Effect of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotype on Self-Reported Efficacy and Activity Changes in the Brain Prefrontal Area in Response to a Caffeine Placebo / 医薬品情報学

Objective: The placebo effect can enhance the response to treatment, even in the absence of pharmacological ingredients. One possible factor explaining the likelihood of the placebo effect in individuals is genetic polymorphisms in neurotransmitters. This study focused on gene polymorphisms in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) as an interindividual variable of the placebo effect.Design・Methods: All 120 participants were explained the effects of caffeine, including its ability to ameliorate drowsiness and increase concentration, and then given a placebo (lactose). The onset of the placebo effect was measured in terms of the degree of caffeine-reduced sleepiness using subjective indices of the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and a feeling of drowsiness-Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The mechanism of the placebo effect was objectively examined in terms of changes in cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. In addition, we investigated participants’ susceptibility to the placebo effect by examining genetic polymorphisms in COMT.Results: After taking the drug, sleepiness on the SSS and VAS was significantly improved (p＜0.001), although there was no change in prefrontal cortex activity. Among the 120 participants, 63 had a Val/Val-type polymorphism in COMT (52.5%), 45 had a Val/Met-type (37.5%), and 12 had a Met/Met-type (10.0%). There were no significant differences among COMT gene polymorphisms in the subjective measures of SSS and VAS. However, there was a tendency for the cerebral blood flow changes to be larger in the left hemisphere of the brain in individuals with the Met/Met type.Conclusion: There seems to be a relationship between prefrontal cortex activity and genetic polymorphisms. In particular, there may be a correlation between the expression of a placebo effect and COMT gene polymorphisms.

Effects of Forest Video on Prefrontal Cortex Activity / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

This study aimed to clarify the effects of watching forest videos on prefrontal cortex activity. We examined oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) levels in the prefrontal cortex using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and measured the changes in relaxation level using the rating scale of emotion as defined in terms of relaxation (RE scale), and the free description data after watching the videos. We recruited 21 healthy female university students for this study. All subjects watched a forest video and an urban video in a random order; no significant differences were found in comparisons between the two conditions during and after watching the videos. Comparisons of oxy-Hb levels in the prefrontal cortex during and after watching the two videos showed a significant increase after watching the forest video. Significantly decreased scores of three RE scale items, i.e., “anxiety-relief,” “restrictive-free,” and “discomfort-comfort,” were observed with the urban video. The forest video significantly improved scores of the following items: “feeling high-stable,” “tense-relaxing,” “anxiety-relief,” “restrictive-free,” and “discomfort-comfort.” These results suggest that the forest video activates the left prefrontal cortex and subjectively enhances a relaxed feeling, after watching.

Application of near infrared spectroscopy to predict contents of various lactones in chromatographic process of Ginkgo Folium / 中国中药杂志

This study established a method for rapid quantification of terpene lactone, bilobalide, ginkgolide C, ginkgolide A and ginkgolide B in the chromatographic process of Ginkgo Folium based on near infrared spectroscopy(NIRS). The effects of competitive adaptive reweighting sampling(CARS), random frog(RF), and synergy interval partial least squares(siPLS) on the performance of partial least squares regression(PLSR) model were compared to the reference values measured by HPLC. Among them, the correlation coefficients of prediction(Rp) of validation sets of terpene lactone, bilobalide, and ginkgolide C were all higher than 0.98, and the relative standard errors of prediction(RSEPs) were 5.87%, 6.90% and 6.63%, respectively. Aiming at ginkgolide A and ginkgolide B with relatively low content, the genetic algorithm joint extreme learning machine(GA-ELM) was used to establish the optimized quantitative analysis model. Compared with CARS-PLSR model, the CARS-GA-ELM models of ginkgolide A and ginkgolide B exhibited a reduction in RSEP from 15.65% to 8.52% and from 21.28% to 10.84%, respectively, which met the needs of quantitative ana-lysis. It has been proved that NIRS can be used for the rapid detection of various lactone components in the chromatographic process of Ginkgo Folium.

Study on the reliability of NIRS to monitor fibular flaps on Rhesus monkeys / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective To confirm the sensitivity and validity of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology to detect the dynamic changes of blood volume and regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2).Methods Six fibular flaps on Rhesus monkeys were raised simulating a clinical operation.Third generation of NIRS oxygen saturation oximeter (TSAH-100) was employed on Rhesus monkeys' fibular flaps when its dominant artery and vein were blocked respectively or simultaneously,and then their relative changes of blood volume and oxygen saturation were observed and recorded in June,2008 to October,2008.Results The statistic results showed that concentration of deoxygenated hemoglobin (cHb),concentration of oxyhe moglobin (cHbO2) and rSO2 had rapid,apparent and distinct changes respectively in the case of arterial occlusion,venous occlusion and total occlusion.The initial values of cHb and cHbO2 of 3 models were 0 μmol/L.Meanwhile,the initial values of rSO2 in artery embolism,vein embolism and arteriovenous embolism were 51.6％,54.3％ and 56.8％,respectively.The maximum variations of cHb,cHbO2 and rSO2 in 3 models indicated significant difference compared with initial values (P＜0.05),the values of rSO2 after 6 s,18 s and 8 s in 3 models had significant difference compared with initial values respectively(P＜0.05).Conclusion The TSAH-100 based on NIRS technology is an extraordinarily sensitive and reliable method to monitor the changes of oxygen saturation and blood perfusion in local tissue for buried flap within a depth of 2.0 cm.

Relationship between the increase in cerebral blood flow and the attentional function during exercise / 体力科学

Although there are a number of reported cases of increased cerebral blood flow during exercise, there are no reports on the relation between changes of blood flow during exercise and attentional function. The purpose of this study is to clarify the relation between changes of blood flow during exercise with AT intensity and attentional function, using near-infrared spectral analysis. The subjects were 10 healthy males. The research protocol was to conduct steady load exercise. We randomly conducted two invention trials: 1) an exercise/task trial in which a trail making test (TMT) was performed as an attentional assignment during steady load exercise, and 2) a rest/task trial in which TMT was performed during rest as a control. As a result, we observed the following: increase of oxy-Hb in the prefrontal cortex during AT exercise, the significant shortening of TMT during exercise from 69.1±10.2 seconds to63.2±7.2seconds, and, with further control, that the more oxy-Hb rises, the more TMT time is shortened. From these results, it is suggested that 10 minutes of exercise would improve attentional function, and furthermore, there is a possibility that increased cerebral blood flow may be involved with the improvement of attentional function.

Rapid and quantitative determination of multiple quality indicators (indole alkaloids, etc.) in concentration process of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor extract using fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of near infrared spectroscopy in rapid and quantitative determination of multiple quality indicators in concentration process of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor extract. METHODS: NIR transmission spectra of concentrated solutions were collected in rectangular quartz cuvette with different optical pathlengths (2 and 5 mm). Calibration models of density, water content and indole alkaloids were developed by partial least squares regression (PLSR). The established models were applied to predict the unknown samples to test the performance of the models. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients of the density, water content and indole alka. The residual predictive deviations (RPD) were all above 3, and the relative standard errors of predictions(RSEP) were less than 10%, indicating the satisfactory model performance and predictive ability. Moreover, better calibration results were obtained with an optical path length of 2 mm for density and water content, and 5 mm for indole alkaloids. The results revealed that the optical path length has influence on the NIR analysis results, and the appropriate path length for the NIR analysis should be determined by comparison analysis. CONCLUSION: NIR spectroscopy technique provides a novel efficient and environmental friendly approach for the fast simultaneous determination of three key quality indicators (density, water content and indole alkaloids) in the concentration process of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor extract. Copyright 2012 by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Odor-Dependent Hemodynamic Responses Measured with NIRS in the Main Olfactory Bulb of Anesthetized Rats

In this study, we characterize the hemodynamic changes in the main olfactory bulb of anesthetized Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS, ISS Imagent) during presentation of two different odorants. Odorants were presented for 10 seconds with clean air via an automatic odor stimulator. Odorants are: (i) plain air as a reference (Blank), (ii) 2-Heptanone (HEP), (iii) Isopropylbenzene (IB). Our results indicated that a plain air did not cause any change in the concentrations of oxygenated (Delta[HbO2]) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (Delta[Hbr]), but HEP and IB induced strong changes. Furthermore, these odor-specific changes had regional differences within the MOB. Our results suggest that NIRS technology might be a useful tool to identify of various odorants in a non-invasive manner using animals which has a superb olfactory system.

Reduced prefrontal activation during tower of London (TOL) in first-episode schizophrenia: a multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy study / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To investigate the executive function of the patients with first-episode schizophrenia,and their relationships with the positive and negative symptoms. And to evaluate the activation characteristics of prefrontal cortex(PFC) in the schizophrenia. Methods Near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) was used to assess the activation of the bilateral PFCs during the computerized version of Tower of London(TOL) tasks in schizophrenia and controls. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS) was used to assess the psychiatric symptoms of the schizophrenia. 40 schizophrenic patients and 40 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects participated in this study. Results ( 1 ) The number of correct TOL responses in patients ( one-move ( 7.35 ± 1. 94 ), two-move ( 7.30 ± 2.53 ), three-move ( 6.58 ± 2.53 ), four-move ( 2.90 ± 1.89 ) ) was significantly less than the healthy controls( one-move (8.82 ± 1.48 ), two-move ( 8.38 ± 1.59 ), three-move ( 7.68 ± 1.47 ), four-move ( 3.73 ±1.71 ); P＜0. 05 ). ( 2 ) There was a significant negative correlation between the patients' task performance and the negative symptom scores(P ＜ 0.05 ). (3) The majority of the prefrontal area was activated in health subjects.Patients were characterized by significant decreased activation in the left PFC during the TOL task compared to healthy subjects. Conclusion Schizophrenic patients have executive function disorder at the initial stage of the disease.The results support that schizophrenia patients have hypofrontality ,and executive function is significantly negatively correlated with negative symptoms. NIRS my be a useful tool for research and clinical assessment for major psychoses.

Relationship between the intensity of muscle contraction and muscie oxygenation of the m. rectus femoris during dynamic knee extension / 体力科学

This study investigated the relationship between the intensity of muscle contraction and muscle oxygenation during dynamic knee extension. Six healthy male subjects (age 24.6±1.2 years) performed knee extension (concentric : 1 s/eccentric : 1 s) to exhaustion at 3 different intensities, 30%, 20% and 10% of maximum voluntary contractile strength (MVC) . A near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) probe and surface electrodes of the electromyogram were fixed on the m. rectus femoris. The muscle oxygenation and integral electromyogram (IEMG) were recorded both during and after dynamic knee extension.<BR>The summary of the results was as follows.<BR>1) Continuous time of knee extension decreased with increasing intensity of muscle contraction. There were significant differences between 10%MVC and 20%MVC (p<0.001), and 10%MVC and 30%MVC (p<0.001) .<BR>2) The oxy-hemoglobin level during knee extension decreased with increasing intensity of muscle contraction. There were significant differences between 10%MVC and 30%MVC (p<0.001), 20%MVC and 30%MVC (p<0.001), and 10%MVC and 20%MVC (p<0.05) .<BR>3) Recovery time after knee extension increased with increasing intensity of muscle contraction. There were significant differences between 10%MVC and 30%MVC (p<0.01), and 20%MVC and 30%MVC (p<0.01) .<BR>4) The IEMG increased with increasing time of knee extension. The maximum value was observed just before completing the knee extension on the IEMG. The rate of increase in the IEMG increased with decreasing intensity of muscle contraction.<BR>These results suggest that muscle oxygenation during dynamic knee extension decreases with increasing intensity of muscle contraction, and influences continuous time of muscle contraction.

Characteristics of muscle oxygenation in elderly men determined by near infrared spectroscopy / 体力科学

We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to study noninvasively the effects of aging on changes in muscle oxygenation during steady bicycle exercise. For the study, 6 healthy young males and 13 healthy elderly male volunteers were recruited. To evaluate the physical fitness level and to determine exercise intensity, the ventilatory threshold (VT) was first measured. As a result, elderly subjects were divided into two groups according to O<SUB>2</SUB> uptake at VT (Elderly-H ; 936.0±26.4, Elderly-L ; 695.3±29.9, Young ; 790.0±51.19 ml) . Secondly we measured muscle oxygenation by NIRS at rest and during exercise at relative work intensities of VT ; 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. In all cases muscle oxygenation at rest and during exercise was expressed as a relative value from 100% oxygenation (oxygen capacity) established by thigh occlusion (ischemia) . All subjects showed progressive deoxygenation with increasing intensity. There were no differences between the three groups in muscle oxygenation during exercise at relative work intensity of VT. These data suggest that aging and physical fitness level have no effect on muscle oxygenation below relative work intensity of VT.