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Introduction: The number of smartphone apps for brain training is increasing, and the number of people who are working on brain training is also increasing. However, researchers disagree about the effectiveness of brain training., Methods: Therefore, in this study, we conducted an intervention test with the participation of 70 healthy middle-aged men and women and measured the effect of smartphone apps on lifestyle improvement using brain healthcare quotient calculated from brain imaging data., Results: As a result, in the intervention group, significant improvements were seen in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the whole brain, corpus callosum, internal capsule, corona radiata, posterior thalamic radiation, external capsule, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Additionally, in the intervention group, these FA increments correlated with improvements in cognitive function as measured by the trail-making test and vigor as measured by the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition., Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that improving lifestyle habits through smartphone apps can improve brain health and cognitive and emotional performance of healthy middle-aged adults. This is consistent with previous research that suggests that FA integrity in the limbic-thalamo-cortical pathway influences cognitive function and emotion regulation., (© 2024 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Over the past two decades, the number of studies on work engagement has increased rapidly. Work engagement refers to a positive, affective-motivational state of high energy combined with high levels of dedication and a strong focus on work, leading to various work-related outcomes, including higher work performance. Several studies have indicated that training or coaching may increase work engagement, but other studies have shown contradicting results. These inconsistencies may be due to the indirectness between training/coaching and work engagement. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between training and brain structure as well as between brain structure and work engagement in cognitively normal participants. Brain structure was assessed using neuroimaging-derived measures, including the gray-matter brain healthcare quotient (GM-BHQ) and the fractional-anisotropy brain healthcare quotient (FA-BHQ), which are approved as the international standard (H.861.1) by ITU-T. Work engagement was assessed using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. To validate and enrich the analysis, we employed another two representative questionnaires, which are known to be close to but different from work engagement: The Social interaction Anxiety Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey to gauge the levels of human relation ineffectiveness and burnout. The latter scale is subdivided into three variables including "Exhaustion," "Cynicism," and "Professional Efficacy." The results of the present study indicate that training is associated with an increase of FA-BHQ scores, and that an increase of the FA-BHQ scores is associated with an increase in Work Engagement and a decrease in Cynicism. On the other hand, the training with coaching was associated with a decrease in Interaction Anxiety. However, no correlation was observed for training with Work Engagement or the subscales of Burnout. Likewise, no correlation was observed for FA-BHQ with Exhaustion, Professional Efficacy, and Interaction Anxiety. The results of the current research provide the possibility to use brain information to evaluate training effectiveness from the viewpoint of neuroscience.

Aim: Neurological disorders are a major public health issue worldwide and are often associated with structural changes in the brain. We have previously demonstrated that iso-α-acids (IAAs), the hop-derived bitter components in beer, improve memory impairment in aged and Alzheimer's disease mouse models. In this study, we evaluated the effects of IAA intake on the brain structure in healthy middle-aged to older adults. This study was conducted under the Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies Program (ImPACT) study launched by the Cabinet office of Japan., Method: This study employed an open-labeled, single-arm, before and after design. Healthy middle-aged to older adults consumed a beverage containing IAAs (3 mg/190 mL) for 4 weeks.Recently developed magnetic resonance imaging-based brain health indicators were used to evaluate the following brain conditions: the Brain Healthcare Quotient (BHQ) based on gray matter volume (GM-BHQ) and white matter fractional anisotropy (FA-BHQ)., Results: In total, 25 subjects were recruited, and GM-BHQ and FA-BHQ were measured before and after intervention. In all subjects, no significant differences in GM-BHQ and FA-BHQ were observed. In subjects aged ≥ 60 years (mean 54.5; standard deviation 3.9) (n = 8), GM-BHQ was significantly increased 4 weeks after intervention compared with that before intervention., Conclusion: Intake of beverages containing IAAs might affect brain aging, particularly in healthy older adults, which may prevent the development of neurological disorders. Future studies employing more robust designs can elucidate the effects of IAAs on GM-BHQ and cognitive functions., (© 2019. Research Laboratories for Health Science & Food Technologies, Kirin Company Limited. Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.)

Classical- (C-) and atypical L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions cause different pathological phenotypes in cattle brains, and the disease-associated forms of each prion protein (PrPSc) has a dissimilar biochemical signature. Bovine C-BSE prions are the causative agent of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. To date, human infection with L-BSE prions has not been reported, but they can be transmitted experimentally from cows to cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), a non-human primate model. When transmitted to monkeys, C- and L-BSE prions induce different pathological phenotypes in the brain. However, when isolated from infected brains, the two prion proteins (PrPSc) have similar biochemical signatures (i.e., electrophoretic mobility, glycoforms, and resistance to proteinase K). Such similarities suggest the possibility that L-BSE prions alter their virulence to that of C-BSE prions during propagation in monkeys. To clarify this possibility, we conducted bioassays using inbred mice. C-BSE prions with or without propagation in monkeys were pathogenic to mice, and exhibited comparable incubation periods in secondary passage in mice. By contrast, L-BSE prions, either with or without propagation in monkeys, did not cause the disease in mice, indicating that the pathogenicity of L-BSE prions does not converge towards a C-BSE prion type in this primate model. These results suggest that, although C- and L-BSE prions propagated in cynomolgus monkeys exhibit similar biochemical PrPSc signatures and consist of the monkey amino acid sequence, the two prions maintain strain-specific conformations of PrPSc in which they encipher and retain unique pathogenic traits., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Neurological and psychiatric disorders are a burden on social and economic resources. Therefore, maintaining brain health and preventing these disorders are important. While the physiological functions of the brain are well studied, few studies have focused on keeping the brain healthy from a neuroscientific viewpoint. We propose a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based quotient for monitoring brain health, the Brain Healthcare Quotient (BHQ), which is based on the volume of gray matter (GM) and the fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM). We recruited 144 healthy adults to acquire structural neuroimaging data, including T1-weighted images and diffusion tensor images, and data associated with both physical (BMI, blood pressure, and daily time use) and social (subjective socioeconomic status, subjective well-being, post-materialism and Epicureanism) factors. We confirmed that the BHQ was sensitive to an age-related decline in GM volume and WM integrity. Further analysis revealed that the BHQ was critically affected by both physical and social factors. We believe that our BHQ is a simple yet highly sensitive, valid measure for brain health research that will bridge the needs of the scientific community and society and help us lead better lives in which we stay healthy, active, and sharp.

We described the cases of two patients with dementia associated with motor neuron disease, the former with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and the latter with Alzheimer's disease (AD), studied by the Pittsburgh compound B-positron emission tomography (PIB-PET). In the FTD patient, the PIB-PET revealed no amyloid accumulation in the cortex, whilst in the AD patient showed amyloid accumulation mainly in the frontal, parietal and lateral temporal lobes, besides the posterior cingulate gyrus and the precuneus. Thus, PIB-PET might facilitate the discrimination of different proteinopathies that cause neurodegenerative diseases, as dementia associated with ALS.

A low molecular weight type of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (L-BSE) was transmitted to two cynomolgus macaques by intracerebral inoculation of a brain homogenate of cattle with atypical BSE detected in Japan. They developed neurological signs and symptoms at 19 or 20 months post-inoculation and were euthanized 6 months after the onset of total paralysis. Both the incubation period and duration of the disease were shorter than those for experimental transmission of classical BSE (C-BSE) into macaques. Although the clinical manifestations, such as tremor, myoclonic jerking, and paralysis, were similar to those induced upon C-BSE transmission, no premonitory symptoms, such as hyperekplexia and depression, were evident. Most of the abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) was confined to the tissues of the central nervous system, as determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The PrP(Sc) glycoform that accumulated in the monkey brain showed a similar profile to that of L-BSE and consistent with that in the cattle brain used as the inoculant. PrP(Sc) staining in the cerebral cortex showed a diffuse synaptic pattern by immunohistochemistry, whereas it accumulated as fine and coarse granules and/or small plaques in the cerebellar cortex and brain stem. Severe spongiosis spread widely in the cerebral cortex, whereas florid plaques, a hallmark of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, were observed in macaques inoculated with C-BSE but not in those inoculated with L-BSE.

The accumulation kinetics of the abnormal form of prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in spleens and brains of scrapie (Obihiro-1)-infected mice at various times after intracerebral (i.c.), intraperitoneal (i.p.), or oral inoculation were studied. PrP(Sc) was first detected by Western blotting with anti-prion protein antibodies on days 70 and 116 after i.c. (3 microg) in spleens and brains, respectively. Although the amount of cerebral PrP(Sc) gradually increased to the maximum level on day 152 after i.c. inoculation, splenic PrP(Sc) established the maximum level on day 116 after i.c. inoculation then registered slight decreases up to day 152 with further incubation. The detectable levels of cerebral PrP(Sc) by Western blotting were established on day 231 or 259, whereas those of splenic PrP(Sc) were detected on day 94 or 93, after i.p. and oral infection, respectively. The splenic PrP(Sc) decreased slightly thereafter. These results indicate that splenic PrP(Sc) increased before cerebral PrP(Sc) established a detectable level in a manner independent of the inoculation route.

For immunohistochemistry of the prion diseases, several pretreatment methods to enhance the immunoreactivity of human and animal abnormal proteinase-resistant prion protein (PrP(Sc)) on the tissue sections have been employed. The method of 121 degree C hydrated autoclaving pretreatment or the combination method of 121 degree C hydrated autoclaving with a certain chemical reagent (formic acid or proteinase K, etc) are now widely used. We found that an improved hydrated autoclaving method at 135 degrees C, more effectively enhanced PrP(Sc) immunoreactivity for the antibodies recognizing the linear epitope. In addition, this method was more effective for the long-term fixation samples as compared with other previous methods. However, this modified method could not retrieve PrP(Sc) antigenic epitopes composed of conformational structures or several discontinuous epitopes. We describe the comparative studies between our improved method and other antigen-retrieval procedures reported previously. Based on the differences of reaction among the antibodies, we also discuss the mechanisms of the hydrated autoclaving methods to retrieve PrP(Sc) immunoreactivity.

We have cloned a cDNA for a novel opsin from the larval brain of the silkworm Bombyx mori in which the photoperiodic photoreceptor had been supposed to reside in the cephalic central nervous system (CNS). Its deduced amino acid sequence was composed of 381 amino acids and included amino acid residues highly conserved in insect visual pigments. This opsin belonged to the long wavelength photoreceptor group of insect opsins and showed the greatest degree of homology (84%) with the green visual photoreceptor in the sphingid moth. We have designated this Bombyx cerebral opsin as Boceropsin. Southern blotting experiments indicated that the Boceropsin gene is present in a single copy, and RT-PCR analysis revealed that Boceropsin mRNA is expressed in the larval brain but not in the subesophageal ganglion (Sg) or thoracic ganglion (Tg). Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that Boceropsin protein is present bilaterally in some defined cells localized in the brain of Bombyx larvae. This is the first report of expression of an opsin-based protein in CNS of an insect. The possibility that the Boceropsin functions as the photoperiodic receptive pigment in the silkworm is also discussed., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

Optimal bioassay conditions for bovine glia maturation factor (GMF) were determined among glial cells from normal glioblasts to glioma cells. Rat glioblasts 4-8 days after subculture show the highest response t GMF with regard to morphological transformation and mitogenic activity. Bovine GMF enhances DNA synthesis of rat glioblasts at 12 h after stimulation; maximum incorporation of [methyl-3H]thymidine was detected at 18 h. GMF increases twofold the saturation density of rat glioblasts but does not alter that of C6 astrocytoma cells. The apparent inhibition of mitogenic activity of high doses of GMF is seen in both normal and malignant glial cells.