Yuji Sakano

Cerebral glucose metabolism associated with a fear network in panic disorder

The present study was performed to assess cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with panic disorder using positron emission tomography. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with voxel-based analysis was used to compare regional brain glucose utilization in 12 nonmedicated panic disorder patients, without their experiencing panic attacks during positron emission tomography acquisition, with that in 22 healthy controls. Panic disorder patients showed appreciably high state anxiety before scanning, and exhibited significantly higher levels of glucose uptake in the bilateral amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus, and in the midbrain, caudal pons, medulla, and cerebellum than controls. These results provided the first functional neuroimaging support in human patients for the neuroanatomical hypothesis of panic disorder focusing on the amygdala-based fear network.

Anxiety symptoms in Japanese and in German children

The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of anxiety symptoms and their association with gender and age in Japanese and German children using the Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale (SCAS). A total of 1837 children (862 from Germany and 975 from Japan) between the age of 8 and 12 years were investigated. Results revealed that German children reported significantly higher symptoms of separation anxiety, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder than Japanese children. Conversely, Japanese children reported significantly higher scores on symptoms related to physical injury fear. In both countries, girls scored higher than boys on all the scales of the SCAS. Symptoms of separation anxiety and panic decreased with age, whereas social phobia increased with age. The findings underscore the impact of culture on childrens anxiety.

Activation of the prefrontal cortex to trauma-related stimuli measured by near-infrared spectroscopy in posttraumatic stress disorder due to terrorism.

To develop a noninvasive method for psychophysiological assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 34 victims of the Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack in 1995 including 8 diagnosed as PTSD and 12 controls were examined by a multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system. Hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex was monitored during the presentation of trauma-related and control stimuli by video images. Skin conductance response (SCR) was also examined. Oxygenated hemoglobin significantly increased during the trauma-related image in the victims with or without PTSD. Deoxygenated hemoglobin significantly decreased only in victims with PTSD. No significant alteration was found in controls. Significantly enhanced SCR was also observed in the victims with PTSD during trauma-related stimuli. The findings suggest that measurement of cerebral hemodynamic response by NIRS is useful for psychophysiological assessment of PTSD.

Psychological, autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to acute stressors in the combined dexamethasone/CRH test: a study in healthy subjects

The combined dexamethasone/CRH test (DEX/CRH test) is reported to produce augmented ACTH and cortisol responses in various psychiatric disorders as well as in some non-psychiatric conditions. To examine whether stress affects the outcome of DEX/CRH test, two stress groups in a repeated measures design were compared to an age-matched control group with regard to the psychological, autonomic and neuroendocrine responses after the combined dexamethasone and CRH challenge. Cold pressor (4 degrees C, total 10 min) produced stronger subjective distress than mental arithmetic (15 min). Cold exposure, but not the mental test, elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure, whereas the mental test increased pulse rate and skin conductance level more markedly than cold exposure. Neither stressor produced a significantly enhanced response of ACTH and cortisol in DEX/CRH test, and there was no correlation between psychological and neuroendocrine responses. These findings suggest that different stressors induce different patterns of sympathetic activation and that acute stress is unlikely to affect the results of DEX/CRH test.

Comparison of factor-analyzed adolescent reinforcement survey schedule (ARSS) responses from japanese and American adolescents

The Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule (ARSS) was administered to a sample of male and female late adolescent college students from Japan (N = 500). The responses to the ARSS are factor analyzed using a principal component method. The results of the factor-analyzed ARSS from the Japanese sample are compared and contrasted with the results from a previous study (Holmes et al., 1987) in which ARSS was administered to a sample of American male and female college students (N = 231). Both the American and Japanese samples produced 10 interpretable factors. A recommendation is made to replicate the present study with groups of early and mid-adolescents in each culture in order to study shifts in reinforcers during different periods of adolescent development.

Effects of effort and distress coping processes on psychophysiological and psychological stress responses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of coping processes on psychophysiological and psychological responses in stressful settings. In particular, we focused on the effects of a combination of active and avoidant coping processes. Subjects were 40 healthy undergraduate male students (mean=19.80, S.D.=0.97) who were randomly divided into four groups: (a) an effort coping group in which a subject faced a controllable stressor mobilizing an effortful and active coping behavior for a reward; (b) a distress coping group in which a subject faced a distressful stressor mobilizing an avoidant coping behavior for threat of punishment; (c) an effort-distress coping group in which a subject faced an ambivalent stressor mobilizing active coping behavior for a reward and avoidant coping behavior for threat of punishment; and (d) a control group. Initially, the effects of effort coping, distress coping, and effort-distress coping on psychophysiological and psychological responses were investigated. It was found that effort coping and effort-distress coping intensified cardiovascular responses, particularly blood pressure, and that distress coping and effort-distress coping intensified skin conductance level (SCL). Secondarily, the relationships between effort coping process, distress coping process, psychophysiological responses, and psychological responses were investigated. As a result of cluster analysis, the changes of heart rate and blood pressure were correlated to the change of the effort score, and the changes of SCL and psychological responses were correlated to the change of the distress score. These findings suggest that active coping processes and avoidant coping processes independently affect different response systems.

Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Eating Disorder Inventory.

The rapid increase of patients with eating disorders in Japan has made necessary the reliable and valid measurement of psychological factors in eating disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Eating Disorder Inventory. 766 females without eating disorders and 139 female patients with eating disorders responded to the Eating Attitude Test and the Eating Disorder Inventory. Principal factor extraction with promax rotation isolated 9 interpretable factors with satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range = .74–.90). Compared with controls, patients scored significantly higher on all factors after minimizing the influence of Body Mass Index. There were strong correlations among factor scores and scores on the Eating Attitudes Test, particularly among patients. These results indicate the Eating Disorder Inventory as showing psychometrically sound internal consistency and concurrent validity.

Taijin Kyofusho and Social Phobia Symptoms in Young Adults in England and in Japan

The main aims of the present study were to compare the frequency of social phobia and taijin kyofusho symptoms among young adults in Japan and in England and to examine the role of family environment in the development of these two conditions. A total of 927 young adults (462 in England and 465 in Japan) between the ages of 19 and 24 were investigated. They completed a set of questionnaires that were used to measure social phobia and taijin kyofusho symptoms, as well as family background. Results showed that young adults in Japan reported significantly higher levels of taijin kyofusho and social phobia symptoms than young adults in England. Family sociability had a consistent effect on both social phobia and taijin kyofusho symptoms across the two cultures, but parental rearing attitudes showed distinct patterns between the two countries. This finding suggests that cross-cultural models need to consider familial factors that may be predictive across cultures and others that may be more culturally specific.

Cognitive profile of patients with burning mouth syndrome in the Japanese population

The present study investigated which cognitive characteristics, including cancer phobia, self-efficacy, pain-related catastrophizing, and anxiety sensitivity, affect burning mouth syndrome (BMS) symptoms in the Japanese population. A total of 46 BMS patients (44 women and 2 men; mean age, 59.98 ± 9.57 years; range, 30–79 years) completed a battery of questionnaires, including measures of pain severity, oral-related quality of life (QOL), stressresponse, pain-related catastrophizing, self-efficacy, anxiety sensitivity, and tongue cancer phobia. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) scores in the BMS patients were compared with the scores of Japanese healthy participants (PCS, n = 449; GSES, n = 278; ASI, n = 9603) reported in previous studies. Catastrophizing and anxiety sensitivity were significantly higher in the BMS patients than in the healthy subjects (P < 0.001). In BMS patients, catastrophizing was significantly correlated with pain severity, stress-response, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap. Cancer phobia was significantly correlated with psychological disability and handicap. Since catastrophizing showed a higher correlation with BMS symptoms than cancer phobia, catastrophizing might be a more significant cognitive factor affecting symptoms than cancer phobia in BMS patients in the Japanese population.

Effects of Safety Behaviour On the Maintenance of Anxiety and Negative Belief Social Anxiety Disorder

Background: Safety behaviour plays an important role in the maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). SAD patients engage in various safety behaviours in social situations in order to decrease the risk of negative evaluations from others. Aims: The present study examined the effect of safety behaviour on the maintenance of anxiety and negative belief in SAD by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Methods: Participants were a healthy group (442) and a SAD group (46) who met the SAD criteria for DSM-IV and who had high scores of SAD symptoms. In the assumed maintenance model, independence variables were safety and avoidance behaviour and dependence variables were anxiety and negative belief. Results: This result showed that the SAD group significantly has more high scores than the healthy group in all scales of anxiety, negative belief and avoidance behaviour, expect for safety behaviour. The result of the multiple-group procedure indicated that safety behaviour contributes more strongly to anxiety and negative belief in the SAD group than in the healthy group. Conclusions: It is speculated that the SAD group have a stronger link between safety behaviour and negative belief than the healthy group, whereas frequency of the use of safety behaviour is equivalent between two groups. These results support the findings of previous studies.