Network-dependent modulation of brain activity during sleep

AbstractBrain activity dynamically changes even during sleep. A line of neuroimaging studies has reported changes in functional connectivity and regional activity across different sleep stages such as slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. However, it remains unclear whether and how the large-scale network activity of human brains changes within a given sleep stage. Here, we investigated modulation of network activity within sleep stages by applying the pairwise maximum entropy model to brain activity obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging from sleeping healthy subjects. We found that the brain activity of individual brain regions and functional interactions between pairs of regions significantly increased in the default-mode network during SWS and decreased during REM sleep. In contrast, the network activity of the fronto-parietal and sensory-motor networks showed the opposite pattern. Furthermore, in the three networks, the amount of the activity changes throughout REM sleep was negatively correlated with that throughout SWS. The present findings suggest that the brain activity is dynamically modulated even in a sleep stage and that the pattern of modulation depends on the type of the large-scale brain networks

Postoperative Radiographic Early-Onset Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Single-Level L4–L5 Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion in Patients without Preoperative Severe Sagittal Spinal Imbalance

Study Design Retrospective study. Purpose To investigate the relationship between preoperative total spinal sagittal alignment and the early onset of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in patients with normal sagittal spinal alignment. Overview of Literature Postoperative early-onset ASD is one of the complications after L4–L5 PLIF, a common surgical procedure for lumbar degenerative disease in patents without severe sagittal imbalance. A better understanding of the preoperative characteristics of total spinal sagittal alignment associated with early-onset ASD could help prevent the condition. Methods The study included 70 consecutive patients diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease who underwent single-level L4–L5 PLIF between 2011 and 2015. They were divided into two groups based on the radiographic progression of L3–L4 degeneration after 1-year follow-up: the ASD and the non-ASD (NASD) group. The following radiographic parameters were preoperatively and postoperatively measured: sagittal vertebral axis (SVA), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence (PI). Results Eight of the 70 patients (11%) experienced ASD after PLIF (three males and five females; age, 64.4±7.7 years). The NASD group comprised 20 males and 42 females (age, 67.7±9.3 years). Six patients of the ASD group showed decreased L3–L4 disc height, one had L3–L4 local kyphosis, and one showed both changes. Preoperative SVA, PI, and TK were significantly smaller in the ASD group than in the NASD group (p <0.05). Conclusions A preoperative small SVA and TK with small PI were the characteristic alignments for the risk of early-onset ASD in patients without preoperative severe sagittal spinal imbalance undergoing L4–L5 single-level PLIF

Novel function of HATs and HDACs in homologous recombination through acetylation of human RAD52 at double-strand break sites

The p300 and CBP histone acetyltransferases are recruited to DNA double-strand break (DSB) sites where they induce histone acetylation, thereby influencing the chromatin structure and DNA repair process. Whether p300/CBP at DSB sites also acetylate non-histone proteins, and how their acetylation affects DSB repair, remain unknown. Here we show that p300/CBP acetylate RAD52, a human homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair protein, at DSB sites. Using in vitro acetylated RAD52, we identified 13 potential acetylation sites in RAD52 by a mass spectrometry analysis. An immunofluorescence microscopy analysis revealed that RAD52 acetylation at DSBs sites is counteracted by SIRT2- and SIRT3-mediated deacetylation, and that non-acetylated RAD52 initially accumulates at DSB sites, but dissociates prematurely from them. In the absence of RAD52 acetylation, RAD51, which plays a central role in HR, also dissociates prematurely from DSB sites, and hence HR is impaired. Furthermore, inhibition of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein by siRNA or inhibitor treatment demonstrated that the acetylation of RAD52 at DSB sites is dependent on the ATM protein kinase activity, through the formation of RAD52, p300/CBP, SIRT2, and SIRT3 foci at DSB sites. Our findings clarify the importance of RAD52 acetylation in HR and its underlying mechanism

コウユウデンリツ セラミックス オ モチイタ TEMケツゴウブンプセンロケイ 2バンドデュープレクサ ノ テイアン ト セッケイリロン ： トクニブンプ リアクティプケツゴウ ニヨル ガイブQチ

最近移動体通信における携帯電話は、800MHz帯と1.5GHz帯の2バンドが用いられており、これらに対応した端末器が別々に作られているが、将来は低コストにするために2バンドを1機種で対応できる機器の開発が望まれている。ここではその一環として2バンドデュープレクサの開発に必要な分布回路の研究を行った。従来のデュープレクサでは2ヶの帯域通路フィルター(Band Pass Filter)を集中定数回路や、分布定数線路を用いて分波していたが、形状が大きくなるうえに、2ヶの周波数が夫々f_1及びf_2=2f_1の如く離れている場合には回路構成が複雑となる。そこで今回は高誘電率セラミックスのブロック中に形成されたTEM平行三線路を用いた分波回路を提案し、その設計理論と実験結果との照合を行ったものである。とくに2バンドに対する分布定数線路の長さは異なり、これらの結合に於いては、従来のインターディジタル結合の場合と異り、分布リアクティブ結合が行われる。この結合理論は従来無く、今回筆者により求められこれに基づいてフィルタの外部Q値を求めて実験結果とよく一致する結果を得たものである。Duplexers are usually used between the antenna and the equipments such as the transmitter and the receiver to separate their signals. In the portable movable communications, however, the frequency bands exist in arround about 0.9 and 1.8GHz. The co_used equipments available to the dual band will be demmanded to make low cost in future. This paper, therefore, presents the proposed dual band duplexers and the theory of the design to meet the requirement mentioned above, where the several types with multicoupled TEM lines in high dielectric material are proposed.In the proposed constructions, there are not only the interdigital coupling and lumped element coupling used in the past but also the newly proposed distributed reactive coupling for the duplexing function. This paper, therefore, is especially focused on the design theory of the distributed reactive coupling in connection with the newly proposed construction, and shows the good agreements with experimental results. The techniques and the theory will be available to not only such a devices mentioned above, but also other microwave circuits in general

Local Signal Time-Series during Rest Used for Areal Boundary Mapping in Individual Human Brains

It is widely thought that resting state functional connectivity likely reflects functional interaction among brain areas and that different functional areas interact with different sets of brain areas. A method for mapping areal boundaries has been formulated based on the large-scale spatial characteristics of regional interaction revealed by resting state functional connectivity. In the present study, we present a novel analysis for areal boundary mapping that requires only the signal timecourses within a region of interest, without reference to the information from outside the region. The areal boundaries were generated by the novel analysis and were compared with those generated by the previously-established standard analysis. The boundaries were robust and reproducible across the two analyses, in two regions of interest tested. These results suggest that the information for areal boundaries is readily available inside the region of interest

Multiclass Functional Discriminant Analysis and Its Application to Gesture Recognition

Functional data analysis, Model selection, Pattern recognition,

Study on Diagnostic and Therapeutic Application of X-ray DDS using Gold and Platinum Nanoparticles

Poster Session Proceedings of the International Symposium on Key to the Future Energy Secruity and Nuclear Education & Researc

DUSP-1 Induced by PGE2 and PGE1 Attenuates IL-1&beta;-Activated MAPK Signaling, Leading to Suppression of NGF Expression in Human Intervertebral Disc Cells

The molecular mechanism of discogenic low back pain (LBP) involves nonphysiological nerve invasion into a degenerated intervertebral disc (IVD), induced by nerve growth factor (NGF). Selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors are mainly used in the treatment of LBP, and act by suppressing the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is induced by inflammatory stimuli, such as interleukin-1&beta; (IL-1&beta;). However, in our previous in vitro study using cultured human IVD cells, we demonstrated that the induction of NGF by IL-1&beta; is augmented by a selective COX-2 inhibitor, and that PGE2 and PGE1 suppress NGF expression. Therefore, in this study, to elucidate the mechanism of NGF suppression by PGE2 and PGE1, we focused on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and its phosphatase, dual-specificity phosphatase (DUSP)-1. IL-1&beta;-induced NGF expression was altered in human IVD cells by MAPK pathway inhibitors. PGE2 and PGE1 enhanced IL-1&beta;-induced DUSP-1 expression, and suppressed the phosphorylation of MAPKs in human IVD cells. In DUSP-1 knockdown cells established using small interfering RNA, IL-1&beta;-induced phosphorylation of MAPKs was enhanced and prolonged, and NGF expression was significantly enhanced. These results suggest that PGE2 and PGE1 suppress IL-1&beta;-induced NGF expression by suppression of the MAPK signaling pathway, accompanied by increased DUSP-1 expression

Cervical Kyphotic Deformity after Laminoplasty in Patients with Cervical Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament with Normal Sagittal Spinal Alignment

Background: Preoperative cervico-thoracic kyphosis and cervical regional positive imbalance are the risk factors for postoperative cervical kyphosis after expansive laminoplasty (ELAP). However, the relationship between preoperative global sagittal spinal alignment and postoperative cervical kyphosis in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the onset of postoperative cervical kyphosis after ELAP and the preoperative global spinal sagittal alignment in patients with OPLL with normal sagittal spinal alignment. Methods: Sixty-nine consecutive patients without preoperative cervical kyphosis who underwent ELAP for OPLL and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) were enrolled. The global sagittal alignment radiography preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively were examined. The subjects were divided into a postoperative cervical lordosis group (LG) or a kyphosis group (KG) at 1 year postoperatively. The preoperative global sagittal spinal alignment between LG and KG in CSM and OPLL was compared. Results: The occurrence of cervical kyphosis after ELAP was 7 of 27 cases (25.9%) in OPLL and 13 of 42 cases (31.0%) in CSM. In patients with CSM in the KG, C7 the sagittal vertical axis (SVA) was smaller than in the LG. In patients with cervical OPLL in the KG, C2-C7 angle, C2-C7 SVA, and thoracic kyphosis (TK) were smaller than those in the LG. In OPLL, the age of the KG was younger than that of LG; however, this was not a significant difference in CSM. Conclusion: In patients with cervical OPLL without preoperative global spinal sagittal imbalance, preoperative small C2-C7 angle, C2-C7 SVA, TK, and younger age were typical characteristics of postoperative cervical kyphosis after ELAP

Effect of single caffeine intake on neuropsychological functions in healthy volunteers: A double-blind placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE:We investigated the effects of a single instance of caffeine intake on neurocognitive functions and driving performance in healthy subjects using an established cognitive battery and a driving simulator system. METHODS:This study was conducted in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled manner from February 19, 2016 to August 6, 2016. Caffeine intake was discontinued 3 days prior to the study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 200-mg doses of caffeine or a placebo. Thirty minutes after administration, cognitive functions were evaluated via the Symbol Digit Coding Test (SDC), the Stroop Test (ST), the Shifting Attention Test (SAT) and the Four Part Continuous Performance Test (FPCPT). After the cognitive function tests were conducted, driving performance was evaluated using a driving simulator. We measured the brake reaction time (BRT) in the Harsh-braking test and the standard deviation of the lateral position (SDLP) in the Road-tracking test. RESULTS:Of 100 randomized subjects, 50 (50%) of 100 in the caffeine group and 50 (50%) of 100 in the placebo group completed the study. Participants in the caffeine group had more correct responses than participants in the placebo group on the SAT (P = 0.03) and made fewer errors (P = 0.02). Participants in the caffeine group exhibited shorter times in the Harsh-braking test than participants in the placebo group (P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS:A single instance of caffeine intake changed some neurocognitive functions and driving performance in healthy volunteers. TRIAL REGISTRATION:UMIN000023576