The Effect of Mobile Neurofeedback Training in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: : To examine the effect of mobile neurofeedback training on the clinical symptoms, attention abilities, and execution functions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: : The participants were 74 children with ADHD aged 8-15 years who visited the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Seoul National University Children's Hospital. The participants were randomly assigned to the mobile neurofeedback (n = 35) or control (sham; n = 39) group. Neurofeedback training was administered using a mobile app (equipped with a headset with a 2-channel electroencephalogram [EEG] sensor) for 30 min/day, 3 days/week, for 3 months. Children with ADHD were individually administered various neuropsychological tests, including the continuous performance test, Children's Color Trails Test-1 and 2, and Stroop Color and Word Tests. The effects of mobile neurofeedback were evaluated at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation. Results: : Following treatment, both mobile neurofeedback-only and sham-only groups showed significant improvements in attention and response inhibition. In the visual continuous performance test, omission errors decreased to the normal range in the mobile neurofeedback-only group after training, suggesting that mobile neurofeedback effectively reduced inattention in children with ADHD. In the advanced test of attention, auditory response times decreased in the mobile neurofeedback + medication group after training, but increased in the sham+medication group. Overall, there were no significant between-group differences in other performance outcomes. Conclusion: : Mobile neurofeedback may have potential as an additional therapeutic option alongside medication for children with ADHD.

Intrinsic plasticity of Purkinje cell serves homeostatic regulation of fear memory.

Two forms of plasticity, synaptic and intrinsic, are neural substrates for learning and memory. Abnormalities in homeostatic plasticity cause severe neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and autism. This suggests that the balance between synaptic transmission and intrinsic excitability is important for physiological function in the brain. Despite the established role of synaptic plasticity between parallel fiber (PF) and Purkinje cell (PC) in fear memory, its relationship with intrinsic plasticity is not well understood. Here, patch clamp recording revealed depression of intrinsic excitability in PC following auditory fear conditioning (AFC). Depressed excitability balanced long-term potentiation of PF-PC synapse to serve homeostatic regulation of PF-evoked PC firing. We then optogenetically manipulated PC excitability during the early consolidation period resulting in bidirectional regulation of fear memory. Fear conditioning-induced synaptic plasticity was also regulated following optogenetic manipulation. These results propose intrinsic plasticity in PC as a novel mechanism of fear memory and elucidate that decreased intrinsic excitability in PC counterbalances PF-PC synaptic potentiation to maintain fear memory in a normal range.

Lateral hypothalamic leptin receptor neurons drive hunger-gated food-seeking and consummatory behaviours in male mice.

For survival, it is crucial for eating behaviours to be sequenced through two distinct seeking and consummatory phases. Heterogeneous lateral hypothalamus (LH) neurons are known to regulate motivated behaviours, yet which subpopulation drives food seeking and consummatory behaviours have not been fully addressed. Here, in male mice, fibre photometry recordings demonstrated that LH leptin receptor (LepR) neurons are correlated explicitly in both voluntary seeking and consummatory behaviours. Further, micro-endoscope recording of the LHLepR neurons demonstrated that one subpopulation is time-locked to seeking behaviours and the other subpopulation time-locked to consummatory behaviours. Seeking or consummatory phase specific paradigm revealed that activation of LHLepR neurons promotes seeking or consummatory behaviours and inhibition of LHLepR neurons reduces consummatory behaviours. The activity of LHLepR neurons was increased via Neuropeptide Y (NPY) which acted as a tonic permissive gate signal. Our results identify neural populations that mediate seeking and consummatory behaviours and may lead to therapeutic targets for maladaptive food seeking and consummatory behaviours.

Erratum: Preliminary Validation Study of the Korean Version of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure: Depression and Irritability for Parents of Children Aged 6-17 Years.

[This corrects the article on p. 67 in vol. 33, PMID: 35832862.].

Erratum: A Study of the Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of DSM-5 Symptom Measure-Inattention and Anger for Parent and Guardian of Child Age 6 to 17.

[This corrects the article on p. 71 in vol. 32, PMID: 33828406.].

Preliminary Validation Study of the Korean Version of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure: Depression and Irritability for Parents of Children Aged 6-17 Years.

Objectives: This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-Depression and the Irritability for parents of children aged 6-17 years. Methods: Participants were 190 children diagnosed with depressive disorder (n=14), anxiety disorder (n=21), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n=111), ADHD with anxious depression (n=13), and tic disorder with somatic symptoms (n=31). Patients were 8-15 years of age. The participants' mothers completed the Korean versions of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure- PROMIS Depression and Irritability (Affective Reactivity Index, ARI), and the Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). Using these data, we calculated the reliability coefficient and examined the concurrent and discriminant validity of the PROMIS Depression and the Irritability (ARI) scales for assessing depression and irritability in children. Results: The reliability coefficient of the PROMIS Depression scale (Cronbach's α) was 0.93. The correlation coefficient with the KCBCL DSM emotional problem score was 0.71. The PROMIS Depression scale significantly discriminated children with depressive disorders from those with other conditions. The reliability coefficient of the Irritability (ARI) scale was 0.91, suggesting its high reliability. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the Korean version of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure for Depression and Irritability Scales for parents of children aged 6-17 years is reliable and valid and may be an efficient alternative to the K-CBCL.

A Study of the Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of DSM-5 Symptom Measure-Inattention and Anger for Parent and Guardian of Child Age 6 to 17.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-inattention [Swanson, Nolan and Pelham, version IV (SNAP-IV)] and anger [Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anger] for parents and guardians of children aged 6-17 years. METHODS: We included 104 children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD with anxiety and depression, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and tic disorder with somatic symptoms (ADHD=41, depression=9, anxiety=14, ADHD+anxious depression=11, tic+somatic symptoms=29). Their ages ranged from 8 years to 15 years. The participants' mothers completed the SNAP-IV, PROMIS Anger scale, Korean version of the IOWA Conners Rating Scale (K-IOWA), and Korean ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) so that the reliability and validity of the SNAP-IV and PROMIS Anger scales, which are DSM-5 scales for assessing inattention and anger of children and adolescents, could be examined. RESULTS: The reliability coefficient of SNAP-IV (Cronbach's α) was 0.94. The correlation coefficients between SNAP-IV, K-IOWA inattention, and K-ARS inattention scores ranged from 0.73 to 0.86. The mean SNAP-IV scores of the ADHD and the ADHD+anxious depression groups were significantly higher than those of the anxiety and the tic+somatic symptoms groups. The reliability coefficient of the PROMIS Anger was 0.91. The correlation coefficient between PROMIS Anger and K-IOWA oppositional/defiant scores was 0.75. The PROMIS Anger mean score of the ADHD+anxious depression group tended to be higher than that of the other groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the Korean version of the DSM-5 Level 2 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-inattention and anger for parent and guardian of child age 6-17 might be a reliable and valid test and may be useful for screening children and adolescents with ADHD.

Effectiveness and dissemination of computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy for depressed adolescents: Effective and accessible to whom?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a Computer-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CCBT) and identify the characteristics of depressed adolescents that participated in the CCBT program. METHODS: Screening tests for depression and help-seeking variables were conducted in school-aged Korean adolescents (n= 376, mean age=15.71 years, 53.7% female). The number of adolescents that scored above the threshold for mild depression (PHQ-9, CES-D) was 139. Fifty adolescents agreed to participate in the randomized controlled trial (RCT) of CCBT program. Twenty-five adolescents were randomly assigned to the treatment group, and the other 25 to the waitlist control group. The treatment group engaged in CCBT with therapeutic support. To identify variables affecting the outcomes, the quality of their homework compliance also was assessed. RESULTS: Participants (n=50) who agreed to participate in the CCBT program demonstrated different help-seeking attitudes - a greater recognition of the need for help and lower interpersonal openness - compared to the adolescents (n=87) who did not participate (t = -2.93, p < .01; t = 3.50, p < .001). The treatment group showed significant improvements in depression, self-esteem, and quality of life compared to the waitlist group. Adolescents with high homework compliance showed a significant decrease in the depression scores compared to adolescents with low homework compliance. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, no follow-up assessments. CONCLUSION: CCBT could be an effective alternative for depressed adolescents, especially those who tend to have low interpersonal openness. To improve the effects of CCBT, therapeutic support needs to be provided.

LOX family and ZFPM2 as novel diagnostic biomarkers for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer that develops in the pleural and outer layer of tissues surrounding the lungs. MPM is primarily caused by occupational exposure to asbestos and results in a poor prognosis. Effective therapeutics as well as early diagnostics for the MPM are still lacking. To identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for MPM, we performed bioinformatics analysis of public database. METHODS: Utilizing databases from Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), we identified several potential candidates that could act as MPM biomarkers. We carried out additional molecular analyses of these potential markers using MPM patient tissue samples via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We identified Lysyl oxidase (LOX), Lysyl oxidase homologs 1&2 (LOXL1& LOXL2) Zinc Finger Protein, FOG Family Member 2 (ZFPM2) as potential diagnostic biomarkers for MPM. In this study, we found that the LOX family and ZFPM2 showed comparable diagnostic ability to Fibulin-3 or mesothelin (MSLN) and would be better potential biomarkers than Sulfatase 1 (SULF1), Thrombospondin 2 (THBS2) and Cadherin 11 (CDH11). CONCLUSIONS: LOX family and ZPFM2 were identified as novel MPM diagnostic biomarkers which could strengthen MPM clinical diagnostic capabilities.

CRISPR-Cas9 mediated CD133 knockout inhibits colon cancer invasion through reduced epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

We previously reported that CD133, as a putative cancer stem cell marker, plays an important role in cell proliferation and invasion in colon cancer. To understand the role of CD133 expression in colon cancer, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of CD133 in colon cancer cells. In this study, we generated CD133knockout colon cancer cells (LoVo) using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. CD133+ colon cancer cells (LoVo) were infected with the lentiviral vector carrying CD133 gRNA and purified cell by culturing single cell colonies. CD133knockout cells was validated by western blot and flow cytometry analysis. In functional study, we observed a significant reduction in cell proliferation and colony formation in CRISPR-Cas9 mediated CD133 knockout cells in compare with control (P < 0.001). We also found the anticancer effect of stattic was dependent on CD133 expression in colon cancer cells. Although CD133knockout cells could not completely block the tumorigenic property, they showed remarkable inhibitory effects on the ability of cell migration and invasion (P < 0.001). In addition, we examined the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related protein expression by western blot. The result clearly showed a loss of vimentin expression in CD133knockout cells. Therefore, CRISPR-Cas9 mediated CD133knockout can be an effective treatment modality for CD133+ colon cancer through reducing the characteristics of cancer stem cells.