leads to good surgical outcomes.

Objective: The authors recently reported a novel subsecond analysis method of analyzing EEG-functional MRI (fMRI) to improve the detection rate of epileptic focus. This study aims to validate the utility of this method for presurgical evaluation in pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy., Methods: Among 13 patients with focal epilepsy undergoing presurgical examinations including simultaneous EEG-fMRI at 3T, 11 patients had interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) during fMRI. The authors used the sequence of topographic maps during the IEDs as a reference to obtain subsecond fMRI activation maps with the same temporal resolution as the EEG data, and constructed "spike-and-slow-wave-activation-summary" (SSWAS) maps that showed the activation frequency of voxels during IEDs. Clusters were defined by thresholding the SSWAS maps (voxel value > 10), and those containing voxels with the top 3 highest activation frequencies were considered significant. Significant hemodynamic responses using conventional event-related (ER) analysis and SSWAS maps were compared with the resection areas and surgical outcomes at 1 year after surgery., Results: Using ER analysis, 4 (36%) of 11 patients had significant hemodynamic responses. One of 4 patients had significant hemodynamic responses in the resection area and good surgical outcome. Using SSWAS maps, 10 (91%) of 11 patients had significant hemodynamic responses. Six of 10 patients had significant hemodynamic responses in the resection area, and 5 of the 6 patients achieved good surgical outcomes. The remaining 4 patients had significant hemodynamic responses distant from the resection area, and only 1 of the 4 patients achieved good surgical outcomes. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of SSWAS maps were 83.3%, 75.0%, 83.3%, and 75.0%, respectively., Conclusions: This study demonstrated the clinical utility of SSWAS maps for presurgical evaluation of pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy. The findings indicated that subsecond EEG-fMRI analysis may help surgeons choose the resection areas that could lead to good surgical outcomes.

We previously created a prosthetic hand with a tacit learning system (TLS) that automatically supports the control of forearm pronosupination. This myoelectric prosthetic hand enables sensory feedback and flexible motor output, which allows users to move efficiently with minimal burden. In this study, we investigated whether electroencephalography can be used to analyze the influence of the auxiliary function of the TLS on brain function. Three male participants who had sustained below-elbow amputations and were myoelectric prosthesis users performed a series of physical movement trials with the TLS inactivated and activated. Trials were video recorded and a sequence of videos was prepared to represent each individual's own use while the system was inactivated and activated. In a subsequent motor imagery phase during which electroencephalography (EEG) signals were collected, each participant was asked to watch both videos of themself while actively imagining the physical movement depicted. Differences in mean cortical current and amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) values between supplementary motor areas (SMA) and each vertex were calculated. For all participants, there were differences in the mean cortical current generated by the motor imagery tasks when the TLS inactivated and activated conditions were compared. The AEC values were higher during the movement imagery task with TLS activation, although their distribution on the cortex varied between the three individuals. In both S1 and other brain areas, AEC values increased in conditions with the TLS activated. Evidence from this case series indicates that, in addition to motor control, TLS may change sensory stimulus recognition., (Copyright © 2020 Iwatsuki, Hoshiyama, Oyama, Yoneda, Shimoda and Hirata.)

Background: Several studies on carpal tunnel syndrome have reported pain that exists beyond the median nerve territory of the affected hand. However, the mechanism is unknown., Purpose: We investigated the cause of extra-territorial pain by the analysis of clinical assessments and cortical activity using magnetoencephalography., Methods: To compare patients with and without extra-territorial pain, fourteen patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were assessed using clinical examination, such as patients' profile, paresthesia, physical tests, and psychological tests. The physical assessment included tactile threshold and static and moving two-point discrimination sensations on digital pulp. Neural activation in the cerebral cortex was also measured using z-scores calculated by magnetoencephalography., Results: Among fourteen patients, ten patients had pain in the affected median nerve territory only and four patients had extra-territorial pain. When comparing the groups, the static and moving two-point discrimination sensation values in patients with extra-territorial pain were larger than those of patients without the pain (p < 0.05). The supra-marginal gyrus, mid-part of the precentral sulcus, angular gyrus in the left hemisphere, bilateral sensorimotor areas for legs, and bilateral isthmus-cingulate areas showed larger z-scores in patients with extra-territorial pain than in patients without the pain (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The static and moving two-point discrimination sensations signify the ability of tactile spatial acuity. Bilateral sensorimotor areas were activated in sites that were not the hand. Furthermore, the inferior parietal lobule in the left hemisphere, which synthesizes and integrates multiple sensations showed high activation. Our findings suggested that the mechanism of extra-territorial pain was associated with dysfunction of spatial cognition.

Backgrounds: Neural biomarkers to predict motor recovery have been used in the field of rehabilitation. Functional connectivity (FC) among the brain regions recorded by functional magnetic resonance imaging systems have been reported, but convenient method to estimate FC for clinical situation has not been established. Objectives : This observational study investigated the relationship between neural functional connectivity obtained by electroencephalography (EEG) and the upper limb function in patients during recovery stage after stroke. Methods : Twenty-four patients in the recovery stage between 4 and 8 weeks after the onset of stroke (mean age: 62 ± 12 (SD)) were enrolled. The EEG signals were obtained by five electrodes placed on the motor-related areas (C3, C4, FC3, FC4, and FCz in the International 10-20 system) for 60 sec at rest and during finger movement on the affected side, and amplitude envelope correlations as measures of FC among the areas were calculated. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) was used to assess upper limb motor function. Results : The FMA scores evaluated at 4W (33 ± 24 (SD)) were improved by 8W (42 ± 23) ( p < .001). The FCs in α and β bands calculated between the electrodes in the ipsi-lesional hemisphere were correlated negatively with the FMA score at 4W after stroke. The FCs obtained at 4W could be used to predict the FMA score at 8W after stroke. Conclusions : The FCs recorded at rest, as well as during the finger motor task, by the five electrodes placed on motor-related areas could be used to predict the motor function and recovery of the upper limb affected by stroke. The results indicate the possibility of using FCs recorded by conventional EEG with electrodes as biomarkers to predict motor recovery after stroke.

Background: The aim of this study is (1) to observe the effect of the background music (BGM) in the incubator on heart rate variability (HRV) during the first few weeks of life in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive (NICU) and growing care units (GCU) and (2) to investigate the effect of environmental music on autonomic function in the infants., Methods: Thirty infants, including premature (26 3/7 - 38 4/7 weeks) and low-birth weight (LBW) (946-2,440 g) infants, admitted to the NICU or GCU were involved. The heart rate, low- (LF, 0.05-0.15 Hz) and high- (HF, 0.15-0.4 Hz) frequency HRV components, and LF/HF ratio were measured. The BGM, lullabies for a baby, was delivered through a speaker in the incubator, and the HRV components were compared among before, during, and after intervention with BGM., Results: The mean HR did not change among the experimental conditions. The LF and HF values decreased during the BGM condition, but not LF/HF, compared with the condition before BGM., Conclusions: The present results showed that an auditory environment affected the autonomic function of infants with a range of BGM in the NICU/GCU. The present study also suggested that BGM, a non-invasive and non-pharmacological intervention, could be an evaluation tool for autonomic function in infants in NICU/GCU.

We investigate changes in brain function before and after carpal tunnel release. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), during which we recorded somatosensory evoked cortical magnetic fields (SEFs), and a clinical evaluation were performed before surgery and 6 months after. The distance on the vertical axis between the equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) for the first and third digits before surgery was significantly less than after surgery. There were no significant differences in values between the control participant and patients after surgery. In terms of distal motor latency, there was a negative correlation with the distance. The recovery function of the root mean square (RMS) before surgery for the N20m was less suppressed at 10 ms of ISI in patients, compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the RMS values for patients before and after surgery. Our results indicate that treating peripheral nerve lesions, such as in carpal tunnel release, positively modifies brain function.

Healthy aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the brain even in individuals who are free of neurodegenerative diseases. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a carefully selected cohort of participants, we examined cross sectional changes in the functional organization of several large-scale brain networks over the adult lifespan and its potential association with general cognitive performance. Converging results from multiple analyses at the voxel, node, and network levels showed widespread reorganization of functional brain networks with increasing age. Specifically, the primary processing (visual and sensorimotor) and visuospatial (dorsal attention) networks showed diminished network integrity, while the so-called core neurocognitive (executive control, salience, and default mode) and basal ganglia networks exhibited relatively preserved between-network connections. The visuospatial and precuneus networks also showed significantly more widespread increased connectivity with other networks. Graph analysis suggested that this reorganization progressed towards a more integrated network topology. General cognitive performance, assessed by Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised total score, was positively correlated with between-network connectivity among the core neurocognitive and basal ganglia networks and the integrity of the primary processing and visuospatial networks. Mediation analyses further indicated that the observed association between aging and relative decline in cognitive performance could be mediated by changes in relevant functional connectivity measures. Overall, these findings provided further evidence supporting widespread age-related brain network reorganization and its potential association with general cognitive performance during healthy aging.

Objectives: Motor deficits related to imitation have been observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. This pilot investigation focused on motor performances, including daily tool-use actions, performing an action in the absence of the tool, and imitating (copying tool-use action presented visually), in eight children with ASD and eight children with typical development (TD), with all of pre-school age (4-6 years). Methods: Motor performances were compared between the children with ASD and TD. Differences between an actual tool-use action and performing a tool-use action without the tool according to verbal instruction were also assessed between the groups. Results: Children with ASD showed impairments in imitating, but their actual tool-use actions and tool-use actions without tools following verbal instruction were not different from those of TD children. The spatial error rate in the tasks was higher in children with ASD. Conclusions: The present study indicates that disturbance in imitating actions appears by the age of 4-6 years in children with ASD, possibly as a characteristic symptom affecting motor performance at pre-school age. Generalized apraxia might follow by the age of 8 years or older., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© The British Society of Developmental Disabilities 2019.)

We synthesized and characterized 15 new derivatives of the highly anticancer-active platinum(II) complex [{cis-Pt(NH 3 ) 2 } 2 (μ-OH)(μ-tetrazolato-N2,N3)] 2+ (5-H-Y) by making substitutions at tetrazole C5. We then evaluated the comprehensive structure-cytotoxicity relationships of a total of 23 derivatives in two murine lymphocytic leukaemia cell lines, sensitive and resistant to cisplatin. We also report the in vivo antitumor efficacy of three ester derivatives, two of which exhibited much higher efficacy than oxaliplatin against mouse homografted Colon-26 colorectal tumor., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The effect of tacit learning systems (TLSs) on brain plasticity are as of yet unknown. We developed a myoelectric hand prosthesis equipped with a TLS to auto-regulate forearm rotation in response to upper extremity movement patterns., Objective: To evaluate the effects of tacit learning on the central nervous system during a prosthesis control exercise., Methods: The experienced prosthetic user performed a series of simple mechanical tasks with the TLS inactivated (the baseline condition) and then with it activated (the enhanced, experimental condition). The process was video recorded. Subsequently, the participant viewed video recordings of each condition (baseline and experimental) during magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography recordings., Results: Stronger connections between the motor area and other cortical areas were observed, as indicated by a significant increase in coherence values., Conclusions: Integration and interoperability may underlie tacit learning and promote motor function-related adaptive neuroplasticity.

Brain activity was recorded using a whole-head magnetoencephalography system followed by coherence analysis to assess neural connectivity in 10 healthy right-handed adults to clarify differences in neural connectivity in brain regions during action observation from several perspectives. The subjects were instructed to observe and memorize or imitate the hand action from a first-person or second-person visual perspective. The brain activity in coherence was modified among frontal and central, sensorimotor, and mirror neuron system-related regions based on the visual perspectives of finger movements. The regional activity in coherence changed similarly under the imitation and observation tasks compared with the condition of observing static hand figures. The information from different visual perspectives of body movements was processed in the frontal-central regions related to sensorimotor processes and partially in mirror neuron system.

Objective/background: Older people with dementia often show behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia such as agitation, aggression, and depression that affect their activities of daily living, and hence reduce the quality of life of their caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a new technological intervention-a parametric speaker, creating a narrow personal acoustic environment, which may reduce the manifestation of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia symptoms., Methods: A parametric speaker was placed on the ceiling of a large day room, and personally selected pieces of music were provided in a narrow space just under the speaker during the intervention. Two older residents with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia participated in the experiment., Results: Playing pieces of favorite music via the parametric speaker decreased their behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia during the intervention. In addition, this intervention reduced the burden on caregivers. One of the advantages of using parametric speaker was being able to create a personal space in a common room., Conclusion: We considered that the parametric speaker might be useful to reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and the burden on caregivers, providing individualized rehabilitation for the improved quality of life of residents.

This study aims to elucidate age-related intrinsic brain volume changes over the adult lifespan using an unbiased data-driven structural brain parcellation. Anatomical brain images from a cohort of 293 healthy volunteers ranging in age from 21 to 86 years were analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA). ICA-based parcellation identified 192 component images, of which 174 (90.6%) showed a significant negative correlation with age and with some components being more vulnerable to aging effects than others. Seven components demonstrated a convex slope with aging; 3 components had an inverted U-shaped trajectory, and 4 had a U-shaped trajectory. Linear combination of 86 components provided reliable prediction of chronological age with a mean absolute prediction error of approximately 7.2 years. Structural co-variation analysis showed strong interhemispheric, short-distance positive correlations and long-distance, inter-lobar negative correlations. Estimated network measures either exhibited a U- or an inverted U-shaped relationship with age, with the vertex occurring at approximately 45-50 years. Overall, these findings could contribute to our knowledge about healthy brain aging and could help provide a framework to distinguish the normal aging processes from that associated with age-related neurodegenerative diseases., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: Epileptic spikes are associated with rapidly changing brain activation involving the epileptic foci and other brain regions in the "epileptic network". We aim to resolve these activation changes using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings., Methods: Simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings from 9 patients with epilepsy were used in the analysis. Our method employed the whole scalp EEG data to generate regressors for the analysis of fMRI data using the general linear model., Results: We were able to resolve, with milliseconds temporal resolution, changes in activation patterns involving suspected epileptic foci and other brain regions in the epileptic network during spike and slow wave. Using summary maps (called SSWAS maps) which show the activation frequency of voxels, we found that suspected epileptic foci tend to be significantly active during this interval. SSWAS maps also enabled the detection of the epileptic foci in 4 of 5 patients where the conventional event-timing-based analysis failed to identify., Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the efficacy of the method and the potential application of SSWAS maps to identify epileptic foci., Significance: The method could help resolve activation changes during epileptic spike and could provide insights into the underlying pathophysiology of these changes., (Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To examine the effect of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) eradication therapy on the extra-gastrointestinal factors in elderly patients by a before-after observational study in community medicine., Methods: Medical records (1 May 2013-31 January 2014) of 130 patients who underwent H. pylori eradication therapy with 2-year after-eradication observation in our institute were reviewed. Data on sex; age; body weight; body mass index (BMI); mean corpuscular volume (MCV); total protein; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, haemoglobin A1c and haemoglobin levels and gastric hyperplastic polyps (GHPs) at eradication was extracted. Two-year after-eradication change in data was analysed by paired-sample t -test; relationship between GHPs and subclinical iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) improvement was evaluated., Results: The mean patient age (median, interquartile range) at eradication was 69.6 (71.5, 64-77) years. Paired-sample t -tests showed that body weight, BMI and MCV increased by 0.52 kg ( P = 0.018), 0.25 kg/m 2 ( P = 0.006) and 0.83 fL ( P < 0.001), respectively. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test showed no significant difference in the change rate of MCV after eradication between the groups with and without GHPs ( P = 0.892)., Conclusion: H. pylori eradication therapy prevented weight loss and subclinical IDA in elderly individuals. GHPs were not associated with subclinical IDA., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no current financial arrangement or affiliation with any organization that may have a direct influence on their work.

Objectives: To examine the temporal stability and variability of neuronal synchronization among the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (cSI) and contralateral (cSII) and ipsilateral secondary somatosensory cortex (iSII) in response to median nerve stimulation., Methods: Both the spontaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals as the pre-stimulus condition and somatosensory evoked magnetic-fields (SEF) were recorded in eleven healthy subjects. We calculated a phase-locking value (PLV) between two areas among cSI, cSII, and iSII in five frequency bands (theta: 5-7 Hz, alpha: 8-12 Hz, beta: 15-29 Hz, gamma-1: 30-59 Hz, and gamma-2: 60-90 Hz), and compared the PLV among in pre-stimulus and stimulus conditions., Results: The PLV between cSI and cSII for the theta band activity varied within 2 s from the stimulus onset. On the other hand, the PLV between cSI and iSII for the alpha band did not vary within 2 s., Conclusion: The fluctuation of neuronal synchrony among sensory-related cortices in response to median nerve stimulation depends on the induced frequency band and inter-region., Significance: This study is the first to report the temporal characteristic of stimulus-driven neural synchrony following somatosensory stimulation.

Neural connectivity was measured during motor imagery (MI) and motor execution (ME) using magnetoencephalography in nine healthy subjects, MI, and at rest. Lower coherence values during ME and MI between sensorimotor areas than at rest, and lower values during MI between the left supplementary motor area and inferior frontal gyrus than ME suggested the sensorimotor network of MI functioned with similar connectivity to ME and that the inhibitory activity functioned continuously during MI, respectively.

Visual dysfunction can be caused by several abnormalities, including dysfunctions in the visual cortex and retina. Our aim was to investigate changes in visual evoked brain responses in the primary visual cortex associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Sixteen healthy control subjects and ten patients with PD participated in this study. We assessed the visual evoked magnetic field (VEF) using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Checkerboard pattern reversal (CPR) and monotonous grating pattern (MGP) stimulations were used. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to analyze brain volume and generate a tractogram. Cognitive and olfactory function, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores were evaluated in patients with PD. Four components of the VEF (1M, 2M, 3M, 4M) were observed following stimulation. For both stimuli, results from the 1M and 2M components were significantly greater and the latency of the 1M component was increased markedly in the PD group compared with the healthy control group. In the PD group, 1M latency correlated with the UPDRS score of 1 for both stimuli, and a correlation was observed between olfactory function and the UPDRS score of 3 for the CPR stimulation alone. We suggest that the conduction delay observed following visual stimulation occurs peripherally rather than in the primary visual cortex. Degeneration of selective elements of the visual system in the retina, possibly midget cells, may be involved.

Background: For mechanically reconstructing human biomechanical function, intuitive proportional control, and robustness to unexpected situations are required. Particularly, creating a functional hand prosthesis is a typical challenge in the reconstruction of lost biomechanical function. Nevertheless, currently available control algorithms are in the development phase. The most advanced algorithms for controlling multifunctional prosthesis are machine learning and pattern recognition of myoelectric signals. Despite the increase in computational speed, these methods cannot avoid the requirement of user consciousness and classified separation errors. "Tacit Learning System" is a simple but novel adaptive control strategy that can self-adapt its posture to environment changes. We introduced the strategy in the prosthesis rotation control to achieve compensatory reduction, as well as evaluated the system and its effects on the user. Methods: We conducted a non-randomized study involving eight prosthesis users to perform a bar relocation task with/without Tacit Learning System support. Hand piece and body motions were recorded continuously with goniometers, videos, and a motion-capture system. Findings: Reduction in the participants' upper extremity rotatory compensation motion was monitored during the relocation task in all participants. The estimated profile of total body energy consumption improved in five out of six participants. Interpretation: Our system rapidly accomplished nearly natural motion without unexpected errors. The Tacit Learning System not only adapts human motions but also enhances the human ability to adapt to the system quickly, while the system amplifies compensation generated by the residual limb. The concept can be extended to various situations for reconstructing lost functions that can be compensated.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinically latent brain atrophy of patients with mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) harboring a mitochondrial DNA A3243G mutation (A3243G) and A3243G carriers without stroke-like episodes (SEs)., Methods: We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with magnetic resonance imaging to investigate gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume reductions in four MELAS patients and in five A3243G carriers compared to 16 healthy controls. In addition, we investigated the regions of previous SEs using conventional MRI., Results: All four MELAS patients showed significant GM volume reductions in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL), right precuneus, right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and bilateral posterior lobes of the cerebellum. These areas of GM volume reduction were beyond the regions of previous SEs. As for A3243G carriers, GM volume reductions in the left SPL, right precuneus, right MTG, and bilateral posterior lobes of the cerebellum were detected in three, one, two, and five subjects, respectively. All four MELAS patients showed significant WM volume reductions in the bilateral or unilateral temporal sub-gyral regions, which were included in the regions of previous SEs. No A3243G carriers showed WM volume reductions., Conclusion: The distribution patterns of GM volume reductions in VBM may reflect a common vulnerability of the brains among MELAS patients and A3243G carriers., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Mitochondria Research Society. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The recovery function of somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs) was recorded to investigate excitatory and inhibitory balance in the somatosensory cortex of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome., Methods: SEFs were recorded in patients and controls. Recordings were taken following median nerve stimulation with single and double pulses with interstimulus intervals of 10-200ms. The root mean square for the N20m component following the second stimulation was analyzed. SEFs following stimulation of the first and middle digits were also recorded and the location for the equivalent current dipoles was estimated in three-dimensional planes., Results: Distances on the vertical axis between the equivalent current dipoles for the first and third digits were shorter in patients than in control participants. The root mean square for the N20m recovered earlier in patients compared to controls; this was statistically significant at an interstimulus interval of 10ms. There was no relationship between N20m recovery and the equivalent current dipole location in the primary somatosensory cortex., Conclusions: Carpal tunnel syndrome was associated with functional disinhibition and destruction of the somatotopic organization in the primary somatosensory cortex., Significance: Disinhibitory changes might induce a maladaptation of the central nervous system relating to pain., (Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although children are frequently required to sit upright, it is often difficult to maintain this posture when performing cognitive tasks. Information about the relationship between a cognitive tasks and postural seating control is important for children to complete tasks more effectively. To determine the muscle activity and body sway of children in a seated posture while performing a cognitive task, changes in muscle activity and center of pressure (COP) were recorded while 4(th) grade children performed arithmetic tasks. Electromyography was recorded from the internal oblique and lumbar multifidus muscles, and the COP was recorded using a baropodometer placed on the stool. These variables were measured during easy (EA) and difficult (DA) arithmetic tasks. EMG activity decreased during the EA and DA tasks, while the COP was displaced in the DA task. The results of the arithmetic tasks were not related to the EMG or COP changes. Attention to maintain a seated posture may be reduced when children perform cognitive tasks. Therefore, it may be better to allow children to alter their posture especially when they are performing difficult tasks. In this research, we only used arithmetic tasks as the cognitive exercise, and therefore, other types of tasks should be examined., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

We examined the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake in L1210 murine leukemia cells, as well as the coordinative reaction with the guanine derivative 9-ethylguanine (9EtG), of a series of μ-hydroxo-μ-tetrazolato dinuclear platinum(II) complexes (tetrazolato-bridged complexes), [{cis-Pt(NH3)2}2(μ-OH)(μ-tetrazolato-N1,N2)](2+) (5-H-X) and [{cis-Pt(NH3)2}2(μ-OH)(μ-5-R-tetrazolato-N2,N3)](n+), where R = H (5-H-Y), CH3 (1), C6H5 (2), CH2COOCH2CH3 (3), or CH2COO(-) (4), and n = 2 (5-H-Y, 1-3) or 1 (4). Most tetrazolato-bridged complexes overcame cross-resistance to cisplatin and were more efficiently taken up into cisplatin-resistant cells (L1210R) than into parental cisplatin-sensitive cells (L1210), whereas cisplatin uptake into L1210R was decreased compared with that into L1210. The cellular uptake was most likely controlled by the total charge of the complexes. There was no correlation between the cytotoxicity and the kinetics of the coordinative reactions of 1-4 with 9EtG, but the isomerization involved in the reactions could contribute to determining the higher order structures of the compacted DNA. The cytotoxicity of tetrazolato-bridged complexes appears to correlate with the efficiency of cellular uptake and DNA compaction.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the functional differences between N20m and P30m components of somatosensory-evoked magnetic cortical field (SEF) in young and senior subjects., Methods: Twenty-nine healthy subjects, 13 younger (mean age: 21.8years) and 16 senior (63.8 years), participated. Magnetic fields were measured using a 160-channel, whole head MEG. Single- and paired-pulse stimulations of 200 artifact-free MEG signal epochs were averaged separately. We calculated how aging affects recovery function of SEFs., Results: The senior showed a prolonged N20m peak latency compared to the younger, although the P30m peak latency was not significantly different between groups. The N20m ratios at 60 and 80 ms in the senior were significantly increased compared to the ratios in the younger (60 ms: P<0.05, 80 ms: P<0.001). The P30m ratios at inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 80 and 100 ms showed even disinhibition in the senior than in the younger (P<0.05). The younger also showed a significantly negative correlation between P30m and N20m components' recovery curves (R=0.72, P<0.05)., Conclusion: Aging-related changes that occurred in recovery functioning were the decrease in N20m component suppression and the increase in P30m component recovery, indicating that the N20m and P30m components have different functions in aging-related recovery changes., Significance: Our results show that the N20m ratio at an ISI of 80 ms was significantly increased in the senior group, indicating that the second stimulus-evoked SEF was less inhibited by the initial stimulus at this ISI, suggesting less refractory effect or increased disinhibition., (Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Observing another person's action influences the execution of one's own action via the mirror neuron system. However, the ability to control the effect of such action observation on one's voluntary action has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to elucidate the influence of observing another's action on own voluntary movement in patients with schizophrenia., Methods: Fifteen patients with schizophrenia and 15 healthy age-matched controls participated in this study. Subjects were asked to perform a gripping task at 50% of their maximal voluntary force (MVF), whereas simultaneously watching others performed the same task with a different grip force (0%, 50% and 100% MVF)., Results: The healthy controls applied a constant grip force under each condition. In patients with schizophrenia, the grip force was significantly reduced during viewing the gripping of others at 50% MVF compared to during viewing other's gripping at 0% and 100% MVF. The score of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms were correlated with the fluctuation in grip force among the action observation conditions., Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia might have difficulty controlling the influence of action observation on self-generated performance.