Effects of Reminiscence Therapy Using Nostalgic SONGS on The Cognitive Function of The Elderly Living in The Community.

The study aimed to examine the effects of reminiscence therapy using nostalgic songs on the cognitive function of elderly people living in the community. The subjects were 34 people who had undergonea ssessment of their vital functions using a basic check list and stated that they had problems related to "withdrawal" or "cognitive functions". Their cognitive functions were assessed using the Hasegawa Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) prior to and following the implementation of reminiscence intervention using nostalgic songs. The cognitive functions of the elderly were classified into three levels and assessed according to the judgment criteria of those scales. There were significant differences in the total HDS-R score and scores for the subscale items -"recital of numbers in reverse order" and "delayed recall"-received by all subjects. There were also significant differences in the total MMSE score and scores for the subscale items -"spatial orientation" and "delayed recall" -received by all subjects. Regarding cognitive function levels, there were significant differences in the total score and subscale score for "delayed recal" received by elderly people who had been determined as having "cognitive dysfunction" using the HDS-R and "mild cognitive dysfunction". That is, it is not possible to evaluate possible dementia, but there is a risk of transitioning to suspicion of dementia when it is left unattended, using the HDS-R and MMSE

α7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonists: Potential Therapeutic Drugs for Treatment of Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Accumulating evidence suggests that α7 nicotinic receptors (α7 nAChRs), a subtype of nAChRs, play a role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A number of psychopharmacological and genetic studies shown that α7 nAChRs play an important role in the deficits of P50 auditory evoked potential in patients with schizophrenia, and that (α nAChR agonists would be potential therapeutic drugs for cognitive impairments associated with P50 deficits in schizophrenia. Furthermore, some studies have demonstrated that α7 nAChRs might play a key role in the amyloid-β (Aβ)-mediated pathology of AD, and that α7 nAChR agonists would be potential therapeutic drugs for Aβ deposition in the brains of patients with AD. Interestingly, the altered expression of α7 nAChRs in the postmortem brain tissues from patients with schizophrenia and AD has been reported. Based on all these findings, selective α7 nAChR agonists can be considered potential therapeutic drugs for cognitive impairments in both schizophrenia and AD. In this article, we review the recent research into the role of α7 nAChRs in the pathophysiology of these diseases and into the potential use of novel α7 nAChR agonists as therapeutic drugs

Sub-Arcsecond Near-Infrared Images of Massive Star Formation Region NGC 6334 V

We present high spatial resolution (0\farcs3) polarimetric images in the $H$ and $K$ bands and direct images in the $L'$ and $M'$ bands of the NGC 6334 V infrared nebulae. The images show complex structures including the multi-shells and various knots in the nebulae. The appearances and colors of the eastern and western nebulae differ considerably. Our polarization images also show differences between the illuminating sources of the nebulae: the eastern nebula is illuminated by a deeply embedded mid-infrared source, KDJ 4, and the western nebula by our newly detected near-infrared source, WN-A1. The degree of polarization of the nebulae is very large, up to 70% at $K$ and 60% at $H$, which is consistent with a single scattering of near-infrared radiation from each source at the walls of the mass outflows