Trajectories of emotional and behavioral problems in school-age children with coordination difficulties and their relationships to ASD/ADHD traits.

BACKGROUND: Although research has demonstrated associations between motor coordination difficulties and psychological problems in school-age children, including emotional and behavioral problems, longitudinal changes in these problems in children with motor coordination difficulties are not fully understood. AIMS: The current study aimed to identify patterns in the trajectory of emotional and behavioral problems in school-age children with motor coordination difficulties, and to elucidate the effect of co-existing neurodevelopmental traits on the occurrence and course of these problems. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, 773 children were defined as cases with motor coordination difficulties and followed for 4 years, from 6 to 10 years of age. Emotional and behavioral problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire completed by children's parents or guardians. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: We identified four trajectory patterns of emotional and behavioral problems. Children with higher autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder traits were more likely to be assigned to poor prognostic trajectory patterns. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings emphasize the importance of assessing emotional and behavioral problems and co-existing neurodevelopmental traits in children with motor coordination difficulties in early elementary school.

Collaboration among psychological researchers, the government, and non-profit organizations for "Konkatsu" (marriage hunting) in Japan.

In contemporary Japanese society, it is difficult to find a marriage partner, and therefore, "Konkatsu," the search for a marriage partner, has become a socially accepted activity in Japan. In response to this social challenge, in addition to private companies, governments and non-profit organizations are supporting individuals in their search for a marriage partner. This paper reviews statistical information related to marriage hunting published in Japan. In addition, some of the authors' collaborative activities and academic publications based on these activities are reviewed. Subsequently, the paper discusses and highlights the importance of helping individuals have confidence in their physical attractiveness.

Association between salivary oxytocin levels and the amygdala and hippocampal volumes.

Salivary oxytocin levels have been widely measured and studied in relation to social behavior because of procedural simplicity and noninvasiveness. Although the relationship between oxytocin levels in the blood and the hippocampus and amygdala is now becoming clear with reliable blood oxytocin studies, few studies have examined the relationship between salivary oxytocin and the brain function and structure. This study aimed to investigate whether the salivary oxytocin level is associated with the volume of the amygdala and hippocampus in 178 adults (92 women and 86 men) in their third to seventh decade of life. We performed volumetric analysis of the amygdala and hippocampus using FreeSurfer and measured salivary oxytocin levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed contradictory effects of the salivary oxytocin level on the amygdala volume by sex and no significant effect on the hippocampal volume. Specifically, men showed a positive correlation between the salivary oxytocin level and amygdala volume, whereas women showed a negative correlation between the salivary oxytocin level and amygdala volume. The present study's finding of sex differences in the association between salivary oxytocin and brain structure supports previous findings that there are sex differences in the oxytocin system.

Association between relational mobility, brain structure, and prosociality in adolescents.

Trust plays a vital role in human society. Previous studies have suggested that trust comprises general trust and caution. General trust is a belief that others, in general, are trustworthy, and caution is a belief in the importance of vigilance in dealing with others. Adolescence is a critical period for establishing these psychological traits. It is a period of physical and mental development, and the social environment during this period influences adolescents' psychology, including their brain structures. In this study, we focus on relational mobility as a socio-environmental factor that influences the development of adolescents' psychology and the brain. Relational mobility refers to the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and consists of two subfactors (the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and the number of opportunities to meet new people). Accordingly, we analyzed each subfactor separately. Results showed that the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships was only negatively associated with caution and left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) volume in adolescents. Furthermore, the effect of the freedom to choose and replace social relationships on caution was significantly relevant to the left pSTG volume. In contrast, the degree of opportunities to meet new people was associated with neither general trust nor caution, whereas it was positively associated with the right supramarginal gyrus volume. This study suggests that the social environment during adolescence influences brain structures related to prosociality.

DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR Encodes the ALOG Protein Originating from Gene Duplication and Inhibits AWN Elongation by Suppressing Cell Proliferation and Elongation in Sorghum.

The awn, a needle-like structure extending from the tip of the lemma in grass species, plays a role in environmental adaptation and fitness. In some crops, awns appear to have been eliminated during domestication. Although numerous genes involved in awn development have been identified, several dominant genes that eliminate awns are also known to exist. For example, in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), the dominant awn-inhibiting gene has been known since 1921; however, its molecular features remain uncharacterized. In this study, we conducted quantitative trait locus analysis and a genome-wide association study of awn-related traits in sorghum and identified DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR (DAI), which encodes the ALOG family protein on chromosome 3. DAI appeared to be present in most awnless sorghum cultivars, likely because of its effectiveness. Detailed analysis of the ALOG protein family in cereals revealed that DAI originated from a duplication of its twin paralog (DAIori) on chromosome 10. Observations of immature awns in near-isogenic lines revealed that DAI inhibits awn elongation by suppressing both cell proliferation and elongation. We also found that only DAI gained a novel function to inhibit awn elongation through an awn-specific expression pattern distinct from that of DAIori. Interestingly, heterologous expression of DAI with its own promoter in rice inhibited awn elongation in the awned cultivar Kasalath. We found that DAI originated from gene duplication, providing an interesting example of gain-of-function that occurs only in sorghum but shares its functionality with rice and sorghum.

Is oxytocin a trust hormone? Salivary oxytocin is associated with caution but not with general trust.

Studies on the association between trust and oxytocin, a neuropeptide of the central nervous system, have not reached a consensus, thereby challenging the possibility of a direct association between the two. However, previous studies have not examined how oxytocin is correlated with trust, based on its categorization into different factors in the field of social science. For instance, based on Yamagishi's trust theory, trust can be categorized into two factors: general trust and caution. General trust refers to beliefs about the trustworthiness of others, whereas caution refers to the belief that caution is needed when dealing with high social uncertainty. In this study, to examine the relationship between these two factors and oxytocin, we analyzed data of 197 adults (men = 98, women = 99; mean age = 41.7 years; standard deviation for age = 10.4 years) and examined the relationships between these two factors of trust and endogenous salivary oxytocin levels. We found that oxytocin was positively correlated with caution rather than with general trust thereby suggesting that oxytocin plays a role in regulating caution rather than general trust among the components of trust. The present study demonstrated that salivary oxytocin level can act as a biomarker that partially predicts one's trust, especially as reflected by caution.

Salivary Oxytocin Is Negatively Associated With Religious Faith in Japanese Non-Abrahamic People.

Spirituality and religiosity have a significant impact on one's well-being. Although previous studies have indicated that the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin is associated with spirituality/religiosity, existing findings remain inconsistent. Some studies have reported a positive relationship between oxytocin and spirituality/religiosity, while other studies have reported a negative association. Herein, we examined the association between endogenous oxytocin and spirituality/religiosity in 200 non-Abrahamic Japanese individuals (102 females, mean age ± standard deviation = 41.53 ± 10.46) by measuring the level of salivary oxytocin and spiritual/religious faith. We found that the level of salivary oxytocin was negatively associated with spiritual/religious faith. Individuals with higher levels of salivary oxytocin tend to have more negative spiritual/religious faith compared with those with low oxytocin levels (e.g., "Spirituality/religiosity makes people passive and clinging."). Moreover, this tendency was only significant in individuals who were not interested in a specific religion. The uniqueness of spirituality/religiosity in Japan could help interpret the current findings.

Atypical Sensory Processing Profiles and Their Associations With Motor Problems In Preschoolers With Developmental Coordination Disorder.

The aims of this study were to identify sensory processing profiles specific to preschoolers with DCD in a community sample and examine the association of sensory processing problems with motor coordination difficulties in these children. Sixty-three 5-year-old children with DCD and without other neurodevelopmental disorders and 106 age-matched typically developing children participated in this study. Sensory processing problems were assessed using the Sensory Profile. Our results demonstrated problems in wide sensory processing patterns (low registration, sensitivity and avoiding) and areas (auditory, vestibular, touch and oral) in children with DCD compared with typically developing children. Additionally, the association of problems in sensory processing patterns (sensitivity and avoiding) and areas (touch and auditory) with motor coordination difficulties were identified in children with DCD alone. Our findings indicate that sensory processing abnormalities may contribute to the pathophysiology of DCD, suggesting the importance of assessing sensory processing functions in children with DCD.

Microfluidic Separation of Blood Cells Based on the Negative Dielectrophoresis Operated by Three Dimensional Microband Electrodes.

A microfluidic device is presented for the continuous separation of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) in a label-free manner based on negative dielectrophoresis (n-DEP). An alteration of the electric field, generated by pairs of slanted electrodes (separators) that is fabricated by covering parts of single slanted electrodes with an insulating layer is used to separate cells by their sizes. The repulsive force of n-DEP formed by slanted electrodes prepared on both the top and bottom substrates led to the deflection of the cell flow in lateral directions. The presence of gaps covered with an insulating layer for the electric field on the electrodes allows the passing of RBCs through gaps, while relatively large WBCs (cultured cultured human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1 cells)) flowed along the slanted separator without passing through the gaps and arrived at an edge in the channel. The passage efficiency for RBCs through the gaps and the arrival efficiency for THP-1 cells to the upper edge in the channel were estimated and found to be 91% and 93%, respectively.

Replicating and extending the effects of auditory religious cues on dishonest behavior.

Although scientists agree that replications are critical to the debate on the validity of religious priming research, religious priming replications are scarce. This paper attempts to replicate and extend previously observed effects of religious priming on ethical behavior. We test the effect of religious instrumental music on individuals' ethical behavior with university participants (N = 408) in the Czech Republic, Japan, and the US. Participants were randomly assigned to listen to one of three musical tracks (religious, secular, or white noise) or to no music (control) for the duration of a decision-making game. Participants were asked to indicate which side of a vertically-bisected computer screen contained more dots and, in every trial, indicating that the right side of the screen had more dots earned participants the most money (irrespective of the number of dots). Therefore, participants were able to report dishonestly to earn more money. In agreement with previous research, we did not observe any main effects of condition. However, we were unable to replicate a moderating effect of self-reported religiosity on the effects of religious music on ethical behavior. Nevertheless, further analyses revealed moderating effects for ritual participation and declared religious affiliation congruent with the musical prime. That is, participants affiliated with a religious organization and taking part in rituals cheated significantly less than their peers when listening to religious music. We also observed significant differences in cheating behavior across samples. On average, US participants cheated the most and Czech participants cheated the least. We conclude that normative conduct is, in part, learned through active membership in religious communities and our findings provide further support for religious music as a subtle, moral cue.

Effects of voluntary and forced exercises on motor function recovery in intracerebral hemorrhage rats.

Motor paralysis is a severe consequence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) that reduces patient quality of life. Rehabilitation is beneficial for stroke patients. However, functional recovery depends on the exercise type, and which factors are effective during rehabilitation are unknown. We aimed to clarify the effect of voluntary and forced exercises for functional recovery in ICH rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: forced treadmill running (F-Ex.), voluntary wheel cage running (V-Ex.) and no exercise (Non-Ex.). The effects of the two exercises on motor recovery were analyzed by determining the motor deficit score and using the beam walking test. Stress and motivation status after rehabilitation were determined by corticosterone concentrations (ELISA) and immunoreactivity of ΔFosB (immunohistochemistry) in the nucleus accumbens, respectively. Significantly enhanced motor functional recovery was observed in the two trained groups compared with that in the Non-Ex. group. Of note, recovery in the V-Ex. group was greater than that in the F-Ex. group. To investigate the motivation and stress related to the exercises, the expression of ΔFosB in the nucleus accumbens and corticosterone concentration were compared after rehabilitation. In the V-Ex. group, there was a significant increase of ΔFosB, and in the F-Ex. Group, there was a high concentration of corticosterone. These data suggest that the effect of training for motor recovery was enhanced by motivation and reduced by stress.

Ultrasound irradiation before high-load exercise reduces muscle rigidity associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness.

[Purpose] We investigated the occurrence of delayed-onset muscle soreness and the suppression of muscle rigidity by ultrasound irradiation before high-load exercise. [Participants and Methods] The study was a randomized crossover controlled trial. The participants were 28 healthy university students (12 males, 16 females). Delayed-onset muscle soreness was induced in the biceps brachii muscle; ultrasound (3 MHz, 1.5 W/cm2, 10 min) was applied before high-load exercise. Pain during elbow motion was evaluated on a visual analog scale. Muscle rigidity was evaluated using a muscle rigidity meter. [Results] After exercise on the second day, the ultrasound group showed significantly less muscle rigidity. [Conclusion] The heat stimulus of ultrasound therapy before high-load exercise reduces muscle rigidity.

The negative consequences of maximizing in friendship selection.

Previous studies have shown that the maximizing orientation, reflecting a motivation to select the best option among a given set of choices, is associated with various negative psychological outcomes. In the present studies, we examined whether these relationships extend to friendship selection and how the number of options for friends moderated these effects. Across 5 studies, maximizing in selecting friends was negatively related to life satisfaction, positive affect, and self-esteem, and was positively related to negative affect and regret. In Study 1, a maximizing in selecting friends scale was created, and regret mediated the relationships between maximizing and well-being. In a naturalistic setting in Studies 2a and 2b, the tendency to maximize among those who participated in the fraternity and sorority recruitment process was negatively related to satisfaction with their selection, and positively related to regret and negative affect. In Study 3, daily levels of maximizing were negatively related to daily well-being, and these relationships were mediated by daily regret. In Study 4, we extended the findings to samples from the U.S. and Japan. When participants who tended to maximize were faced with many choices, operationalized as the daily number of friends met (Study 3) and relational mobility (Study 4), the opportunities to regret a decision increased and further diminished well-being. These findings imply that, paradoxically, attempts to maximize when selecting potential friends is detrimental to one's well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record

Passion, Relational Mobility, and Proof of Commitment: A Comparative Socio-Ecological Analysis of an Adaptive Emotion in a Sexual Market.

Although monogamy, the exclusive bonding with a specific partner, is one characteristic of modern human mating, long-term romantic relationships inherently possess the commitment problem, which is the conflict between maintaining a relationship with a certain partner and seeking attractive alternatives. Frank has argued that love and passion help solve this problem because they make individuals commit voluntarily to the relationship, leading the other party to also be committed with less concern over being cheated on or rejected. Combining this idea with the comparative socio-ecological approach, we hypothesize that passion will be more pronounced in social environments in which people have greater freedom to choose and replace their partners (i.e., high relational mobility) than in societies in which relationships tend to be more stable and hard to change (i.e., low relational mobility). To test this hypothesis, we compared Americans (living in a society with high relational mobility) and Japanese (living in a society with low relational mobility). As predicted, Americans were more passionate toward their romantic partners than Japanese, and this cultural difference was partially explained by the levels of perceived relational mobility in participants' local ecology. Moreover, more intense passion was found to lead to greater commitment behaviors in both societies. The importance of taking socioecological factors into consideration for the theory of the adaptive function of interpersonal emotions is also discussed.

SCRG1 suppresses LPS-induced CCL22 production through ERK1/2 activation in mouse macrophage Raw264.7 cells.

Recently, we identified the scrapie responsive gene 1 (SCRG1) secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and its receptor bone marrow stromal cell antigen 1 (BST1) as positive regulators of stem cell qualities such as self­renewal, migration abilities, and osteogenic differentiation potential. Here, we examined the effect of the paracrine activity of SCRG1 in macrophages. The mouse macrophage­like cell line Raw264.7 expressed BST1/ß1 or BST1/ß2 integrin as possible SCRG1 receptors. Unexpectedly, recombinant SCRG1 did not enhance cell proliferation, migration, or adhesion in these macrophages. However, further examination of the effect of SCRG1 in Raw264.7 cells did reveal a potent anti­inflammatory effect whereby SCRG1 suppressed LPS­induced CCL22 production. SCRG1 also induced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal­regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in these cells and, moreover, a mitogen­activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK kinase inhibitor U0126 significantly suppressed the effect of SCRG1 on LPS­induced chemokine CCL22 production. Taken together, these data indicate that SCRG1 signals through the MAPK pathway and suppresses the LPS signaling pathway. CCL22 is generally known to be chemotactic for monocytes, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and chronically activated T lymphocytes, suggesting that MSC­derived SCRG1 may block infiltration of these cells. A mechanism is proposed by which MSCs play their immunosuppressive role through suppressing chemokine expression in monocyte/macrophage lineage cells.

Propofol Anesthesia Is Reduced in Phospholipase C-Related Inactive Protein Type-1 Knockout Mice.

The GABA type A receptor (GABAA-R) is a major target of intravenous anesthetics. Phospholipase C-related inactive protein type-1 (PRIP-1) is important in GABAA-R phosphorylation and membrane trafficking. In this study, we investigated the role of PRIP-1 in general anesthetic action. The anesthetic effects of propofol, etomidate, and pentobarbital were evaluated in wild-type and PRIP-1 knockout (PRIP-1 KO) mice by measuring the latency and duration of loss of righting reflex (LORR) and loss of tail-pinch withdrawal response (LTWR). The effect of pretreatment with okadaic acid (OA), a protein phosphatase 1/2A inhibitor, on propofol- and etomidate-induced LORR was also examined. PRIP-1 deficiency provided the reduction of LORR and LTWR induced by propofol but not by etomidate or pentobarbital, indicating that PRIP-1 could determine the potency of the anesthetic action of propofol. Pretreatment with OA recovered the anesthetic potency induced by propofol in PRIP-1 KO mice. OA injection enhanced phosphorylation of cortical the GABAA-R ß3 subunit in PRIP-1 KO mice. These results suggest that PRIP-1-mediated GABAA-R ß3 subunit phosphorylation might be involved in the general anesthetic action induced by propofol but not by etomidate or pentobarbital.

Bisdemethoxycurcumin enhances X-ray-induced apoptosis possibly through p53/Bcl-2 pathway.

Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), which is isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, has anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities. Here we found that BDMC enhanced X-ray-induced apoptosis in human T-cell leukemia MOLT-4 cells. Knockdown of p53 significantly attenuated the radiosensitizing effect of BDMC. However, BDMC did not enhance X-ray-mediated activation of the p53 signaling pathway via p53's transactivation or mitochondrial translocation. On the other hand, BDMC promoted the X-ray-induced dephosphorylation at Ser 70 in Bcl-2's flexible loop regulatory domain and Bcl-2 binding to p53. Overexpressing Bcl-2 completely blocked the BDMC's radiosensitization effect. Our results indicate that BDMC stimulates the dephosphorylation and p53-binding activity of Bcl-2 and suggest that BDMC may induce a neutralization of Bcl-2's anti-apoptotic function, thereby enhancing X-ray-induced apoptosis.

HSP90 Regulation of P2X7 Receptor Function Requires an Intact Cytoplasmic C-Terminus.

P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) are ATP-gated ion channels that display the unusual property of current facilitation during long applications of agonists. Here we show that facilitation disappears in chimeric P2X7Rs containing the C-terminus of the P2X2 receptor (P2X2R), and in a truncated P2X7R missing the cysteine-rich domain of the C-terminus. The chimeric and truncated receptors also show an apparent decreased permeability to N-methyl-d-glucamine(+) (NMDG(+)). The effects of genetic modification of the C-terminus on NMDG(+) permeability were mimicked by preapplication of the HSP90 antagonist geldanamycin to the wild-type receptor. Further, the geldanamycin decreased the shift in the reversal potential of the ATP-gated current measured under bi-ionic NMDG(+)/Na(+) condition without affecting the ability of the long application of agonist to facilitate current amplitude. Taken together, the results suggest that HSP90 may be essential for stabilization and function of P2X7Rs through an action on the cysteine-rich domain of the cytoplasmic the C-terminus.

cis-3-Hexenol and trans-2-hexenal mixture prevents development of PTSD-like phenotype in rats.

Several green leaf volatiles have anxiolytic/antidepressant properties and attenuate adrenocortical stress response in rodents. However, it remains unknown whether a mixture of cis-3-hexenol and trans-2-hexenal so-called 'green odor (GO)' affects fear-associated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like behavior. In the present study, fear memory of the initial conditioning stimulus was stably maintained by weekly presentation of conditioned tone. Examination of open field behavior, acoustic startle response, prepulse inhibition, and immobility in the forced swim test for 2 weeks after initial conditioning revealed that conditioned rats sustained anxiety, enhanced startle response, hypervigilance, depression-like behavior, and hypocortisolism, which is consistent with PTSD symptoms. Daily, not acute, GO presentation facilitated fear extinction and reduced PTSD-like behavioral and endocrinal responses. To further investigate the mechanism of effect of GO, we examined the effect of paroxetine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA, an irreversible serotonin synthesis inhibitor), alone or in combination of GO on PTSD-like phenotype. The alleviative effects of GO were masked by simultaneous paroxetine administration. PCPA-induced serotonin depletion abolished the effects of GO. Our results suggest that daily GO presentation facilitates fear extinction and prevents development of PTSD-like symptoms.