Fukujiro Ozawa

Localization of Menkes gene expression in the mouse brain; its association with neurological manifestations in Menkes model mice

Abstract Menkes gene (Mc1 or MNK, encoding putative copper-transporting ATPase) expression was investigated and compared in normal and macular mutant mouse brain. Northern blot analysis showed a distinct 8.3-kb transcript and no obvious difference in size or extent in normal mice and macular mutants on postnatal days 0, 4, 7, 10 or 13. In situ hybridization revealed that certain specific populations of cells in the brain express Menkes mRNA, and that their localization in normal and mutant mice did not differ and was conserved on days 4, 10 and 13. The most intense hybridization signals were observed in the hippocampal CA1 region and dentate gyrus, the olfactory bulb nuclei, the cerebellar granular cell layer, the choroid plexus and the ependyma, with less intense signals in the hippocampal CA3 region and cerebellar Purkinje cells. In addition, necrotic neuronal cell death was predominantly observed in the CA3 region and the Purkinje cells of macular mice after postnatal day 10. The finding that the regions that had lower expression level of Menkes mRNA corresponded to those showing neuronal necrosis suggests that the Menkes gene may be responsible for the neuronal degeneration in some specific portions of the brain and clinical manifestations in this mutant.

The effects of listening comprehension of various genres of literature on response in the linguistic area: an fMRI study.

Using fMRI at a static magnetic field strength of 1.5 T, we investigated how comprehension and humor of sentences would correlate to activation of the language areas in listening comprehension of a native language. Sentences with a high comprehension score augmented activation in the left inferior parietal lobule and posterior part of the left superior temporal gyrus, which may be related to semantic processing. Sentences with a high humor score induced activation in Brocas area, which may be associated with syntactic processing and auditory working memory. Furthermore, sentences with a high humor factor and/or a low comprehension score activated the middle frontal gyrus, which may be attributed to auditory working memory.

Cortical regions involved in extraction of forms from complex figures: an fMRI study

Chikako Kate*, Kayak0 Matsuot, Toshiharu Nakait, Fukujiro OzawaS, Haruo IsodaS, Yasuo TakeharaS, Satoshi Isogai

Manipulo-spatial processing of ideographic characters in left-handers: observation in fMRI.

, Harumi SakaharaS, Tetsuo Moriyat *Toyohashi Sozo College, Toyohashi, Japan l-Medical Vision Lab, Life Electronics Research Center, AIST, Osaka / Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation, Kobe, Japan SDepartment of Radiology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan