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The concept of the "Ajase complex" was advocated by Heisaku Kosawa, one of the researchers who brought psychoanalysis into Japan. Kosawa's emphasis was originally on the feeling of guilt that is based on the apologetic feeling that comes from being forgiven, in contrast with the guilt that comes from the fear of punishment. However, Okonogi, a disciple of Kosawa, began to change this concept's emphasis to mother/child friction. The Ajase (Ajătaśatru) story which Kosawa and Okonogi based the origin of the name "Ajase complex" on is far different from that of the Buddhist scriptures. The most significant difference is as follows: in the Ajase legend, that comes mainly from two Buddhist scriptures, the Contemplation Sŭtra and the Mahăyăna-mahăparinirvăna-sŭtra, the murder of the father by the child Ajase is the main theme and resembles the Oedipus complex. The episode of Ajase trying to kill her mother, Vaidehi, comes from the mother Vaidehĭ trying to help the imprisoned king and does not come from mother/child friction. In the Ajase complex, the mother's planned pregnancy to ensure the connection of love with her husband, the king, the attempted murder of Ajase, who is the reincarnation of the hermit, by Vaidehĭ, and the story of how a mother's love saves Ajase from the hate that grew out of the mother/child friction, are not included in the above-mentioned Buddhist scriptures. The story to back up the Ajase complex comes from Kosawa and Okonogi's new interpretation and origination. In this article, the authors are not trying to deny the value of the specific pathological mother/child relationship suggested by the Ajase complex. It is not the definition that we doubt, but the naming.

Rationale and Objective: Impulsive behavior has been suggested to occur due to a dysfunction of serotonergic 5-HT neurotransmission. After evaluation by a self-reporting measure, a polymorphism in the promoter of the 5-HT2A receptor gene has been proposed to underlie the impulsive behavior; however, this hypothesis is not convincing. In this study, we examined whether this 5-HT2A receptor gene polymorphism is involved in impulsive aggression by evaluating a behavioral task (go/no-go task) in normal volunteers., Materials and Methods: The polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene promoter was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using lymphocytes from 71 volunteers. Impulsivity was defined as the number of commission errors (responding when one should not) made during a go/no-go task (a larger number of commission errors indicates greater difficulty in inhibiting the behavior)., Results: The subjects in the group with the A-1438A allele of the 5-HT2A receptor gene (A-1438A group) made more commission errors under the punishment-reward condition in a go/no-go task than those in the G-1438G group., Conclusions: These results suggest the possible involvement of the A-1438A polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene in impulsive behavior; this was evaluated using a behavioral task measure that can directly reveal the traits of human impulsive behavior.

A new analog of yessotoxin, 1-desulfoyessotoxin, was isolated from the digestive glands of mussels growing in the Sognefjord, Norway. Its structure was determined by NMR and negative ion CID MS/MS experiments. 1-Desulfoyessotoxin can be detected by the fluorometric HPLC method analogous with other yessotoxins., (Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A case in which a close relation was observed between epilepsy and a form of religious faith is discussed. This patient had a distinct inclination towards a religion which put more emphasis on the body than the mind. In addition, he found a specifically religious significance in the so-called 'aura' of his epileptic seizure, and this was an important point which linked him to the religious organization he belonged to. The author considered that the inclination to a religion which put emphasis on the body was important in discussing the religious psychopathology of the epileptic patient.

Chronic treatment (20 days) of rats with d-amphetamine decreased the density, but had no effect on the apparent affinity of [3H]spiroperidol binding sites in caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. In contrast, chronic phencyclidine treatment had no effect either on the number or on the affinity of [3H]spiroperidol binding sites in these two brain regions.

We reported seven cases of patients with regularly recurring psychosis in close association with the menstrual cycle, who showed certain characteristics in common in regard to their age of onset, clinical picture, psychogenic factors, endocrine and EEG findings. In these patients, monoamine metabolisms in the central nervous system, fluctuating in connection with menstrual cycle, may be disturbed by emotional impact or other unknown causes thereby delicately deranging the central nervous system activity, mentally and physiologically.

Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity was determined in the locus coeruleus, anterior hypothalamus and posterior hypothalamus of cold-stressed rats. In the acute cold stress, rats were exposed to an ambient temperature of 5 degrees C in a cold room for 5-20 min. In the chronic cold stress, rats were exposed to the same cold temperature for 4 hr once every day in the morning for periods ranging from 1 to 3 weeks. There was decreased DBH activity in the locus coeruleus following acute cold stress and increased activity in both the locus coeruleus and the anterior hypothalamus following the chronically repeated cold stress.