Masanori Nagamine

Maternal history of reading difficulty is associated with reduced language-related gray matter in beginning readers.

Family history and poor preliteracy skills (referred to here as familial and behavioral risk, respectively) are critical predictors of developmental dyslexia. This study systematically investigated the independent contribution of familial and behavioral risks on brain structures, which had not been explored in past studies. We also examined the differential effects of maternal versus paternal history on brain morphometry, and familial risk dimensionally versus categorically, which were also novel aspects of the study. We assessed 51 children (5 to 6 years of age) with varying degrees of familial and behavioral risks for developmental dyslexia and examined associations with brain morphometry. We found that greater maternal history of reading disability was associated with smaller bilateral prefrontal and parieto-temporal gray, but not white matter volumes. Regressing out behavioral risk, socioeconomic status, and maternal education and other confounds did not change the results. No such relationship was observed for paternal reading history and behavioral risk. Results of cortical surface area and thickness further showed that there was a significant negative relationship between cortical surface area (but not thickness) and greater severity of maternal history, in particular within the left inferior parietal lobule, suggesting prenatal influence of maternal history on childrens brain morphometry. The results suggested greater maternal, possibly prenatal, influence on language-related brain structures. These results help to guide future neuroimaging research focusing on environmental and genetic influences and provide new information that may help predict which child will develop dyslexia in the future.

Accelerated binocular rivalry with anxious personality.

When dissimilar figures are presented to the two eyes individually, perception alternates spontaneously between each monocular view. This phenomenon, designated binocular rivalry, has been used by many scientists as a tool for investigating visual awareness. Some recent studies have suggested involvement of serotonergic neural systems in this phenomenon. We explored the relationship between binocular rivalry and anxiety, a state thought to be associated with serotonergic neural activity. Perceptual alternation rate in dominance of binocular rivalry were compared between normal volunteers with high and low general anxiety as measured using the harm avoidance (HA) scale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Perceptual alternation rate and rhythmicity in the high-HA group was significantly greater than that in the low-HA group. The perceptual alternation rate in binocular rivalry was accelerated in anxious subjects, suggesting that binocular rivalry and anxiety may share some common serotonergic neural substrates.

Difference in binocular rivalry rate between patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders.

OBJECTIVE When dissimilar figures are presented to each eye individually, perception alternates spontaneously between each monocular view. This phenomenon, known as binocular rivalry, has been used as a powerful tool to investigate conscious visual awareness. Of clinical relevance, Pettigrew and Miller (Proc Biol Sci 1998; 265: 2141-2148) found slow perceptual alternation rates in patients with bipolar I disorder (BD-I). For a better understanding of differences between BD-I and bipolar II disorder (BD-II), we examined whether perceptual alternation rates of binocular rivalry differ between the two subtypes of bipolar disorder. METHODS The subjects comprised 25 healthy controls, 11 patients with BD-I, and 17 patients with BD-II. They underwent binocular rivalry examination. One-way analysis of variance was conducted to determine differences in the phase duration of binocular rivalry between the control, BD-I, and BD-II groups. RESULTS Significant differences were observed in the mean phase duration of binocular rivalry between the groups. Although the medication administered did not differ significantly between the BD-I and BD-II patients, the phase duration was significantly longer among the BD-I patients than the BD-II patients and controls, whereas no significant difference was observed in the phase duration between the BD-II patients and controls. CONCLUSION The present results reveal a significant difference in the mean phase duration of binocular rivalry between subjects with BD-I and those with BD-II, suggesting the presence of some neurobiological difference between these two subtypes of bipolar disorder.

Neuroimaging correlates of handwriting quality as children learn to read and write

Reading and writing are related but separable processes that are crucial skills to possess in modern society. The neurobiological basis of reading acquisition and development, which critically depends on phonological processing, and to a lesser degree, beginning writing as it relates to letter perception, are increasingly being understood. Yet direct relationships between writing and reading development, in particular, with phonological processing is not well understood. The main goal of the current preliminary study was to examine individual differences in neurofunctional and neuroanatomical patterns associated with handwriting in beginning writers/readers. In 46 5–6 year-old beginning readers/writers, ratings of handwriting quality, were rank-ordered from best to worst and correlated with brain activation patterns during a phonological task using functional MRI, and with regional gray matter volume from structural T1 MRI. Results showed that better handwriting was associated negatively with activation and positively with gray matter volume in an overlapping region of the pars triangularis of right inferior frontal gyrus. This region, in particular in the left hemisphere in adults and more bilaterally in young children, is known to be important for decoding, phonological processing, and subvocal rehearsal. We interpret the dissociation in the directionality of the association in functional activation and morphometric properties in the right inferior frontal gyrus in terms of neural efficiency, and suggest future studies that interrogate the relationship between the neural mechanisms underlying reading and writing development.

Lithium‐induced Hashimoto’s encephalopathy: a case report

OBJECTIVE To report on a patient with Hashimotos encephalopathy induced by lithium. PATIENT AND INTERVENTIONS: A 61-year-old woman with a type II bipolar disorder and a history of lithium-induced thyrotoxicosis associated with silent thyroiditis was hospitalized to treat a severe major depressive episode. Given long-term treatment with levothyroxine for hypothyroidism that had resulted from silent thyroiditis, endogenous hormone in thyroid follicles was assumed to be minimized by the negative feedback, decreasing risk of recurrent thyrotoxicosis if lithium were restarted. RESULTS Lithium clearly relieved the patients depressive symptoms, but after 40 days encephalopathy developed. Thyrotoxicosis was ruled out, and serum antithyroid antibody titers were elevated. In the cerebrospinal fluid, protein content was substantially elevated and antithyroid antibodies were detected. Encephalopathy resolved dramatically after course of intravenous pulse therapy with methylprednisolone. CONCLUSIONS We believe that autoantibodies against antigens shared by the thyroid gland and the brain were induced by exposure to lithium, causing the patient to develop Hashimotos encephalopathy.

Psychological Effects of Disaster Relief Activities on Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Personnel Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Objective: Disaster relief workers are potentially exposed to severe stressors on the job, resulting in a variety of psychological responses. This study aims to clarify the psychological effects of disaster relief activities on Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Method: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 606 JGSDF personnel one month after completing the disaster relief mission. Posttraumatic stress responses and general psychological distress were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the K10 scales. Associations between outcome variables and independent variables (age, gender, military rank, length of deployment, and exposure to dead bodies) were measured with univariate analyses and subsequent multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: The mean (± SD) IES-R score was 6.2 (± 8.1), and the mean K10 score was 12.8 (± 4.4). In the univariate analyses, exposure to dead bodies and age were identified as significant factors for IES-R and K10 scores, (p < 0.01). However, the multiple logistic regression analyses did not reveal any significant factors although body handlers’ exposure approached significance for IES-R. Conclusions: The subjects reported very low psychological responses despite the severe nature of their disaster relief activities. Several factors may account for the low levels of psychological distress and posttraumatic symptoms observed in this study.

Comparison of psychiatrists' views on classification of mental disorders in four East Asian countries/area

OBJECTIVE Authors of this study collaborated with psychiatrists in East Asia to undertake the international survey with the following objectives: (1) to identify the psychiatric classification systems currently used in East Asia, (2) to describe the views of psychiatrists on the classificatory systems of mental disorders in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan, (3) to analyze their similarities and differences among the four countries/area, and (4) to discuss factors which influence the usages of the classificatory systems in East Asia. METHOD Views of psychiatrists in four East Asian countries/area were collected by a minimum of 100 psychiatrists in each country/area using the same questionnaire. Psychiatrists from East Asian countries/area completed the questionnaire developed originally by a New Zealand psychiatrist and translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese. The questionnaire was designed to determine the views of psychiatrists in the utilization, preference, and opinion about the current classificatory systems represented by the DSM and ICD. RESULTS The study revealed variations in the utilization, preference and opinion for further revision of the DSM and the ICD classificatory systems in East Asia. Psychiatrists in China and Japan routinely use the ICD, while psychiatrists in Korea and Taiwan favor using the DSM. The majority of Asian psychiatrists expressed the view that it was sometimes difficult to apply the system transculturally. CONCLUSIONS Views on psychiatric classification in a country/area are strongly influenced by several factors including mental health service systems, psychiatric resources and historical background.

The longitudinal mental health impact of Fukushima nuclear disaster exposures and public criticism among power plant workers: the Fukushima NEWS Project study.

Background The Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plant workers experienced multiple stressors as both victims and onsite workers after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear accidents. Previous studies found that disaster-related exposures, including discrimination/slurs, were associated with their mental health. Their long-term impact has yet to be investigated. Method A total of 968 plant workers (Daiichi, n = 571; Daini, n = 397) completed self-written questionnaires 2–3 months (time 1) and 14–15 months (time 2) after the disaster (response rate 55.0%). Sociodemographics, disaster-related experiences, and peritraumatic distress were assessed at time 1. At time 1 and time 2, general psychological distress (GPD) and post-traumatic stress response (PTSR) were measured, respectively, using the K6 scale and Impact of Event Scale Revised. We examined multivariate covariates of time 2 GPD and PTSR, adjusting for autocorrelations in the hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results Higher GPD at time 2 was predicted by higher GPD at time 1 (β = 0.491, p < 0.001) and discrimination/slurs experiences at time 1 (β = 0.065, p = 0.025, adjusted R2 = 0.24). Higher PTSR at time 2 was predicted with higher PTSR at time 1 (β = 0.548, p < 0.001), higher age (β = 0.085, p = 0.005), and discrimination/slurs experiences at time 1 (β = 0.079, p = 0.003, adjusted R2 = 0.36). Conclusions Higher GPD at time 2 was predicted by higher GPD and discrimination/slurs experience at time 1. Higher PTSR at time 2 was predicted by higher PTSR, higher age, and discrimination/slurs experience at time 1.

Rumor-Related and Exclusive Behavior Coverage in Internet News Reports Following the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Outbreak in Japan.

OBJECTIVE We sought to elucidate news article reporting of adverse public psychosocial behaviors, in particular, rumor-related coverage (eg, panic, demagoguery) and exclusive behavior coverage (negative behaviors, eg, discrimination, bullying) during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) influenza pandemic in Japan. METHODS We examined 154 Internet news-site articles reporting adverse public psychosocial responses in the first 60 days of the outbreak. Rumor-related coverage and exclusive behavior coverage were dichotomously coded as included or not. Moreover, we assessed whether or not health information (eg, coping methods, virus toxicity information) or emphasis on information quality (eg, importance of information, cautions about overreactions) were simultaneously reported. RESULTS Rumor-related coverage (n=120, 77.9%) was less likely to simultaneously report public health information (eg, toxicity information, health support information, and cautions about overreactions; P<.05). Conversely, exclusive behavior coverage (n=41, 26.6%) was more likely to report public health information (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS Rumor-related coverage was less likely to have accompanying public health information, whereas exclusive behavior coverage was more likely to include it. During public health crises, it is essential to understand that rumors and exclusive behaviors have adverse effects on the public and that accompanying public health information may help people take proactive coping actions.

Disaster Victim Identification: Psychological Distress and Posttraumatic Stress in Dentists After the 2011 Fukushima Disaster

Objective: To evaluate the correlates of psychological responses in dentists who conducted disaster victim identification (DVI) in Fukushima following the 2011 earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster. Method: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 49 male dentists six to nine months after the disaster. Psychological distress and posttraumatic stress were measured using the General Health Questionnaire–30 (GHQ-30) and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R), respectively. Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics, participant disaster exposures, DVI-related exposures, and fear of radiation exposure during DVI. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to examine independent-dependent variable relations. Results: Thirty-eight participants (77.6%) had examined ≥ 40 corpses, 20 (40.8%) reported ≥ 4 corpse-related exposures, and six (12.2%) reported ≥ 5 gruesome corpse exposures. Mean (SD) GHQ-30 and IES-R scores were 5.08 (5.31) and 9.90 (10.1), respectively. Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with younger age (adjusted β = −0.29), extensive property loss (β = 0.34), and anxiety for the future (β = 0.33). Higher levels of posttraumatic stress were associated with extensive property loss (adjusted R2 = 17.7%, β = 0.30). Neither outcome was associated with DVI-related exposures or fear of radiation exposure during DVI (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Dentists’ psychological burden was associated with disaster, but not DVI, exposures.