Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The registration of functional brain data to the common brain space offers great advantages for inter-modal data integration and sharing. However, this is difficult to achieve in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) because fNIRS data are primary obtained from the head surface and lack structural information of the measured brain. Therefore, in our previous articles, we presented a method for probabilistic registration of fNIRS data to the standard Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) template through international 10-20 system without using the subject's magnetic resonance image (MRI). In the current study, we demonstrate our method with a new statistical model to facilitate group studies and provide information on different components of variability. We adopt an analysis similar to the single-factor one-way classification analysis of variance based on random effects model to examine the variability involved in our improvised method of probabilistic registration of fNIRS data. We tested this method by registering head surface data of twelve subjects to seventeen reference MRI data sets and found that the standard deviation in probabilistic registration thus performed for given head surface points is approximately within the range of 4.7 to 7.0 mm. This means that, if the spatial registration error is within an acceptable tolerance limit, it is possible to perform multi-subject fNIRS analysis to make inference at the population level and to provide information on positional variability in the population, even when subjects' MRIs are not available. In essence, the current method enables the multi-subject fNIRS data to be presented in the MNI space with clear description of associated positional variability. Such data presentation on a common platform, will not only strengthen the validity of the population analysis of fNIRS studies, but will also facilitate both intra- and inter-modal data sharing among the neuroimaging community.

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The recent advent of multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has expanded its technical potential for human brain mapping. However, NIRS measurement has a technical drawback in that it measures cortical activities from the head surface without anatomical information of the object to be measured. This problem is also found in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that transcranially activates or inactivates the cortical surface. To overcome this drawback, we examined cranio-cerebral correlation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) via the guidance of the international 10-20 system for electrode placement, which had originally been developed for electroencephalography. We projected the 10-20 standard cranial positions over the cerebral cortical surface. After examining the cranio-cerebral correspondence for 17 healthy adults, we normalized the 10-20 cortical projection points of the subjects to the standard Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and Talairach stereotactic coordinates and obtained their probabilistic distributions. We also expressed the anatomical structures for the 10-20 cortical projection points probabilistically. Next, we examined the distance between the cortical surface and the head surface along the scalp and created a cortical surface depth map. We found that the locations of 10-20 cortical projection points in the standard MNI or Talairach space could be estimated with an average standard deviation of 8 mm. This study provided an initial step toward establishing a three-dimensional probabilistic anatomical platform that enables intra- and intermodal comparisons of NIRS and TMS brain imaging data.

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author  

Ste20p (sterile 20 protein) is a putative yeast mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K) involved in the mating pathway. Its homologs in mammals, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans and other organisms make up a large emerging group of protein kinases including 28 members in human. The Ste20 group kinases are further divided into the p21-activated kinase (PAK) and germinal center kinase (GCK) families. They are characterized by the presence of a conserved kinase domain and a noncatalytic region of great structural diversity that enables the kinases to interact with various signaling molecules and regulatory proteins of the cytoskeleton. This review describes the phylogenetic relationships of the Ste20 group kinases based on discussions with many researchers in this field. With the newly established phylogenetic relationships, crucial arguments can be advanced regarding the functions of these kinases as upstream activators of the MAPK pathways and possible activity as MAP4Ks. Their involvement in apoptosis, morphogenesis and cytoskeletal rearrangements is also discussed.

DOI： 10.1016/S0962-8924(01)01980-8

Scopus

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

OBJECTIVE: This study undertook neuropharmacological research on the clinical course of controlled medication discontinuation to guide practitioners who are considering stopping medications for youths with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: This study analyzed the data for 14 ADHD children (12 male and 2 female) in two datasets: The children prescribed methylphenidate (MPH) were at an initial mean age of 7.5 years (SD = 1.70, range: 6-11) with a mean ADHD-Rating Score (ADHD-RS) of 26.6 (SD = 8.64, range 15-40). The children who discontinued MPH based on clinical judgment were at a mean age of 12.21 years (SD = 2.12, range: 8-15) with a mean ADHD-RS of 15.9 (SD = 6.86, range 5-27). The go/no-go task was used to assess response inhibition, while functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure cerebral hemodynamics. Oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) values from fNIRS data were analyzed for each subject, focusing on past and current measurements. Baseline was set at 10 s pre-task, with interval means from 4 to 24 s analyzed. One-sample t-tests were used to evaluate brain activity magnitude. RESULTS: The results of the study demonstrate that the children who had discontinued the medication exhibited activation in specific brain regions including the frontopolar cortex and the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Activation (t = 2.363, p = 0.034, Cohen's d = 0.632) was found especially in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the performance of the go/no-go task. These activated areas were consistent with those observed in a previous study comparing brain activity during a go/no-go task between children with ADHD and healthy children. CONCLUSION: The present study showed differences in cerebral hemodynamics before and after discontinuation of MPH in ADHD children whose ADHD symptoms did not recur after MPH was discontinued. In the near future, further investigations that include control groups will be conducted to demonstrate the effects of MPH prior to discontinuation based on the changes in cerebral blood flow in the right prefrontal cortex, which is involved in behavioral inhibition, as observed in this study. This and future research will facilitate the development of criteria for discontinuing treatment.

DOI： 10.1016/j.braindev.2024.09.004

PubMed

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：MIT Press  

Abstract

A growing number of studies have revealed that higher aerobic fitness is associated with better working memory (WM) performance in older adults. However, the underlying functional neural mechanisms of this association remain under debate. It has been reported that aging increases recruitment of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during cognitive tasks, and that this is associated with task performance in a compensatory manner. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the prefrontal activation pattern that is associated with the relationship between aerobic fitness and WM performance in older adults, focusing on age-related extended prefrontal recruitment. Forty-seven older adults (65–74 years, 29 females) and 49 younger adults (18–24 years, 23 female) performed verbal and spatial n-back tasks, which included 0-, 1-, and 2-back conditions. Reaction time (RT) and accuracy (ACC) were assessed as indices of task performance. Prefrontal activation during the experimental tasks was monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and analyzed using an adaptive GLM method. We compared task performance and prefrontal activation between age groups to find age-related prefrontal activation patterns. Only older adults underwent a graded exercise test (GXT) to determine their ventilation thresholds (VT) as a measure of aerobic fitness, and, subsequently, the relationships among aerobic fitness, n-back task performance, and prefrontal activation in older adults were examined using correlation analysis and mediation analysis controlling for possible covariates. A comparison of task performance between groups revealed that older adults had slower RT and lower ACC than did younger adults, especially in the higher WM load 2-back condition. Group comparisons of prefrontal activation showed that older adults exhibited additional or greater activation than younger adults mainly in the ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) and front polar area (FPA) in both the verbal and spatial 2-back conditions. Correlation analysis showed a relationship between higher VT, shorter RT for the verbal 2-back condition, and greater prefrontal activation of the bilateral FPA and right VLPFC during verbal 2-back conditions in older adults. In addition, mediation analyses indicated the possibility of a mediation effect of the prefrontal activation on the relationship between VT and RT for the verbal 2-back condition. These results suggest that older adults with higher aerobic fitness levels recruited more extended PFC regions, possibly for compensatory activation, to enhance their performance of the verbal n-back task. This study sheds light on the neural mechanisms underpinning the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive function in older adults.

DOI： 10.1162/imag_a_00167

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Introduction: There is a continuous consumer demand for ever superior cosmetic products. In marketing, various forms of sensory evaluation are used to measure the consumer experience and provide data with which to improve cosmetics. Nonetheless, potential downsides of existing approaches have led to the exploration of the use of neuroimaging methods, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), to provide addition information about consumers' experiences with cosmetics. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a real-time brain-based product evaluation method which detects the incongruency between a product, in this case lipstick, and a consumer's expectations. Method: Thirty healthy, female, habitual lipstick users were asked to apply six different lipsticks varying in softness and to rate the softness of and their willingness to pay (WTP) for each lipstick. Cerebral hemodynamic responses in frontal areas were measured with fNIRS during lipstick application and analyzed using the general linear model (GLM). Incongruency scores between softness and expectation were calculated in order to understand how far removed each lipstick was from a participant's optimal softness preference. The correlation between brain activation (beta scores) during the application of each lipstick and the respective incongruency scores from each participant were acquired using semi-partial correlation analysis, controlling for the effects of WTP. Results: We revealed a significant intra-subject correlation between incongruency scores and activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). This confirms that as the texture incongruency scores increased for the lipstick samples, activation in each individual's right IFG also increased. Conclusion: The correlation observed between incongruency perceived by participants and activation of the right IFG not only suggests that the right IFG may play an important role in detecting incongruity when there is a discrepancy between the perceived texture and the consumer's expectations but also that measuring activity in the IFG may provide a new objective measurement of the consumer experience, thus contributing to the development of superior cosmetics.

DOI： 10.3389/fnrgo.2024.1331083

Scopus

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Japan Society of Kansei Engineering  

DOI： 10.5057/ijae.ijae-d-24-00019

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publisher：Japan Society of Kansei Engineering  

New businesses created within an existing company are important for corporate sustainability. We explored facilitators of new businesses within a company by analyzing text data. We first extracted definitions of new businesses, then developed a two-dimensional framework based on Motivation-Hygiene and Job Demands-Resources to extract factors from a limited sample. Five descriptive questions including four structured questions based on the framework were answered by 100 anonymous participants involved in new businesses within a company. We conducted co-occurrence analyses on the data obtained and defined new businesses within a company as “A service or product for expanding profits in an area slightly different from the existing model.” Eight factors facilitating or hindering new businesses within a company were identified. This approach reduces feedback bias and ensures ease of analysis and validity of the results. This method of using the framework is expected to be effective in other fields.

DOI： 10.5057/ijae.ijae-d-23-00045

CiNii Research

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Frontiers Media SA  

Introduction

Humans mainly utilize visual and auditory information as a cue to infer others’ emotions. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown the neural basis of memory processing based on facial expression, but few studies have examined it based on vocal cues. Thus, we aimed to investigate brain regions associated with emotional judgment based on vocal cues using an N-back task paradigm.

Methods

Thirty participants performed N-back tasks requiring them to judge emotion or gender from voices that contained both emotion and gender information. During these tasks, cerebral hemodynamic response was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Results

The results revealed that during the Emotion 2-back task there was significant activation in the frontal area, including the right precentral and inferior frontal gyri, possibly reflecting the function of an attentional network with auditory top-down processing. In addition, there was significant activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which is known to be a major part of the working memory center.

Discussion

These results suggest that, compared to judging the gender of voice stimuli, when judging emotional information, attention is directed more deeply and demands for higher-order cognition, including working memory, are greater. We have revealed for the first time the specific neural basis for emotional judgments based on vocal cues compared to that for gender judgments based on vocal cues.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1160392

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction</jats:title><jats:p>In recent years, experiential consumption, which refers to purchases involving hedonic experiences, has been gathering attention in marketing research. Experiential consumption is closely related to cognitive biases, and among them, we focus on the IKEA effect, which is a cognitive bias in which the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for a product is high because the experience of assembling the product is highly valued. Since no studies have examined the neural mechanism behind the IKEA effect, here we present the first study exploring the neural substrates of the IKEA effect using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). During the WTP evaluation, we expect the attachment to and memory retrieval of DIY products to be the cognitive mechanism for the IKEA effect.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Thirty healthy students, of which 24 were confirmed to have undergone the IKEA effect, were asked to perform a WTP evaluation task after assembling three types of do-it-yourself (DIY) products and handling three types of Non-DIY products. Their cerebral hemodynamic responses during the evaluation were measured using fNIRS. In order to adjust for temporal variability of cortical responses among participants, a personalized adaptive general linear model (GLM) analysis was adopted. Then, one-sample <jats:italic>t</jats:italic>-tests were performed for each DIY and Non-DIY condition for the obtained β values, and a paired <jats:italic>t</jats:italic>-test was performed between DIY and Non-DIY conditions.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>We identified brain regions, including the left-inferior frontal gyrus (L-IFG) and left-middle frontal gyrus (L-MFG), which were probably related to cognitive processing related to the IKEA effect. Among them, the L-MFG exhibited more activation during the DIY condition than during the Non-DIY condition.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>To our knowledge, the current study is the first to reveal the neural basis of the IKEA effect. The cortical activation during evaluation of WTP for DIY and Non-DIY products exhibited marked differences. In addition to the R-IFG activation often reported for WTP evaluations, we revealed that other regions, in particular the L-IFG and L-MFG, were activated during the DIY condition. These areas are considered to be related to memory and attachment, which would serve as reasonable cognitive constituents for the IKEA effect. In conclusion, this study suggests that the value of experiential consumption can be assessed using fNIRS-based neuroimaging and provides a novel approach to consumer neuroergonomics. It is predicted that visualization the value of experiential consumption will create marketing opportunities for more and more companies and the visualization will become an indispensable method in the future.</jats:p></jats:sec>

DOI： 10.3389/fnrgo.2023.1129582

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.5057/ijae.tjske-d-22-00075

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： 10.5057/ijae.tjske-d-22-00020

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Introduction: In neuromarketing, a recently developing, inter-disciplinary field combining neuroscience and marketing, neurophysiological responses have been applied to understand consumers' behaviors. While many studies have focused on explicit attitudes, few have targeted implicit aspects. To explore the possibility of measuring implicit desire for a product, we focused on functional impulsivity related to obtaining a product as a reward and devised a product-rewarded traffic light task (PRTLT). The PRTLT requires participants to take risks under time pressure in order for them to maximize rewards in the form of commercial products, with the brand of products being an independent variable. Thus, we explored the feasibility of applying a PRTLT in a neuromarketing context to implicitly differentiate between the perceived value of products and supported our data with neurophysiological evidence obtained using fNIRS to concurrently monitor cortical activation. Methods: Thirty healthy students were asked to perform the PRTLT. We compared participants' functional impulsivity toward two different chocolate products that had obviously different values. Along with their behavioral responses, participants' cerebral hemodynamic responses during the PRTLT were measured using fNIRS covering the lateral prefrontal cortices and the neighboring regions. We conducted adaptive general linear model (GLM) analysis for hemodynamic responses. First, we identified the regions involved in the PRTLT. Second, we compared activation patterns between expensive and inexpensive conditions. Results: Behavioral analysis confirmed that the expensive condition trended toward producing a higher PRTLT score than did the inexpensive condition. fNIRS neuroimaging analysis showed task-derived activation in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontopolar cortex (FPC). Moreover, we found significant differences between expensive and inexpensive conditions in the cortical activations in the FPC and the left-DLPFC. Conclusion: These results imply that the two products evoked different functional impulsivity, and the hemodynamic responses reflect that. Thus, we concluded that it is possible to observe differences in demand for products using a PRTLT that evokes functional impulsivity. The current study presents a new possibility in neuromarketing research of observing differences between consumers' covert attitudes toward commercially available products, possibly providing a neural basis related to hidden needs for some products.

DOI： 10.3389/fnrgo.2023.1207484

Scopus

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

This report is the second part of a comprehensive two-part series aimed at reviewing an extensive and diverse toolkit of novel methods to explore brain health and function. While the first report focused on neurophotonic tools mostly applicable to animal studies, here, we highlight optical spectroscopy and imaging methods relevant to noninvasive human brain studies. We outline current state-of-the-art technologies and software advances, explore the most recent impact of these technologies on neuroscience and clinical applications, identify the areas where innovation is needed, and provide an outlook for the future directions.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.9.S2.S24001

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Objective. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging technique for monitoring hemoglobin concentration changes in a non-invasive manner. However, subject movements are often significant sources of artifacts. While several methods have been developed for suppressing this confounding noise, the conventional techniques have limitations on optimal selections of model parameters across participants or brain regions. To address this shortcoming, we aim to propose a method based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN).Approach. The U-net is employed as a CNN architecture. Specifically, large-scale training and testing data are generated by combining variants of hemodynamic response function (HRF) with experimental measurements of motion noises. The neural network is then trained to reconstruct hemodynamic response coupled to neuronal activity with a reduction of motion artifacts.Main results. Using extensive analysis, we show that the proposed method estimates the task-related HRF more accurately than the existing methods of wavelet decomposition and autoregressive models. Specifically, the mean squared error and variance of HRF estimates, based on the CNN, are the smallest among all methods considered in this study. These results are more prominent when the semi-simulated data contain variants of shapes and amplitudes of HRF.Significance. The proposed CNN method allows for accurately estimating amplitude and shape of HRF with significant reduction of motion artifacts. This method may have a great potential for monitoring HRF changes in real-life settings that involve excessive motion artifacts.

DOI： 10.1088/1741-2552/ac4bfc

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The therapeutic values of contact with nature have been increasingly recognized. A growing body of evidence suggests that a unique subcategory of "contemplative landscapes" is particularly therapeutic. Previous studies predominantly focused on observational designs in non-clinical populations. It is not known if these effects can be extrapolated to populations suffering from depression, and experimental designs need to be utilized to establish causality. We examined the effects of in-situ passive exposure to three urban spaces on brain activity, namely a Therapeutic Garden with high Contemplative Landscape scores (TG), Residential Green (RG) and Busy Downtown (BD), and self-reported momentary mood in adults aged 21-74 (n = 92), including 24 clinically depressed and 68 healthy participants. Portable, multimodal electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) systems were used to record brain activity, and a Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was used to record mood before and after exposure. We tested the interactions between the site, time and group for the mood, and between site and group for the neuroelectric oscillations and brain hemodynamics. Self-reported pre- post-mood was significant only at the TG (p = 0.032) in both groups. The lowest Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) was reported at TG and the highest in BD (p = 0.026). Results from fNIRS indicated marginally significant lower oxy-Hb in the frontal region at TG as compared to BD (p = 0.054) across both groups. The marginally significant effect of site and group was also observed (p = 0.062), with the Clinical group showing much lower oxy-Hb at TG than Healthy. The opposite pattern was observed at BD. EEG results showed differences between Healthy and Clinical groups in the Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA) pattern across the sites (p = 0.04), with more frontal alpha right in the Clinical sample and more left lateralization in the Healthy sample at TG. Temporal Beta Asymmetry (TBA) analyses suggested that patients displayed lower bottom-up attention than Healthy participants across all sites (p = 0.039). The results suggest that both healthy and depressed adults benefitted from exposure to TG, with possibly different pathways of mood improvement. Visiting therapeutic nature with contemplative features may provide valuable support for the treatment of depression in clinical populations and a self-care intervention in non-clinical populations.

DOI： 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.757056

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

<jats:p>Understanding consumer preferences and behavior is a major goal of consumer-oriented companies. The application of neuroscience to this goal is a promising avenue for companies. Previously, we observed a positive correlation during actual cosmetic use between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity, measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and the associated willingness-to-pay (WTP) values. However, we were unable to find any consistent group differences in the right dlPFC between different powdery foundations. Thus, the main objective of this study was to replicate the previous study and in addition, we aimed to refine the method of the previous study to increase the chance that a difference in valuation between different products can be detected. Twenty-five frequent lipstick using females were asked to apply six different lipsticks to their lips and to record how much they were willing to pay. To maximize the variation of the subjective experience of the products and the associated brain activity, the most preferred color lipstick and a less preferred color lipstick were chosen for each participant, and each color of lipstick had three different textures (<jats:italic>Lo, Mid</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Hi</jats:italic>). The time series was analyzed with the general linear model (GLM) and the correlation between the right dlPFC beta scores for the lipsticks and their respective WTP values conducted for each participant. This revealed a significant positive correlation and replicated our previous study. Surprisingly, the lipstick color and the texture manipulations did not result in any consistent differences in WTP and similarly no consistent group differences in brain activations. This study replicates our previous study extending it to a different type of cosmetic. The right dlPFC activity during the use of cosmetics may be a potential brain-based personalization or product selection process biomarker.</jats:p>

DOI： 10.3389/fnrgo.2021.731160

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Frontiers Media SA  

<bold>Objective:</bold> In the current study, we explored the neural substrate for acute effects of guanfacine extended release (GXR) on inhibitory control in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

<bold>Methods:</bold> Following a GXR washout period, 12 AD HD children (6–10 years old) performed a go/no-go task before and 3 h after GXR or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study. In the primary analysis, fNIRS was used to monitor the right prefrontal cortical hemodynamics of the participants, where our former studies showed consistent dysfunction and osmotic release oral system-methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) and atomoxetine hydrochloride (ATX) elicited recovery. We examined the inter-medication contrast, comparing the effect of GXR against the placebo. In the exploratory analysis, we explored neural responses in regions other than the right prefrontal cortex (PFC).

<bold>Results:</bold> In the primary analysis, we observed no significant main effects or interactions of medication type and age in month (two-way mixed ANCOVA, <italic>Fs</italic> &amp;lt; 0.20, all <italic>ps</italic> &amp;gt; .05). However, in the <italic>post-hoc</italic> analysis, we observed significant change in the oxy-Hb signal in the right angular gyrus (AG) for inter-medication (one sample <italic>t</italic>-test, <italic>p</italic> &amp;lt; 0.05, uncorrected, Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = 0.71).

<bold>Conclusions:</bold> These results are different from the neuropharmacological effects of OROS-MPH and ATX, which, in an upregulated manner, reduced right PFC function in ADHD children during inhibitory tasks. This analysis, while limited by its secondary nature, suggested that the improved cognitive performance was associated with activation in the right AG, which might serve as a biological marker to monitor the effect of GXR in the ADHD children.

DOI： 10.3389/fnrgo.2021.657657

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

(1) Background: Prolonged lockdowns with stay-at-home orders have been introduced in many countries since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have caused a drastic change in the everyday lives of people living in urbanized areas, and are considered to contribute to a modified perception of the public space. As research related to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on mental health and well-being emerges, the associated longitudinal changes of brain hemodynamics in healthy adults remain largely unknown. (2) Methods: this study examined the hemodynamic activation patterns of the prefrontal and occipital cortices of 12 participants (5 male, Mage = 47.80, SDage = 17.79, range 25 to 74, and 7 female, Mage = 39.00, SDage = 18.18, range 21 to 65) passively viewing videos from three urban sites in Singapore (Urban Park, Neighborhood Landscape and City Center) at two different time points-T1, before the COVID-19 pandemic and T2, soon after the lockdown was over. (3) Results: We observed a significant and marginally significant decrease in average oxyhemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) over time for each of the visual conditions. For both green spaces (Urban Park and Neighborhood Landscape), the decrease was in the visual cortex, while for the City Center with no green elements, the marginal decrease was observed in the visual cortex and the frontal eye fields. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that the COVID-19-related lockdown experienced by urban inhabitants may have contributed to decreased brain hemodynamics, which are further related to a heightened risk of mental health disorders, such as depression or a decline in cognitive functions. Moreover, the busy City Center scenes induced a hemodynamic pattern associated with stress and anxiety, while urban green spaces did not cause such an effect. Urban green scenes can be an important factor to offset the negative neuropsychological impact of busy urban environments post-pandemic.

DOI： 10.3390/ijerph18116118

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Neural mismatch response resulting from the difference between prediction and observation is related to change detection and discrimination. Robust neuromagnetic brain activity of auditory mismatch-related perception occurs in response to non-prototypical vowels in across-category contrasts for first-language speakers. However, whether this non-prototypicality effect applies to within-category vowel perception remains to be elucidated. Here, healthy Japanese adults (n = 7) were subjected to magnetoencephalography (MEG) while watching a silent movie, and passively listened to synthesized English vowels /i/. We observed the source-level mismatch effect to the mid-high near-front vowel deviant [ɪ] with the most non-prototypical, unspecified feature in the participants' native language system. The mismatch effect recruited the left posterior superior temporal sulcus with a peak latency of 225 ms post-stimulus onset. We further studied whether a longer F1 distance between vowel pairs would increase mismatch-activated intensities, however, we did not observe neuromagnetic changes when the prototypical anchor standard [i] was compared with three non-prototypical deviants differing in first resonance frequency (F1) values. Our results indicate that an F1 increase in within-category upper front vowel perception is a strong activator of mismatch responses measured by source-level activated intensities for non-native listeners.

DOI： 10.1007/s00221-020-05996-4

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the neurosciences has been expanding over the last 40 years. Today, it is addressing a wide range of applications within different populations and utilizes a great variety of experimental paradigms. With the rapid growth and the diversification of research methods, some inconsistencies are appearing in the way in which methods are presented, which can make the interpretation and replication of studies unnecessarily challenging. The Society for Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy has thus been motivated to organize a representative (but not exhaustive) group of leaders in the field to build a consensus on the best practices for describing the methods utilized in fNIRS studies. Our paper has been designed to provide guidelines to help enhance the reliability, repeatability, and traceability of reported fNIRS studies and encourage best practices throughout the community. A checklist is provided to guide authors in the preparation of their manuscripts and to assist reviewers when evaluating fNIRS papers.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.8.1.012101

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English  

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1117/1.NPh.8.1.012101.].

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.8.1.019802

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

In the midst of globalization, English is regarded as an international language, or Lingua Franca, but learning it as a second language (L2) remains still difficult to speakers of other languages. This is true especially for the speakers of languages distantly related to English such as Japanese. In this sense, exploring neural basis for translation between the first language (L1) and L2 is of great interest. There have been relatively many previous researches revealing brain activation patterns during translations between L1 and English as L2. These studies, which focused on language translation with close or moderate linguistic distance (LD), have suggested that the Broca area (BA 44/45) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; BA 46) may play an important role on translation. However, the neural mechanism of language translation between Japanese and English, having large LD, has not been clarified. Thus, we used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the brain activation patterns during word translation between Japanese and English. We also assessed the effects of translation directions and word familiarity. All participants' first language was Japanese and they were learning English. Their English proficiency was advanced or elementary. We selected English and Japanese words as stimuli based on the familiarity for Japanese people. Our results showed that the brain activation patterns during word translation largely differed depending on their English proficiency. The advanced group elicited greater activation on the left prefrontal cortex around the Broca's area while translating words with low familiarity, but no activation was observed while translating words with high familiarity. On the other hand, the elementary group evoked greater activation on the left temporal area including the superior temporal gyrus (STG) irrespective of the word familiarity. These results suggested that different cognitive process could be involved in word translation corresponding to English proficiency in Japanese learners of English. These difference on the brain activation patterns between the advanced and elementary group may reflect the difference on the cognitive loads depending on the levels of automatization in one's language processing.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2021.593108

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan was an extraordinarily stressful incident that caused harmful psychological reactions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among affected individuals. However, a proportion of exposed individuals experienced posttraumatic growth (PTG), characterized by a noticeable degree of personal strength, spirituality, life appreciation, perception of new possibilities in life, and enhanced relationships with others. Some researchers have argued that these positive reactions may be an illusory change related to coping with traumatic events. We examined trajectory patterns related to PTG Inventory (PTGI) subscales to elucidate the existence of both real and illusory growth regarding quality of life (QoL), utilizing group-based trajectory models. Three online questionnaires were distributed at 6 months (N = 2,554; M age = 47.04 years, SD = 12.62), 12 months (N = 887; M age = 48.11 years, SD = 12.43), and 42 months (N = 560; M age = 48.86 years, SD = 12.25) postdisaster. Participants responded to items related to demographic characteristics, disaster experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, PTG, and QoL. Three main PTG trajectories emerged, characterized by growth, no growth, and illusory growth, with QoL as a time invariant covariate. Compared with the growth trajectory, the odds ratios (ORs) for no growth ranged from 2.27 to 5.04; for illusory growth, the ORs ranged from 2.09 to 4.67. To our knowledge, this was the first study to report growth trajectories related to PTGI subscales and their underlying differences in psychological mechanisms and processes following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

DOI： 10.1002/jts.22628

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPRINGER  

Mismatch-related brain activation in healthy individuals is an important area of neural investigation. Previously, we evaluated sentence-level syntactic dependencies, composed of a head and a dependent between two syntactically related words in head-initial English structures. We demonstrated that prominent mismatch effects were induced by within-category dependent errors when semantic interpretation was preserved. However, the following issues were not addressed: (1) whether head errors of syntactic dependency in head-final structures would elicit large mismatch field (MMF) intensities, and (2) whether an MMF effect of syntactic errors would be seen in the left superior temporal cortex alone. In this study, auditory MMFs were obtained by magnetocephalography (MEG) from healthy Japanese adults (n = 8) who were subjected to a passive auditory oddball paradigm with syntactically legal or illegal utterances and single words in Japanese. The results demonstrate that the source waveforms had significantly higher MMF cortical activation in response to the head error, which involved altered polarity of the predicate. This resulted in a syntactically incorrect and semantically incomprehensible expression, when compared to the syntactically correct expression and the non-structural lexical item. This mismatch effect, with a peak latency of 164 ms, was confined to the anterior region of the left superior temporal cortex. The current results clearly indicate that the representation of syntactic dependency is stored in long-term memory and tends to be activated in automatic auditory processing.

DOI： 10.1007/s00221-020-05872-1

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

While non-invasive brain imaging has made substantial contributions to advance human brain science, estimation of individual state is becoming important to realize its applications in society. Brain activations were used to classify second-language proficiencies. Participants in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) experiment were 20/20 native Japanese speakers with high/low English abilities and 19/19 native English speakers with high/low Japanese abilities. Their cortical activities were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy while they were conducting Japanese/English listening comprehension tests. The data-driven method achieved classification accuracy of 77.5% in the case of Japanese speakers and 81.9% in the case of English speakers. The informative features predominantly originated from regions associated with language function. These results bring an insight of fNIRS neuroscience and its applications in society.

DOI： 10.3389/fnins.2020.00694

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Significance: It has been reported that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have impairment in the recognition of angry but not of happy facial expressions, and they show atypical cortical activation patterns in response to facial expressions. However, little is known about neural mechanisms underlying the impaired recognition of facial expressions in school-aged children with ADHD and the effects of acute medication on their processing of facial expressions. Aim: We aimed to investigate the possibility that acute administration of methylphenidate (MPH) affects processing of facial expressions in ADHD children. Approach: We measured the hemodynamic changes in the bilateral temporo-occipital areas of ADHD children observing the happy and angry facial expressions before and 1.5 h after MPH or placebo administration in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study. Results: We found that, regardless of medication, happy expressions induced increased oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) responses in the right inferior occipital region but not in the superior temporal region. For angry expressions, oxy-Hb responses increased after MPH administration, but not after placebo administration, in the left inferior occipital area, whereas there was no significant activation before MPH administration. Conclusions: Our results suggest that (1) ADHD children consistently recruit the right inferior occipital regions to process happy expressions and (2) MPH administration to ADHD children enhances cortical activation in the left inferior occipital regions when they process angry expressions.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.7.2.025003

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

Connectivity between brain regions has been redefined beyond a stationary state. Even when a person is in a resting state, brain connectivity dynamically shifts. However, shifted brain connectivity under externally evoked stimulus is still little understood. The current study, therefore, focuses on task-based dynamic functional-connectivity (FC) analysis of brain signals measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We hypothesize that a stimulus may influence not only brain connectivity but also the occurrence probabilities of task-related and task-irrelevant connectivity states. fNIRS measurement (of the prefrontal-to-inferior parietal lobes) was conducted on 21 typically developing (TD) and 21 age-matched attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children performing an inhibitory control task, namely, the Go/No-Go (GNG) task. It has been reported that ADHD children lack inhibitory control; differences between TD and ADHD children in terms of task-based dynamic FC were also evaluated. Four connectivity states were found to occur during the temporal task course. Two dominant connectivity states (states 1 and 2) are characterized by strong connectivities within the frontoparietal network (occurrence probabilities of 40%-56% and 26%-29%), and presumptively interpreted as task-related states. A connectivity state (state 3) shows strong connectivities in the bilateral medial frontal-to-parietal cortices (occurrence probability of 7-15%). The strong connectivities were found at the overlapped regions related the default mode network (DMN). Another connectivity state (state 4) visualizes strong connectivities in all measured regions (occurrence probability of 10%-16%). A global effect coming from cerebral vascular may highly influence this connectivity state. During the GNG stimulus interval, the ADHD children tended to show decreased occurrence probability of the dominant connectivity state and increased occurrence probability of other connectivity states (states 3 and 4). Bringing a new perspective to explain neuropathophysiology, these findings suggest atypical dynamic network recruitment to accommodate task demands in ADHD children.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

Language development and the capacity for communication in infants are predominantly supported by their mothers, beginning when infants are still in utero. Although a mother's speech should thus have a significant impact on her neonate's brain, neurocognitive evidence for this hypothesis remains elusive. The present study examined 37 neonates using near-infrared spectroscopy and observed the interactions between multiple cortical regions while neonates heard speech spoken by their mothers or by strangers. We analyzed the functional connectivity between regions whose response-activation patterns differed between the two types of speakers. We found that when hearing their mothers' speech, functional connectivity was enhanced in both the neonatal left and right frontotemporal networks. On the left it was enhanced between the inferior/middle frontal gyrus and the temporal cortex, while on the right it was enhanced between the frontal pole and temporal cortex. In particular, the frontal pole was more strongly connected to the left supramarginal area when hearing speech from mothers. These enhanced frontotemporal networks connect areas that are associated with language (left) and voice processing (right) at later stages of development. We suggest that these roles are initially fostered by maternal speech.

DOI： 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100701

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Connectivity impairment has frequently been associated with the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although the connectivity of the resting state has mainly been studied, we expect the transition between baseline and task may also be impaired in ADHD children. Twenty-three typically developing (i.e., control) and 36 disordered (ADHD and autism-comorbid ADHD) children were subjected to connectivity analysis. Specifically, they performed an attention task, visual oddball, while their brains were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results of the measurements revealed three key findings. First, the control group maintained attentive connectivity, even in the baseline interval. Meanwhile, the disordered group showed enhanced bilateral intra- and interhemispheric connectivities while performing the task. However, right intrahemispheric connectivity was found to be weaker than those for the control group. Second, connectivity and activation characteristics might not be positively correlated with each other. In our previous results, disordered children lacked activation in the right middle frontal gyrus. However, within region connectivity of the right middle frontal gyrus was relatively strong in the baseline interval and significantly increased in the task interval. Third, the connectivity-based biomarker performed better than the activation-based biomarker in terms of screening. Activation and connectivity features were independently optimized and cross validated to obtain the best performing threshold-based classifier. The effectiveness of connectivity features, which brought significantly higher training accuracy than the optimum activation features, was confirmed (88% versus 76%). The optimum screening features were characterized by two trends: (1) strong connectivities of right frontal, left frontal, and left parietal lobes and (2) weak connectivities of left frontal, left parietal, and right parietal lobes in the control group. We conclude that the attentive task-based connectivity effectively shows the difference between control and disordered children and may represent pathological characteristics to be feasibly implemented as a supporting tool for clinical screening. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.6.4.045013

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

This research examined potential biases associated with paired preference tests and how these biases might differ between Japanese and American cultures. The three biases that were investigated were the potential differential use of the no preference option, a predisposition in choosing the first stimulus in a pair, and finally a potential tendency of picking the stimulus with the numerically higher code in the pair. In this investigation, 96 American and 192 Japanese subjects performed six paired preference tests involving three types of grapefruit juices, three of the pairs involving identical samples. Of the three biases, only the differential use of the "no preference" option was significantly observed, with American subjects exhibiting higher "no preference" frequencies than Japanese for identical pairs (24% and 9%, respectively). Interestingly, no clear position or code bias effects were uncovered, a result possibly driven by the experimental approach used in this research. Potential explanations are discussed. Practical applications Biases when executing paired preference tests have been documented. Addressing them, if not controlling them, is necessary to ensure reliable interpretation of test results. One important bias involves the use of the "no preference" option for identical samples. This use directly impacts how an identicality norm can be utilized to interpret test results. Assuming the wrong identicality norm will increase the likelihood of reaching an incorrect conclusion. This research establishes the identicality norm for Japanese subjects and confirms that such norm would be different from that of American subjects and more like that of Korean consumers. This will be of value for companies conducting research across cultures to ensure that more reliable conclusions are reached. No clear position or code biases were found in this research. Nevertheless, sample position balancing and the use of two sets of labeling codes in any paired preference test design are recommended since these effects have been previously reported elsewhere.

DOI： 10.1111/joss.12498

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

Use of applied neuroscience to complement traditional methods of consumer research is increasing. Previously, fMRI has shown that prefrontal activity contains information relating to willingness-to-pay (WTP). The aim of the present study was to determine if functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can record WTP-related brain activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during a single, real use of cosmetic products. Thirty female participants, were divided into two groups (one low frequency users of foundation and one high frequency users of foundation), asked to apply different foundations to their face and then record how much money they were willing to pay. The oxyhemoglobin time series was analyzed with the GLM and the correlation between the beta scores for the foundations and their respective WTP values conducted for each participant. These subject level correlations were then converted to z scores and averaged for each group. The results revealed a significant mean correlation for the high but not low frequency group. In other words, the brain activity in right hemisphere dorsolateral PFC (RH-DLPFC) during single, real use of foundations correlated with their respective WTP values for the high frequency but not low frequency group. The difference between groups may reflect the importance of learning and automation on activity in RH-DLPFC. Our research provides further evidence supporting the use of fNIRS to complement traditional consumer research in a commercial setting and to extend neuroscience research into more naturalistic environments.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00016

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been frequently reported as co-occurring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ASD-comorbid ADHD is difficult to diagnose since clinically significant symptoms are similar in both disorders. Therefore, we propose a classification method of differentially recognizing the ASD-comorbid condition in ADHD children. The classification method was investigated based on functional brain imaging measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during a go/no-go task. Optimization and cross-validation of the classification method was carried out in medicated-naive and methylphenidate (MPH) administered ADHD and ASD-comorbid ADHD children (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover design) to select robust parameters and cut-off thresholds. The parameters could be defined as either single or averaged multi-channel task-evoked activations under an administration condition (i.e., pre-medication, post-MPH, and post-placebo). The ADHD children were distinguished by significantly high MPH-evoked activation in the right hemisphere near the midline vertex. The ASD-comorbid ADHD children tended to have low activation responses in all regions. High specificity (86 +/- 4.1%; mean +/- SD), sensitivity (93 +/- 7.3%), and accuracy (82 +/- 1.6%) were obtained using the activation of oxygenated-hemoglobin concentration change in right middle frontal, angular, and precentral gyri under MPH medication. Therefore, the significantly differing MPH-evoked responses are potentially effective features and as supporting differential diagnostic tools.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00007

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals are prone to problems caused by motion artifacts and physiological noises. These noises unfortunately reduce the fNIRS sensitivity in detecting the evoked brain activation while increasing the risk of statistical error. In fNIRS measurements, the repetitive resting-stimulus cycle (so-called block-design analysis) is commonly adapted to increase the sample number. However, these blocks are often affected by noises. Therefore, we developed an adaptive algorithm to identify, reject, and select the noise-free and/or least noisy blocks in accordance with the preset acceptance rate. The main features of this algorithm are personalized evaluation for individual data and controlled rejection to maintain the sample number. Three typical noise criteria (sudden amplitude change, shifted baseline, and minimum intertrial correlation) were adopted. Depending on the quality of the dataset used, the algorithm may require some or all noise criteria with distinct parameters. Aiming for real applications in a pediatric study, we applied this algorithm to fNIRS datasets obtained from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children as had been studied previously. These datasets were divided for training and validation purposes. A validation process was done to examine the feasibility of the algorithm regardless of the types of datasets, including those obtained under sample population (ADHD or typical developing children), intervention (nonmedication and drug/placebo administration), and measurement (task paradigm) conditions. The algorithm was optimized so as to enhance reproducibility of previous inferences. The optimum algorithm design involved all criteria ordered sequentially (0.047 mM mm of amplitude change, 0.029 mM mm/s of baseline slope, and 0.6 x interquartile range of outlier threshold for each criterion, respectively) and presented complete reproducibility in both training and validation datasets. Compared to the visual-based rejection as done in the previous studies, the algorithm achieved 71.8% rejection accuracy. This suggests that the algorithm has robustness and potential to substitute for visual artifact-detection. (c) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.5.4.045001

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

In this era of globalization, a second language (which is often English in Japan) has become prevalent and important. To investigate whether cerebral hemodynamics could represent the speech comprehension level of a learned language, we measured the brain activation of 46 non-fluent Japanese learners of English using functional near-infrared spectroscopy while performing speech comprehension tasks. Tasks were given in three languages: English (second language), Japanese (native language), and Chinese (unknown language). Analyses of the hemodynamic responses showed that the activated areas for the English task were widely distributed in the bilateral frontal and temporal regions, and this was more evident than for the Japanese and Chinese tasks. This suggests that comprehension of a second language involves more cognitive and/or attentional load. Moreover, particularly in the English tasks, there were significant differences in activations between the cases when participants correctly answered questions and the cases when they did not. These results suggest that the hemodynamic response can provide the information needed to estimate the speech comprehension level of a learned language.

DOI： 10.1111/jpr.12218

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER  

Cooking is a daily undertaking that ensures the proper ingestion of food. However, mental representations of home cooking have yet to be quantitatively elucidated. The primary purpose of the series of three studies presented here was to quantitatively describe the conceptualization of cooking among Japanese consumers by employing Internet surveys. The first study extracted superordinate categories of cooking-related operations, (1) core cooking, (2) subsidiary cooking and (3) convenience food preparation, for 100 Japanese consumers by utilizing an exploratory factor analysis of 30 presumably cooking-related operations. The second study made further sub-categorizations within each superordinate category by utilizing hierarchical cluster analyses in 500 newly recruited Japanese consumers. Core cooking was sub-categorized into "to pickle", "to cut and heat", "to season", and "to mix". Subsidiary cooking was sub-categorized into "to preserve", "to acquire", and "to arrange". Convenience food preparation was not further sub-categorized. In Study 3, based on the fit indices obtained from structural equation modeling, the appropriateness of the categorizations and sub-categorizations of Studies 1 and 2 was confirmed using 500 newly recruited Japanese consumers. Thus, the current study is the first to quantitatively examine the conceptualization of cooking by elucidating the relationships among a variety of cooking-related operations.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.05.005

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are believed to share the symptom of neurocognitive dysfunction in executive functions. Regarding the components of executive functions, however, dysfunction of motor-response inhibitory control in children with ASD remains unclear. Thus, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated whether putative inhibitory brain dysfunctions are applicable to children with ASD by adopting a go/no-go task, which has robustly evoked activation in typically developing (TD) children but not in ADHD children. Twenty-four ASD and 24 TD children underwent a go/no-go task, and their cortical hemodynamics were assessed using fNIRS. Relative to TD participants, ASD participants showed reduced activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus (IFG/MFG) during go/no-go tasks. The current finding suggests that hypoactivation in the right IFG/MFG during a go/no-go task would serve as a potential biomarker for identifying children with ASD.

DOI： 10.1111/jpr.12204

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

We investigated cerebral hemodynamic response during concealment of information about a mock crime using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants either committed a mock crime or not and then were presented with a randomized series of crime-relevant questions and crime-irrelevant questions in a standard concealment task. Participants in the guilty group concealed crime-relevant information about the mock crime but those in the innocent group did not. Recorded fNIRS timeline data sets were analyzed within the framework of a general linear model approach with an adaptive hemodynamic response function. In this analysis, we affirmed that an adaptive temporal parameter in hemodynamic response function during the concealment task differs from a conventionally used temporal parameter. Group analysis showed that the guilty group elicited greater hemodynamic response during the concealment task than did the innocent group. These results suggest that both the frontal cluster, including frontopolar and orbitofrontal areas, and the temporal cluster are involved in concealment. We also identified a potential application for fNIRS to detect concealment in criminal investigations.

DOI： 10.1111/jpr.12194

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairment in social communication and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests. Executive function impairment is reportedly partially responsible for these symptoms. Executive function includes planning, flexibility, and inhibitory control. Although planning and flexibility in ASD have been consistently reported as atypical, the atypicality of inhibitory control remains controversial. As most previous studies have used nonsocial stimuli to investigate inhibitory control in ASD, the effects of socially relevant information on the inhibitory control system in individuals with ASD remain unclear. Therefore, we developed a go/no-go task with gaze stimuli and measured hemodynamic responses in the right prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in inhibitory processing in both typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Direct gaze induced commission errors to similar extents in both groups. Contrary to the behavioral responses, neural activation in the right PFC was modulated by gaze direction only in the TD group. These findings suggest that the gaze-processing mechanisms in the prefrontal region may be affected by atypical gaze processing in other brain regions during an inhibitory control task with socially relevant information in ASD. (c) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.5.3.035008

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

While accumulating evidence suggests positive effects of exercise on executive function, such effects vary with environment. In particular, exercise in a hypoxic environment (hypobaric or normobaric hypoxia), leading to decreased oxygen supply, may dampen or cancel such effects. Thus, we further explore the relation between the effects of hypoxic exercise on executive function and their underlying neural mechanisms by monitoring changes of cortical activation patterns using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Fifteen healthy participants performed color-word Stroop tasks (CWST) before and after a 10 min bout of moderate-intensity exercise (50% <(V)over dot>O-2peak) under normoxic and hypoxic conditions (fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) = 0.135). During the CWST, we monitored prefrontal activation using fNIRS. CWST performance under hypoxic conditions decreased compared with normoxic conditions. In addition, CWST-related activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was reduced after a bout of hypoxic exercise. There was statistically significant association between decreased CWST performance and activation in the left DLPFC. These results suggest that moderate exercise under normobaric hypoxic conditions has negative effects on executive function by reducing task-related activations in the DLPFC.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.091

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：OMICS Publishing Group  

DOI： 10.4172/neuropsychiatry.1000418

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Although growing attention has been drawn to attainable, high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIE)-based intervention, which can improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, for sedentary individuals, there is limited information on the impact and potential benefit of an easily attainable HIE intervention for cognitive health. We aimed to reveal how acute HIE affects executive function focusing on underlying neural substrates. To address this issue, we examined the effects of acute HIE on executive function using the color-word matching Stroop task (CWST), which produces a cognitive conflict in the decision-making process, and its neural substrate using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Twenty-five sedentary young adults (mean age: 21.0 +/- 1.6 years; 9 females) participated in two counter-balanced sessions: HIE and resting control. The HIE session consisted of two minutes of warm-up exercise (50 W load at 60 rpm) and eight sets of 30 s of cycling exercise at 60% of maximal aerobic power (mean: 127 W +/- 29.5 load at 100 rpm) followed by 30 s of rest on a recumbent-ergometer. Participants performed a CWST before and after the 10-minute exercise session, during both of which cortical hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex were monitored using fNIRS. Acute HIE led to improved Stroop performance reflected by a shortening of the response time related to Stroop interference. It also evoked cortical activation related to Stroop interference on the left-dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which corresponded significantly with improved executive performance. These results provide the first empirical evidence using a neuroimaging method, to our knowledge, that acute HIE improves executive function, probably mediated by increased activation of the task-related area of the prefrontal cortex including the left-DLPFC.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Publishing type：Part of collection (book)   Publisher：InTech  

DOI： 10.5772/intechopen.71835

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

Learning a second language (L2) proceeds with individual approaches to proficiency in the language. Individual differences including sex, as well as working memory (WM) function appear to have strong effects on behavioral performance and cortical responses in L2 processing. Thus, by considering sex and WM capacity, we examined neural responses during L2 sentence processing as a function of L2 proficiency in young adolescents. In behavioral tests, girls significantly outperformed boys in L2 tests assessing proficiency and grammatical knowledge, and in a reading span test (RST) assessing WM capacity. Girls, but not boys, showed significant correlations between L2 tests and RST scores. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and event-related potential (ERP) simultaneously, we measured cortical responses while participants listened to syntactically correct and incorrect sentences. ERP data revealed a grammaticality effect only in boys in the early time window (100-300 ms), implicated in phrase structure processing. In fNIRS data, while boys had significantly increased activation in the left prefrontal region implicated in syntactic processing, girls had increased activation in the posterior language-related region involved in phonology, semantics, and sentence processing with proficiency. Presumably, boys implicitly focused on rule-based syntactic processing, whereas girls made full use of linguistic knowledge and WM function. The present results provide important fundamental data for learning and teaching in L2 education.

DOI： 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00062

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD  

Hot springs and ancillary hotels have been a major tourist attraction in Japan. While some hot springs hotels preserve the traditional bathing and lodging facility, some incorporate contemporary layout in their design. The purpose of this study is to explore how international tourists perceive hot springs hotels in Japan. Data was collected online with two groups of samples from Japan and the United States, respectively. Participants were asked to evaluate hotels attributes and brand personality dimensions based on photos. U.S. tourists perceive traditional and contemporary hot springs hotels differently based on brand personality dimensions. Hotel managers should provide more excitement through an introduction of authentic dining, bathing, and lodging experience to customers while preserving the natural surrounding and physical features for attraction.

DOI： 10.1080/15256480.2017.1324341

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY-HINDAWI  

Postharvest fruits are susceptible to damage which eventually results in large product and financial losses. While abundant studies have been conducted to objectively index the severity of such damage, how consumers subjectively assess the severity of damaged apples has been understudied. Previous studies have indicated that consumers' aesthetic devaluation of product quality is reflected in estimated price. Thus, the current online questionnaire study was conducted to examine the effect of objectively indexed severity of damage on consumers' subjective price estimations. Four hundred thirty-nine consumers of apples were asked to estimate the market price for apples in photographic images of 1 or 3 "Orin" ("Golden Delicious" x "Indo") apples at 9 levels of severity of damage. A 2 (1- and 3-piece) x 9 (severity of damage) within ANCOVA with reference price as a covariate indicated significant two-way interaction between the number of apples and severity of damage on estimated price. Consequently, the 1- and 3-piece conditions were examined separately. The results of both analyses indicate a categorical rather than quantitative, continuous reduction in estimated price.

DOI： 10.1155/2018/3572397

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA  

The topographic relationships between the macroanatomical structure of the lateral cortex, including sulci and fissures, and anatomical landmarks on the external surface of the head are known to be consistent. This allows the coregistration of EEG electrodes or functional near-infrared spectroscopy over the scalp with underlying cortical regions. However, limited information is available as to whether the topographic relationships are maintained in rapidly developing infants, whose brains and heads exhibit drastic growth. We used MRIs of infants ranging in age from 3 to 22 months old, and identified 20 macroanatomical landmarks, featuring the junctions ofmajor sulci and fissures, as well as cranial landmarks and virtually determined positions of the international 10-20 and 10-10 systems. A Procrustes analysis revealed developmental trends in changes of shape in both the cortex and head. An analysis of Euclidian distances between selected pairs of cortical landmarks at standard stereotactic coordinates showed anterior shifts of the relative positions of the premotor and parietal cortices with age. Finally, cortical landmark positions and their spatial variability were compared with 10-10 landmark positions. The results indicate that variability in the distribution of each macroanatomical landmark was much smaller than the pitch of the 10-10 landmarks. This study demonstrates that the scalp-based 10-10 system serves as a good frame of reference in infants not only for assessing the development of the macroanatomy of the lateral cortical structure, but also for functional studies of cortical development using transcranial modalities such as EEG and fNIRS.

DOI： 10.3389/fnins.2017.00394

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a functional neuroimaging modality that enables easy-to-use and noninvasive measurement of changes in blood oxygenation levels. We developed a clinically-applicable method for estimating resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) with NIRS using a partial correlation analysis to reduce the influence of extraneural components. Using a multi-distance probe arrangement NIRS, we measured resting state brain activity for 8 min in 17 healthy participants. Independent component analysis was used to extract shallow and deep signals from the original NIRS data. Pearson's correlation calculated from original signals was significantly higher than that calculated from deep signals, while partial correlation calculated from original signals was comparable to that calculated from deep (cerebral-tissue) signals alone. To further test the validity of our method, we also measured 8 min of resting state brain activity using a whole-head NIRS arrangement consisting of 17 cortical regions in 80 healthy participants. Significant RSFC between neighboring, interhemispheric homologous, and some distant ipsilateral brain region pairswas revealed. Additionally, females exhibited higher RSFC between interhemispheric occipital region-pairs, in addition to higher connectivity between some ipsilateral pairs in the left hemisphere, when compared to males. The combined results of the two component experiments indicate that partial correlation analysis is effective in reducing the influence of extracerebral signals, and that NIRS is able to detectwell-described resting state networks and sex-related differences in RSFC. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.011

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV  

Background: The international 10/20 system is not only a fundamental method for describing positioning for electroencephalography (EEG), but also provides intermediate cranial landmarks for the probabilistic spatial registration methods that use a reference-MRI database. However, the presence of the inion, one of the four initial reference landmarks of the international 10/20 system, is inconspicuous and can be difficult to locate on MRIs.New method: The MinR 10/20 system utilizes only three initial reference points, the nasion (Nz) and the right and left preauricular points (AR and AL), but does not employ the inion (Iz). With the MinR 10/20 system, first the most posterior point on the occipital protuberance, Ilz (Imitated Iz), is identified as an exploratory alternative to the Iz point. Next, the other landmarks are calculated according to the conventional international 10/20 system referring to these four reference points (Nz, AL, AR and Ilz).Results: Holistic tendencies for landmark position estimations on the heads and cortices in MNI space did not vary greatly between MinR and international 10/20 systems.Comparison with existing methods: A comparison of MinR and international 10/20 systems applied to seventeen adult head MRIs revealed little variance in holistic tendencies for landmark position estimations on head and cortex surfaces in the MNI coordinate system. Furthermore, variability was smaller with the MinR 10/20 system than with the conventional international 10/20 system.Conclusions: The MinR 10/20 system proved to be a practical alternative to the conventional international 10/20 system in modern computational spatial analysis for scalp-based brain mapping methods. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.02.024

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Previous studies have shown that higher aerobic fitness is related to higher cognitive function and higher task-related prefrontal activation in older adults. However, a holistic picture of these factors has yet to be presented. As a typical age-related change of brain activation, less lateralized activity in the prefrontal cortex during cognitive tasks has been observed in various neuroimaging studies. Thus, this study aimed to reveal the relationship between aerobic fitness, cognitive function, and frontal lateralization. Sixty male older adults each performed a submaximal incremental exercise test to determine their oxygen intake ((V)over dot O-2) at ventilatory threshold (VT) in order to index their aerobic fitness. They performed a color-word Stroop task while prefrontal activation was monitored using functional near infrared spectroscopy. As an index of cognitive function, Stroop interference time was analyzed. Partial correlation analyses revealed significant correlations among higher VT, shorter Stroop interference time and greater left-lateralized dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation when adjusting for education. Moreover, mediation analyses showed that left-lateralized DLPFC activation significantly mediated the association between VT and Stroop interference time. These results suggest that higher aerobic fitness is associated with cognitive function via lateralized frontal activation in older adults. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.062

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

Food cravings are known to vary among cultures. Cravings for rice, a Japanese dietary staple, have been reported for Japanese people. Deprivation of a craved food is known to increase the desire for it, but the effects of deprivation of rice have yet to be explored. Thus, in Study 1, we investigated whether and how rice deprivation for one day or three days causes rice cravings, whereas in Study 2 we examined the effects of deprivation of bread, another carbohydrate-rich food, for three days on bread cravings. Participants maintained a food diary and assessed daily frequencies of experienced a craving for the deprived foods during that day for one week. In both studies, participants in the deprivation conditions showed an increase in cravings for deprived foods during deprivation periods compared to the control condition. However, in Study 2, as opposed to Study 1, there was no significant difference in cravings between the deprivation and control conditions on the first day of deprivation. Additionally, participants in the deprivation conditions for both studies did not consume the deprived food more frequently after the deprivation period compared with their pre-deprivation consumption rates. Taken together, these studies revealed that the deprivation of rice leads to an acute increase in rice cravings, the deprivation of bread leads to a delayed increase in bread cravings, and neither leads to increased rice or bread consumption. The current combined study provides the first experimental evidence that cravings for a staple food are enhanced by its deprivation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.06.007

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

Previous neuroimaging studies in adults have revealed that first and second languages (L1/L2) share similar neural substrates, and that proficiency is a major determinant of the neural organization of L2 in the lexical-semantic and syntactic domains. However, little is known about neural substrates of children in the phonological domain, or about sex differences. Here, we conducted a large-scale study (n=484) of school-aged children using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and a word repetition task, which requires a great extent of phonological processing. We investigated cortical activation during word processing, emphasizing sex differences, to clarify similarities and differences between L1 and L2, and proficiency-related differences during early L2 learning. L1 and L2 shared similar neural substrates with decreased activation in L2 compared to L1 in the posterior superior/middle temporal and angular/supramarginal gyri for both sexes. Significant sex differences were found in cortical activation within language areas during high-frequency word but not during low-frequency word processing. During high-frequency word processing, widely distributed areas including the angular/supramarginal gyri were activated in boys, while more restricted areas, excluding the angular/supramarginal gyri were activated in girls. Significant sex differences were also found in L2 proficiency-related activation: activation significantly increased with proficiency in boys, whereas no proficiency-related differences were found in girls. Importantly, cortical sex differences emerged with proficiency. Based on previous research, the present results indicate that sex differences are acquired or enlarged during language development through different cognitive strategies between sexes, possibly reflecting their different memory functions. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

DOI： 10.1002/hbm.22885

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy ( fNIRS) is an optical imaging method that is used to noninvasively measure cerebral hemoglobin concentration changes induced by brain activation. Using structural guidance in fNIRS research enhances interpretation of results and facilitates making comparisons between studies. AtlasViewer is an open-source software package we have developed that incorporates multiple spatial registration tools to enable structural guidance in the interpretation of fNIRS studies. We introduce the reader to the layout of the AtlasViewer graphical user interface, the folder structure, and user files required in the creation of fNIRS probes containing sources and detectors registered to desired locations on the head, evaluating probe fabrication error and intersubject probe placement variability, and different procedures for estimating measurement sensitivity to different brain regions as well as image reconstruction performance. Further, we detail how AtlasViewer provides a generic head atlas for guiding interpretation of fNIRS results, but also permits users to provide subject-specific head anatomies to interpret their results. We anticipate that AtlasViewer will be a valuable tool in improving the anatomical interpretation of fNIRS studies. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.2.2.020801

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Noninvasive localization of an epileptogenic zone is a fundamental step for presurgical evaluation of epileptic patients. Here, we applied long-term simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)/electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring for focus diagnosis in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Six MTLE patients underwent long-term (8-16 h per day for 4 days) fNIRS/EEG monitoring for the occurrence of spontaneous seizures. Four spontaneous seizures were successfully recorded out of the six patients. To determine oxy-Hb amplitude, the period-average values of oxy-Hb across 20 s from the EEG-or clinically defined epileptic onset were calculated for both hemispheres from the simultaneously recorded fNIRS data. The average oxy-Hb values for the temporal lobe at the earlier EEG-or clinically defined epileptic onsets were greater for the epileptic side than for the contralateral side after EEG activity suppression, spike train, and clinical seizure in all four cases. The true laterality was determined based on the relief of seizures by selective amygdalo-hippocampectomy. Thus, oxy-Hb amplitude could be a reliable measure for determining the epileptic focus side. Long-term simultaneous fNIRS/EEG measurement serves as an effective tool for recording spontaneous seizures. Cerebral hemodynamic measurement by fNIRS would serve as a valuable supplementary noninvasive measurement method for presurgical evaluation of MTLE. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.2.2.025003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

Recent advances in multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allow wide coverage of cortical areas while entailing the necessity to control family-wise errors (FWEs) due to increased multiplicity. Conventionally, the Bonferroni method has been used to control FWE. While Type I errors (false positives) can be strictly controlled, the application of a large number of channel settings may inflate the chance of Type II errors (false negatives). The Bonferroni-based methods are especially stringent in controlling Type I errors of the most activated channel with the smallest p value. To maintain a balance between Types I and II errors, effective multiplicity (M-eff) derived from the eigenvalues of correlation matrices is a method that has been introduced in genetic studies. Thus, we explored its feasibility in multichannel fNIRS studies. Applying the M-eff method to three kinds of experimental data with different activation profiles, we performed resampling simulations and found that M-eff was controlled at 10 to 15 in a 44-channel setting. Consequently, the number of significantly activated channels remained almost constant regardless of the number of measured channels. We demonstrated that the M-eff approach can be an effective alternative to Bonferroni-based methods for multichannel fNIRS studies. (C) The Authors.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.2.1.015002

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

While a growing body of neurocognitive research has explored the neural substrates associated with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), an objective biomarker for diagnosis has not been established. The advent of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is a noninvasive and unrestrictive method of functional neuroimaging, raised the possibility of introducing functional neuroimaging diagnosis in young ADHD children. Previously, our fNIRS-based measurements successfully visualized the hypoactivation pattern in the right prefrontal cortex during a go/no-go task in ADHD children compared with typically developing control children at a group level. The current study aimed to explore a method of individual differentiation between ADHD and typically developing control children using multichannel fNIRS, emphasizing how spatial distribution and amplitude of hemodynamic response are associated with inhibition-related right prefrontal dysfunction. Thirty ADHD and thirty typically developing control children underwent a go/no-go task, and their cortical hemodynamics were assessed using fNIRS. We explored specific regions of interest (ROIs) and cut-offamplitudes for cortical activation to distinguish ADHD children from control children. The ROI located on the border of inferior and middle frontal gyri yielded the most accurate discrimination. Furthermore, we adapted well-formed formulae for the constituent channels of the optimized ROI, leading to improved classification accuracywith an area under the curve value of 85% and with 90% sensitivity. Thus, the right prefrontal hypoactivation assessed by fNIRS would serve as a potentially effective biomarker for classifying ADHD children at the individual level. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

DOI： 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.06.011

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

The current study aimed to explore the neural substrate for atomoxetine effects on attentional control in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which can be applied to young children with ADHD more easily than conventional neuroimaging modalities. Using fNIRS, we monitored the oxy-hemoglobin signal changes of 15 ADHD children (6 to 14 years old) performing an oddball task before and 1.5 h after atomoxetine or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Fifteen age-, gender-, and intelligence quotient-matched normal controls without atomoxetine administration were also monitored. In the control subjects, the oddball task recruited the right prefrontal and inferior parietal cortices. The right prefrontal and parietal activation was normalized after atomoxetine administration in ADHD children. This was in contrast to our previous study using a similar protocol showing methylphenidate-induced normalization of only the right prefrontal function. fNIRS allows the detection of differential neuropharmacological profiles of both substances in the attentional network: the neuropharmacological effects of atomoxetine to upregulate the noradrenergic system reflected in the right prefrontal and inferior parietal activations and those of methylphenidate to upregulate the dopamine system reflected in the prefrontal cortex activation. (C) The Authors.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.1.2.025007

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Despite the practical implication of mild exercise, little is known about its influence on executive function and its neural substrates. To address these issues, the present study examined the effect of an acute bout of mild exercise on executive function and attempted to identify potential neural substrates using non-invasive functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Twenty-five young individuals performed a color-word matching Stroop task (CWST) and a two-dimensional scale to measure changes of psychological mood states both before and after 10-minute exercise session on a cycle ergometer at light intensity (30% ((V) over dotO2peak)) and, for the control session, without exercise. Cortical hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal area were monitored with fNIRS during the CWST in both sessions. The acute bout of mild exercise led to improved Stroop performance, which was positively correlated with increased arousal levels. It also evoked cortical activations regarding Stroop interference on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar area. These activations significantly corresponded with both improved cognitive performance and increased arousal levels. Concurrently, this study provides empirica evidence that an acute bout of mild exercise improves executive function mediated by the exercise-induce, arousal system, which intensifies cortical activation in task-related prefrontal sub-regions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.04.067

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

An increasing number of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies utilize a general linear model (GLM) approach, which serves as a standard statistical method for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis. While fMRI solely measures the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal, fNIRS measures the changes of oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxy-hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) signals at a temporal resolution severalfold higher. This suggests the necessity of adjusting the temporal parameters of a GLM for fNIRS signals. Thus, we devised a GLM-based method utilizing an adaptive hemodynamic response function (HRF). We sought the optimum temporal parameters to best explain the observed time series data during verbal fluency and naming tasks. The peak delay of the HRF was systematically changed to achieve the best-fit model for the observed oxy- and deoxy-Hb time series data. The optimized peak delay showed different values for each Hb signal and task. When the optimized peak delays were adopted, the deoxy-Hb data yielded comparable activations with similar statistical power and spatial patterns to oxy-Hb data. The adaptive HRF method could suitably explain the behaviors of both Hb parameters during tasks with the different cognitive loads during a time course, and thus would serve as an objective method to fully utilize the temporal structures of all fNIRS dat. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.1.1.015004

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SPIE-SOC PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS  

The current study aimed to explore the neural substrate for methylphenidate effects on attentional control in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which can be applied to young children with ADHD more easily than conventional neuroimaging modalities. Using fNIRS, we monitored the oxy-hemoglobin signal changes of 22 ADHD children (6 to 14 years old) performing an oddball task before and 1.5 h after methylphenidate or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Twenty-two age-and gender-matched normal controls without methylphenidate administration were also monitored. In the control subjects, the oddball task recruited the right prefrontal and inferior parietal cortices, and this activation was absent in premedicated ADHD children. The reduced right prefrontal activation was normalized after methylphenidate but not placebo administration in ADHD children. These results are consistent with the neuropharmacological effects of methylphenidate to upregulate the dopamine system in the prefrontal cortex innervating from the ventral tegmentum (mesocortical pathway), but not the noradrenergic system from the parietal cortex to the locus coeruleus. Thus, right prefrontal activation would serve as an objective neurofunctional biomarker to indicate the effectiveness of methylphenidate on ADHD children in attentional control. fNIRS monitoring enhances early clinical diagnosis and the treatment of ADHD children, especially those with an inattention phenotype. (C) The Authors.

DOI： 10.1117/1.NPh.1.1.015001

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging technique for the noninvasive monitoring of human brain activation states utilizing the coupling between neural activity and regional cerebral hemodynamics. Illuminators and detectors, together constituting optodes, are placed on the scalp, but due to the presence of head tissues, an inter-optode distance of more than 2.5 cm is necessary to detect cortical signals. Although direct cortical monitoring with fNIRS has been pursued, a high-resolution visualization of hemodynamic changes associated with sensory, motor and cognitive neural responses directly from the cortical surface has yet to be realized. To acquire robust information on the hemodynamics of the cortex, devoid of signal complications in transcranial measurement, we devised a functional near-infrared cortical imaging (fNCI) technique. Here we demonstrate the first direct functional measurement of temporal and spatial pattems of cortical hemodynamics using the fNCI technique. For fNCI, inter-optode distance was set at 5 mm, and light leakage from illuminators was prevented by a special optode holder made of a light-shielding rubber sheet. fNCI successfully detected the somatotopy of pig nostril sensation, as assessed in comparison with concurrent and sequential somatosensoryevoked potential (SEP) measurements on the same stimulation sites. Accordingly, the fNCI system realized a direct cortical hemodynamic measurement with a spatial resolution comparable to that of SEP mapping on the rostral region of the pig brain. This study provides an important initial step toward realizing functional cortical hemodynamic monitoring during neurosurgery of human brains. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.062

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is compact, portable, and tolerant of body movement, is suitable for monitoring infant brain functions. Nevertheless, fNIRS also poses a technical problem in that it cannot provide structural information. Supplementation with structural magnetic resonance images (MRI) is not always feasible for infants who undergo fNIRS measurement. Probabilistic registration methods using an MRI database instead of subjects' own MRIs are optimized for adult studies and offer only limited resources for infant studies. To overcome this, we used high-quality infant MRI data for a 12-month-old infant and manually delineated segmented gyri from among the highly visible macroanatomies on the lateral cortical surface. These macroanatomical regions are primarily linked to the spherical coordinate system based on external cranial landmarks, and further to traditional 10-20-based head-surface positioning systems. While macroanatomical structures were generally comparable between adult and infant atlases, differences were found in the parietal lobe, which was positioned posteriorly at the vertex in the infant brain. The present study provides a referential framework for macroanatomical analyses in infant fNIRS studies. With this resource, multichannel fNIRS functional data could be analyzed in reference to macroanatomical Structures through virtual and probabilistic registrations without acquiring subject-specific MRIs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2014.01.003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

The object of the current study is to explore the neural substrate for effects of atomoxetine (ATX) on inhibitory control in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We monitored the oxy-hemoglobin signal changes of sixteen ADHD children (6-14 years old) performing a go/no-go task before and 1.5 h after ATX or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Sixteen age-and gender-matched normal controls without ATX administration were also monitored. In the control subjects, the go/no-go task recruited the right inferior and middle prefrontal gyri (IFG/MFG), and this activation was absent in pre-medicated ADHD children. The reduction of right IFG/MFG activation was acutely normalized after ATX administration but not placebo administration in ADHD children. These results are reminiscent of the neuropharmacological effects of methylphenidate to up-regulate reduced right IFG/MFG function in ADHD children during inhibitory tasks. As with methylphenidate, activation in the IFG/MFG could serve as an objective neuro-functional biomarker to indicate the effects of ATX on inhibitory control in ADHD children. This promising technique will enhance early clinical diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children, especially in those with a hyperactivity/impulsivity phenotype. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

DOI： 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.09.001

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The present study explored the possibility of generating a novel sensory evaluation instrument for describing comprehensive food palatability via its subdomains (rewarding, cultural, and informational) while keeping physiological factors constant. Seventy-five Japanese participants were asked to taste cheese samples and to respond to a questionnaire that was developed to dissect the distinct subdomains of palatability. The subsequent factor analyses revealed that three major factors may serve as distinct subdomains of palatability: rewarding, cultural, and informational, although the informational factor was not sufficiently robust. Multivariate regression analysis on cheese samples with exactly the same ingredients but sold in different packages led to different comprehensive palatability ratings due to the contribution of the cultural, but not the rewarding, factor. These results suggest that palatability is not merely determined by the physical and chemical properties that are intrinsic to a food product itself, but also depends on psychological properties that can arise through interaction between humans and the food product. The current study presents the first experimental demonstration that palatability could be dissociated to its subdomains.

DOI： 10.1002/fsn3.48

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Japan, verbal fluency tasks are commonly utilized as a standard paradigm for neuropsychological testing of cognitive and linguistic abilities. The Japanese "letter fluency task" is a mora/letter fluency task based on the phonological and orthographical characteristics of the Japanese language. Whether there are similar activation patterns across languages or a Japanese-specific mora/letter fluency pattern is not certain. We investigated the neural correlates of overt mora/letter and category fluency tasks in healthy Japanese. The category fluency task activated the bilateral fronto-temporal language-related regions with left-superior lateralization, while the mora/letter fluency task led to wider activation including the inferior parietal regions (left and right supramarginal gyrus). Specific bilateral supramarginal activation during the mora/letter fluency task in Japanese was distinct from that of similar letter fluency tasks in syllable-alphabet-based languages: this might be due to the requirement of additional phonological processing and working memory, or due to increased cognitive load in general. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bandl.2013.05.007

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE  

Background: When people are asked to adjust the color of familiar objects such as fruits until they appear achromatic, the subjective gray points of the objects are shifted away from the physical gray points in a direction opposite to the memory color (memory color effect). It is still unclear whether the discrepancy between memorized and actual colors of objects is dependent on the familiarity of the objects. Here, we conducted two experiments in order to examine the relationship between the degree of a subject's familiarity with objects and the degree of the memory color effect by using logographs of food and beverage companies.Methods and Findings: In Experiment 1, we measured the memory color effects of logos which varied in terms of their familiarity (high, middle, or low). Results demonstrate that the memory color effect occurs only in the high-familiarity condition, but not in the middle-and low-familiarity conditions. Furthermore, there is a positive correlation between the memory color effect and the actual number of domestic stores of the brand. In Experiment 2, we assessed the semantic association between logos and food/beverage names by using a semantic priming task to elucidate whether the memory color effect of logos relates to consumer brand cognition, and found that the semantic associations between logos and food/beverage names in the high-familiarity brands were stronger than those in the low-familiarity brands only when the logos were colored correctly, but not when they were appropriately or inappropriately colored, or achromatic.Conclusion: The current results provide behavioral evidence of the relationship between the familiarity of objects and the memory color effect and suggest that the memory color effect increases with the familiarity of objects, albeit not constantly.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0068474

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY  

A fundamental question with regard to perceptual development is how multisensory information is processed in the brain during the early stages of development. Although a growing body of evidence has shown the early emergence of modality-specific functional differentiation of the cortical regions, the interplay between sensory inputs from different modalities in the developing brain is not well understood. To study the effects of auditory input during audio-visual processing in 3-month-old infants, we evaluated the spatiotemporal cortical hemodynamic responses of 50 infants while they perceived visual objects with or without accompanying sounds. The responses were measured using 94-channel near-infrared spectroscopy over the occipital, temporal, and frontal cortices. The effects of sound manipulation were pervasive throughout the diverse cortical regions and were specific to each cortical region. Visual stimuli co-occurring with sound induced the early-onset activation of the early auditory region, followed by activation of the other regions. Removal of the sound stimulus resulted in focal deactivation in the auditory regions and reduced activation in the early visual region, the association region of the temporal and parietal cortices, and the anterior prefrontal regions, suggesting multisensory interplay. In contrast, equivalent activations were observed in the lateral occipital and lateral prefrontal regions, regardless of sound manipulation. Our findings indicate that auditory input did not generally enhance overall activation in relation to visual perception, but rather induced specific changes in each cortical region. The present study implies that 3-month-old infants may perceive audio-visual multisensory inputs by using the global network of functionally differentiated cortical regions. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

DOI： 10.1002/hbm.21453

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

The perception of taste and flavor can be greatly biased by extrinsic cues, or the information about a food that comes from outside of the food itself, such as package designs, brands, prices, and so on. In order to understand taste/flavor experiences in a broader context, it is necessary to consider factors other than the food/tastants themselves. This review aims to summarize some of the relevant findings from psychological and neuroimaging studies, focusing on depicting how extrinsic cues exert their effect on taste and flavor. Currently, the most frequently considered psychological mediator for the effects of extrinsic cues is expectation. Depending on the gap between expectation and taste/flavor experience, four major models predict outcomes of expectation effects: (1) assimilation, (2) generalized-negativity, (3) contrast, and (4) assimilation-contrast. Among them, the most influential is the assimilation model proposing that taste/flavor experiences are modified toward what one expects. Thus far, all the neuroimaging studies examining the influence of extrinsic cues have dealt with assimilation effects. They suggest that when extrinsic cues influence taste/flavor perception, cortical representations of taste/flavor are also modulated. Collectively neuroimaging findings partly answer questions arising from psychological aspects: the influence of extrinsic cues is not due to superficial response bias but to truly changed perception. These findings, albeit limited to assimilation effects, suggest that combined understanding from both psychological and neuroimaging studies would help deepen our understanding of the taste experience. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

DOI： 10.1016/j.semcdb.2012.11.001

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：OXFORD UNIV PRESS  

Several studies have reported that experts outperform novices in specific domains. However, the superiority of experts in accuracy, taking both trueness and precision into consideration, has not yet been explored. Here, we examined differences between expert and novice performances by evaluating the accuracy of their estimations of physical concentrations of sodium chloride in solutions while employing a visual analog scale. In Experiment 1, 14 experts and 13 novices tasted 6 concentrations of the solutions until they had learned their intensities. Subsequently, they repeatedly rated the concentration of 3 other solutions in random order. Although we did not find a difference between the performances of the 2 groups in trueness (difference between rating and correct concentration), the precision (consistency of ratings for each participant) of experts was higher than that of novices. In Experiment 2, 13 experts who had participated in Experiment 1 and 10 experts and 12 novices who had not participated in Experiment 1 rated the salt concentration in sodium chloride/sucrose mixtures in the same way as in Experiment 1. Both trueness and precision of performance were higher in both expert groups than in the novice group. By introducing precision and trueness parameters, we succeeded in quantifying the estimations of experts and novices in rating the concentration of solutions, revealing experts' superiority even for a task they had not been trained for.

DOI： 10.1093/chemse/bjs137

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV  

There is an increasing need for a pig model for use in functional brain studies, but a system for determining precise stereotactic coordinates has yet to be developed. Thus, we devised a frameless navigation system for stereotactic positioning, and measured coordinates for the rostral region and the primary somatosensory cortex in the pig brain. Raw coordinates for somatic evoked potential recordings were obtained by passive optical tracking. The location was registered to a computed tomographic image in reference to four stable skull landmarks: the upper margin of each auditory meatus, the external occipital protuberance, and the point where the interfrontal suture crosses a line drawn between the two supraorbital foramina ("IF" point). The cortical position with the greatest response in evoked potential was mapped -51.0 +/- 4.67 mm rostro-caudally, 9.1 +/- 1.19 mm medio-laterally, and -8.8 +/- 0.48 mm dorso-ventrally (means +/- SD; n = 3) to the IF point. These results show that frameless registration is useful for coordinate-based evoked-potential mapping of the rostral region of the Mexican hairless pig. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.09.027

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Elsevier  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC  

A growing number of reports state that regular exercise enhances brain function in older adults. Recently a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study revealed that an acute bout of moderate exercise enhanced activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) associated with Stroop interference in young adults. Whether this acute effect is also applicable to older adults was examined. Sixteen older adults performed a color-word matching Stroop task before and after 10 minutes of exercise on a cycle ergometer at a moderate intensity. Cortical hemodynamics of the prefrontal area was monitored with a fNIRS during the Stroop task. We analyzed Stroop interference (incongruent-neutral) as Stroop performance. Though activation for Stroop interference was found in the bilateral prefrontal area before the acute bout of exercise, activation of the right frontopolar area (R-FPA) was enhanced after exercise. In the majority of participants, this coincided with improved performance reflected in Stroop interference results. Thus, an acute bout of moderate exercise improved Stroop performance in older adults, and this was associated with contralateral compensatory activation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.12.022

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY-BLACKWELL  

Conventional studies on affective meanings have been conducted using the semantic differential technique. Although it offers reasonably valid and reliable measures for the bindings between visual stimuli and affective responses, it is dependent on subjective rating. Thus, the present study examined whether the reaction time (RT) of affective judgments for visual stimuli (color, shape, and facial expression) can be an objective indicator of the strength of stimuli-response bindings. The results can be summarized as follows: (a) RTs for judging Evaluation were longer regardless of stimulus type; (b) RTs for Activity were shorter regardless of stimulus type; and (c) RTs for Lightness and Sharpness depended on stimulus type. These phenomena are consistent with the findings of previous affective meaning studies, suggesting that the RTs for affective judgments can be useful indicators reflecting the strength of the bindings between stimulus properties and affective meanings across various target stimuli and rating scales.

DOI： 10.1111/j.1468-5884.2012.00511.x

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Wiley-Blackwell  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

We describe the validation of an anatomical brain atlas approach to the analysis of diffuse optical tomography (DOT). Using MRI data from 32 subjects, we compare the diffuse optical images of simulated cortical activation reconstructed using a registered atlas with those obtained using a subject's true anatomy. The error in localization of the simulated cortical activations when using a registered atlas is due to a combination of imperfect registration, anatomical differences between atlas and subject anatomies and the localization error associated with diffuse optical image reconstruction. When using a subject-specific MRI, any localization error is due to diffuse optical image reconstruction only. In this study we determine that using a registered anatomical brain atlas results in an average localization error of approximately 18 mm in Euclidean space. The corresponding error when the subject's own MRI is employed is 9.1 mm. In general, the cost of using atlas-guided DOT in place of subject-specific MRI-guided DOT is a doubling of the localization error. Our results show that despite this increase in error, reasonable anatomical localization is achievable even in cases where the subject-specific anatomy is unavailable. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.05.031

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：BMC  

Background: Health numeracy is an important factor in how well people make decisions based on medical risk information. However, in many countries, including Japan, numeracy studies have been limited.Methods: To fill this gap, we evaluated health numeracy levels in a sample of Japanese adults by translating two well-known scales that objectively measure basic understanding of math and probability: the 3-item numeracy scale developed by Schwartz and colleagues (the Schwartz scale) and its expanded version, the 11-item numeracy scale developed by Lipkus and colleagues (the Lipkus scale).Results: Participants' performances (n = 300) on the scales were much higher than in original studies conducted in the United States (80% average item-wise correct response rate for Schwartz-J, and 87% for Lipkus-J). This high performance resulted in a ceiling effect on the distributions of both scores, which made it difficult to apply parametric statistical analysis, and limited the interpretation of statistical results. Nevertheless, the data provided some evidence for the reliability and validity of these scales: The reliability of the Japanese versions (Schwartz-J and Lipkus-J) was comparable to the original in terms of their internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.53 for Schwartz-J and 0.72 for Lipkus-J). Convergent validity was suggested by positive correlations with an existing Japanese health literacy measure (the Test for Ability to Interpret Medical Information developed by Takahashi and colleagues) that contains some items relevant to numeracy. Furthermore, as shown in the previous studies, health numeracy was still associated with framing bias with individuals whose Lipkus-J performance was below the median being significantly influenced by how probability was framed when they rated surgical risks. A significant association was also found using Schwartz-J, which consisted of only three items.Conclusions: Despite relatively high levels of health numeracy according to these scales, numeracy measures are still important determinants underlying susceptibility to framing bias. This suggests that it is important in Japan to identify individuals with low numeracy skills so that risk information can be presented in a way that enables them to correctly understand it. Further investigation is required on effective numeracy measures for such an intervention in Japan.

DOI： 10.1186/1472-6947-12-104

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：IEEE  

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Confrontation naming tasks assess cognitive processes involved in the main stage of word production. However, in fMRI, the occurrence of movement artifacts necessitates the use of covert paradigms, which has limited clinical applications. Thus, we explored the feasibility of adopting multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess language function during covert and overt naming tasks. Thirty right-handed, healthy adult volunteers underwent both naming tasks and cortical hemodynamics measurement using fNIRS. The overt naming task recruited the classical left-hemisphere language areas (left inferior frontal, superior and middle temporal, precentral, and postcentral gyri) exemplified by an increase in the oxy-Hb signal. Activations were bilateral in the middle and superior temporal gyri. However, the covert naming task recruited activation only in the left-middle temporal gyrus. The activation patterns reflected a major part of the functional network for overt word production, suggesting the clinical importance of fNIRS in the diagnosis of aphasic patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.02.001

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a common developmental syndrome with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, is typically treated with the psychostimulant drug, methylphenidate (MPH). We explored the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to search for a clinically implementable biological marker for the acute MPH effect on ADHD children.Methods: Following an MPH washout period, twelve ADHD children performed a go/no-go task before and 1.5 h after MPH intake. fNIRS was used to monitor the lateral prefrontal cortical hemodynamics of ADHD children performing a go/no-go task.Results: There was no significant activation in the lateral prefrontal cortices examined before MPH intake. However, after MPH intake, significant MPH-elicited activation (oxygenated hemoglobin signal increase) was detected in the right lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) implicated with response inhibition functions. There was a large significant correlation between increases in task performance and activation in the right LPFC.Conclusions: The improved cognitive performance was associated with activation in the right LPFC, which might serve as a biological marker to monitor the effect of MPH in ADHD children.Significance: MPH-effect assessment in ADHD children using fNIRS can be performed within a 3 h stay at a hospital during a single visit, and thus may be integrated into clinical practice. (C) 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.10.006

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

The present study explored whether the gender impression of a dish affects the gender stereotypes of foods. We assessed gender stereotypes of food among young Japanese adults using a semantic priming task. As prime stimuli, we took pictures of food in combination with a dish. We used feminine- and masculine-evaluated foods and dishes in order to create four different combinations of food and dishes. In the semantic priming task, we primed the participants (n = 58) with the pictures of food-dish combinations and immediately after the priming, we presented them with forenames as target stimuli and let them decide whether the forename given was feminine or masculine. By so doing, we estimated the semantic association between the food-dish combinations with gender. The results demonstrate that gender impressions of dishes affect gender stereotypes toward foods. The feminine-evaluated dish exhibited a facilitation of the femininity and an inhibition of the masculinity of foods. Similarly, the masculine-evaluated dish exhibited a facilitation of the masculinity and an inhibition of the femininity of foods. These results suggest that gender-based stereotypical attitudes toward food pictures are determined by the combination of gender impressions for both the food itself and its dish. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2012.02.013

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

Appropriate choice and consumption of meals are important to optimize diet quality. Nevertheless, the relationship between the conceptualization of food choice motives and consumption has yet to be elucidated. The current study attempts to delineate the effects of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), gender, and age on psychologically defined food properties in three conceptual dimensions, namely, desired-to-be-eaten, ought-to-be-eaten, and actually-consumed foods, based on self-reporting among 100 Japanese participants. Results showed that there were large discrepancies between food choice motives (composed of desired- and ought-food dimensions) and actually-consumed foods. Accordingly, the effects of meal on food properties were examined in each dimension respectively, and meal effects were supported in all dimensions. Although food choice motives did not differ across age groups, people in their 40's rated the properties of the foods they actually consumed substantially lower than did other age groups. No gender effect was observed. There were higher correlations between desired- and ought-dimensions across meals compared with between desired- and actual- and between ought- and actual-dimensions. In addition, association between dimensions was stronger at dinner compared with breakfast. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.foodqual.2011.10.002

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

The effect of package images on incidental flavor memory for fruit juice was investigated. Ninety-two participants were allocated to three experimental conditions: (1) apple-label, (2) peach-label, and (3) control-label. In each condition, participants tasted a target flavor stimulus, a 1:1 mixture of 100% pure apple juice and 100% pure peach juice with pictures attached to the cups. Ten minutes later, participants were confronted with samples consisting of varying ratios of 100% peach to 100% apple juice, and were asked to rate their similarity to the target stimuli. Participants were also asked to rate how congruent the juice flavor and the image were at the initial tasting. Apple images modulated memories of the flavors of target stimuli: they shifted toward that of apples. This modulation occurred in participants who perceived the label and flavor as congruent. Peach images did not modulate memories, possibly because the subjects had significantly less experience of drinking peach juice than apple juice. These results reveal that flavor memory can be biased toward that of the image labels during initial tasting. However, memory bias depends on the perceived congruency between labels and flavors, and tasters' prior experiences. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.foodqual.2011.09.007

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

For functional neuroimaging with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), we recently introduced a probabilistic registration method that uses a reference magnetic resonance image (MRI) database instead of the subject's own MRI, and probabilistically registers the NIRS optode or channel positions onto a canonical brain template in the standard stereotactic brain coordinate systems. As an alternative method, we devised an anchor-based registration method utilizing roughly obtained anchor positions on the scalp instead of strictly defined landmarks such as 10/20 landmarks. This method uses a spherical coordinate system to seek a position in the reference MRI database that corresponds to the anchor position, and eventually presents NIRS optode and channel positions in the standard stereotactic brain coordinate system. For comparison against conventional probabilistic registration, we simulated NIRS optode holder placement on 100 synthesized virtual heads, and found holistic tendencies for probe position estimations were similar between the two methods. Comparison among anchor-based probabilistic registration, conventional probabilistic registration, and SPM-based registration via co-registration to a subject's own MRI revealed that intra-method variability was comparable to a small inter-method variability. Thus, anchor-based registration is a practical alternative, especially to avoid burdening a subject and to reduce experimental time. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2011.10.008

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC  

A large-scale study of 484 elementary school children (6-10 years) performing word repetition tasks in their native language (L1-Japanese) and a second language (L2-English) was conducted using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Three factors presumably associated with cortical activation, language (L1/L2), word frequency (high/low), and hemisphere (left/right), were investigated. L1 words elicited significantly greater brain activation than L2 words, regardless of semantic knowledge, particularly in the superior/middle temporal and inferior parietal regions (angular/supramarginal gyri). The greater L1-elicited activation in these regions suggests that they are phonological loci, reflecting processes tuned to the phonology of the native language, while phonologically unfamiliar L2 words were processed like nonword auditory stimuli. The activation was bilateral in the auditory and superior/middle temporal regions. Hemispheric asymmetry was observed in the inferior frontal region (right dominant), and in the inferior parietal region with interactions: low-frequency words elicited more right-hemispheric activation (particularly in the supramarginal gyrus), while high-frequency words elicited more left-hemispheric activation (particularly in the angular gyrus). The present results reveal the strong involvement of a bilateral language network in children's brains depending more on right-hemispheric processing while acquiring unfamiliar/low-frequency words. A right-to-left shift in laterality should occur in the inferior parietal region, as lexical knowledge increases irrespective of language.

DOI： 10.1093/cercor/bhr023

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

We investigated whether the directional effect on the kappa effect can be attributed to the directional anisotropy of retinotopical space or to the representation of forces provided by environmental contexts (e.g., gravity) in an observed event. We examined whether different contexts with similar directional changes (straight vs. reversed motion) influence the kappa effect in four experiments. The object's motion appeared to depict only forces under the natural laws of physics on a slope (Experiment 1) or on a horizontal plane (Experiment 2) in virtual 3D space. In Experiments 3 and 4, the motion appeared to be subjected to external or self-driving forces additionally influenced by internal forces on a slope (Experiment 3) or a horizontal plane (Experiment 4).The results demonstrated that the directional effect on the kappa effect was observed only in Experiment 1, and not in Experiments 2 and 3, while the kappa effect was preserved. Furthermore, not even the kappa effect was observed in the reversed motion of Experiment 4. The results of the present study suggest that the determining factor of direction in the kappa effect is not a simple anisotropy, but rather the context of observed events. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.visres.2011.05.016

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY-BLACKWELL  

The effect of sensory and extrinsic attributes on consumer intentions to purchase the Japanese traditional fermented soybean product natto was evaluated using conjoint analysis. Six attributes with 2 levels each were chosen and manipulated: price (high compared with low), the country of origin of the soybeans (domestic compared with imported), stickiness (strong compared with moderate), smell (rich compared with moderate), attached seasonings (attached compared with no attached seasonings), and the environmental friendliness of the packaging (high compared with low). A fractional factorial design was applied and 8 hypothetical product labels were produced. A sample of 479 Japanese housewives ranked these product labels based on their purchase intentions. Overall purchase intention was affected by country of origin, attached seasonings, and price; those attributes accounted for 81.0%, while the sensory attributes of the product accounted for 19.0% of purchase intents. In order to estimate market segments for the natto products based on consumer preference, a cluster analysis was performed. It identified 4 segments of consumers: 1 oriented to attached seasonings, another conscious of the price, and the other 2 oriented to origins. The behavioral and demographic characteristics of the respondents had a limited influence on segment membership.Practical ApplicationThis research was conducted to understand how consumers valuate various sensory and nonsensory product attributes based on their assessment of the overall product in the case of Japanese fermented soy product (natto). The data of this research would be of great importance both in understanding consumer behavior and in designing strategies for product development.

DOI： 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02047.x

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

The aim of the present study is to provide effective tools for monitoring hemodynamic changes in the cortical and scalp surface during migraine attack and treatment. Using near-infrared spectroscopy system (NIRS) and laser Doppler skin blood flow (SkBF) devices in combination, we monitored changes in extra- and intra-cranial vasculature states upon sumatriptan injection during spontaneous migraine attack. We examined 4 control subjects and 4 migraine patients. Multi-channel NIRS probes were placed over the temporoparietal area bilaterally and oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) was analyzed. Laser Doppler SkBF was simultaneously recorded to measure scalp surface blood flow changes. All patients were treated with a sumatriptan injection (3 mg), and all control subjects received a saline injection as a control for oxy-Hb/SkBF signals caused by injection pain over the monitoring period. There was a marked reduction of oxy-Hb/SkBF in all patients after sumatriptan injection, consistent with pain relief. Moreover, the changes in oxy-Hb/SkBF were significantly correlated. By contrast, saline injection did not cause any significant changes. These data suggest that sumatriptan induces blood vessel contraction at both cortical and scalp surfaces. Simultaneous oxy-Hb/SkBF recording enables real-time continuous monitoring of the effects of sumatriptan treatment in clinical situations. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2010.09.003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

The neural basis of memory subprocesses, encoding and retrieval, have been extensively examined in functional neuroimaging studies. However, the cortical substrates of taste memory, which form an important part of our episodic memory, have rarely been explored in humans. Previously, we have used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and found activation of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) related to taste encoding. The method used in the current study allowed brain monitoring while participants tasted liquid taste-stimuli in upright positions. Here. using the same system, we examined the LPFC activity of 28 healthy volunteers during both the encoding and the retrieval of taste memory. The contrast between the retrieval and eyes-closed-resting conditions revealed activation in the bilateral LPFC. This activation was significantly larger than that for encoding in the bilateral frontopolar and right dorso-LPFC regions, particularly in the right hemisphere (N = 28, P < 0.05, FDR corrected), exhibiting right hemispheric dominance. Our findings are in line with the hemispheric encoding/retrieval asymmetry (HERA) model, which proposes a process-specific prefrontal contribution to memory function. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.016

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：BMC  

Background: A variety of neuroimaging software packages have been released from various laboratories worldwide, and many researchers use these packages in combination. Though most of these software packages are freely available, some people find them difficult to install and configure because they are mostly based on UNIX-like operating systems. We developed a live USB-bootable Linux package named "Lin4Neuro." This system includes popular neuroimaging analysis tools. The user interface is customized so that even Windows users can use it intuitively.Results: The boot time of this system was only around 40 seconds. We performed a benchmark test of inhomogeneity correction on 10 subjects of three-dimensional T1-weighted MRI scans. The processing speed of USB-booted Lin4Neuro was as fast as that of the package installed on the hard disk drive. We also installed Lin4Neuro on a virtualization software package that emulates the Linux environment on a Windows-based operation system. Although the processing speed was slower than that under other conditions, it remained comparable.Conclusions: With Lin4Neuro in one's hand, one can access neuroimaging software packages easily, and immediately focus on analyzing data. Lin4Neuro can be a good primer for beginners of neuroimaging analysis or students who are interested in neuroimaging analysis. It also provides a practical means of sharing analysis environments across sites.

DOI： 10.1186/1471-2342-11-3

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

The present study investigated whether eating habits during childhood, specifically the type of food eaten for breakfast, is related to later attitudes toward traditional foods among young Japanese. In the experiment, participants were classified into two groups: one consisting of freshmen that habitually ate a Japanese-style breakfast during childhood (n = 28) and the other of freshmen that habitually ate a Western-style breakfast (n = 20). They were asked to complete a personalized implicit association test (IAT) and a self-report questionnaire, both of which measure attitudes toward Japanese and Western foods. Results demonstrated that implicit and explicit associations between Japanese food and attitude in the Japanese-style breakfast group were stronger than those between type of food and attitude in the Western-style breakfast group. Thus, positive attitudes toward traditional diets in young Japanese are likely related to the type of breakfast eaten in childhood. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.05.002

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCI LTD  

Most food packages contain images as well as textual information. While the influence of textual information on flavor evaluation has been well studied, the influence of images remains unexplored. Thus, this study investigated how the valence and congruency of images on juice packages influence flavor evaluations. There were 85 participants divided between four experimental conditions: (1) pleasant/congruent, with pleasant orange pictures; (2) unpleasant/congruent, with unpleasant orange pictures; (3) pleasant/incongruent, with pictures of pleasant non-food objects; and (4) unpleasant/incongruent, with pictures of unpleasant non-food objects. In each condition, pictures were attached to cups filled with juice. The participants rated the palatability, goodness of aroma, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, richness, freshness, and artificiality of 6 samples of the same juice. Juices presented with pleasant images were rated as more palatable and fresh. Juices presented with congruent images were rated with better aromas. This data shows that images on juice packages influence flavor evaluation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.foodqual.2010.05.010

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

We aimed to explore the interactive effects of the accessibility of information and the degree of carbon footprint score on consumers' value judgments of food products Participants (n = 151, undergraduate students in Japan) rated their maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for four food products varying in information accessibility (active-search or read-only conditions) and in carbon footprint values (low, middle, high, or non-display) provided. We also assessed further effects of information accessibly and carbon footprint value on other product attributes utilizing the subjective estimation of taste, quality, healthiness, and environmental friendliness. Results of the experiment demonstrated an interactive effect of information accessibility and the degree of carbon emission on consumer valuation of carbon footprint-labeled food. The carbon footprint value had a stronger impact on participants WTP in the active-search condition than in the read-only condition. Similar to WIT, the results of the subjective ratings for product qualities also exhibited an interactive effect of the two factors on the rating of environmental friendliness for products These results imply that the perceived environmental friendliness inferable from a carbon footprint label contributes to creating value for a food product (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2010.06.013

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Elsevir  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

A growing number of human studies have reported the beneficial influences of acute as well as chronic exercise on cognitive functions. However, neuroimaging investigations into the neural substrates of the effects of acute exercise have yet to be performed. Using multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we sought cortical activation related to changes in the Stroop interference test, elicited by an acute bout of moderate exercise, in healthy volunteers (N = 20). The compactness and portability of fNIRS allowed on-site cortical examination in a laboratory with a cycle ergometer, enabling strict control of the exercise intensity of each subject by assessing their peak oxygen intake (Vo(2peak)). We defined moderate exercise intensity as 50% of a subject's peak oxygen uptake (50%Vo(2peak)). An acute bout of moderate exercise caused significant improvement of cognitive performance reflecting Stroop interference as measured by reaction time. Consistent with previous functional neuroimaging studies, we detected brain activation due to Stroop interference (incongruent minus neutral) in the lateral prefrontal cortices in both hemispheres. This Stroop-interference-related activation was significantly enhanced in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex due to the acute bout of moderate exercise. The enhanced activation significantly coincided with the improved cognitive performance. This suggests that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is likely the neural substrate for the improved Stroop performance elicited by an acute bout of moderate exercise. fNIRS, which allows physiological monitoring and functional neuroimaging to be combined, proved to be an effective tool for examining the cognitive effects of exercise. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.023

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

We investigated the effect that the parameters of luminance distribution in fresh food have on our visual perception of its freshness. We took pictures of the degradation over 32 h in freshness of a cabbage. We used original images, which were patches of the pictures taken at different sampling hours, and artificially generated pictures, called "matched images," created by fitting the luminance histogram shape of the original image (taken at the 1st hour) to those at various freshness stages using a luminance histogram-matching algorithm. Nine participants rated the perceived freshness of the original and the matched images on a scale of degradation. As a result, we found that the participants could quantitatively estimate the degradation in freshness of the cabbage simply by looking at the presented images. Some parameters of the luminance histograms monotonically change with decreasing freshness, indicating that the freshness of cabbage can be estimated using these parameters. However, the freshness ratings for the matched images after the 8th hour of degradation had lower modification than those for the respective original images. These results suggest that the luminance distribution in the vegetable texture partly contributes to visual freshness perception but other variables, such as spatial patterns, might also be important for estimating visual freshness.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2010.01.002

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC  

We explored infants' ability to recognize the canonical colors of daily objects, including two color-specific objects (human face and fruit) and a non-color-specific object (flower), by using a preferential looking technique. A total of 58 infants between 5 and 8 months of age were tested with a stimulus composed of two color Pictures of an object placed side by side: a correctly colored Picture (e.g., Fed strawberry) and an inappropriately colored picture (e.g., green-blue strawberry). The results showed that, overall, the 6- to 8-month-olds showed preference for the Correctly colored pictures for color-specific objects, whereas they did not show preference for the correctly colored pictures for the non-color-specific object. The 5-month-olds showed no significant preference for the correctly colored pictures for all object conditions. These findings imply that the recognition, of canonical color for objects emerges at 6 months of age. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.jecp.2009.11.002

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

We describe a neuroimaging protocol that utilizes an anatomical atlas of the human head to guide diffuse optical tomography of human brain activation. The protocol is demonstrated by imaging the hemodynamic response to median-nerve stimulation in three healthy subjects, and comparing the images obtained using a head atlas with the images obtained using the subject-specific head anatomy. The results indicate that using the head atlas anatomy it is possible to reconstruct the location of the brain activation to the expected gyrus of the brain, in agreement with the results obtained with the subject-specific head anatomy. The benefits of this novel method derive from eliminating the need for subject-specific head anatomy and thus obviating the need for a subject-specific MRI to improve the anatomical interpretation of diffuse optical tomography images of brain activation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.07.033

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English  

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Objective: The use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is growing, leading to a need for methods to summarise data from multiple studies. However, this is difficult using the current channel-based methods when experiments do not share a common channel (CH) arrangement. Thus, we proposed and implemented a CH-independent analysis method for summarising fNIRS data.Methods: We defined sub-regions as spatial bins to organise fNIRS data. Sub-regions were defined on the standard brain surface based on macro- and micro-structural information. After probabilistically estimating CH location in standard stereotaxic brain space, the CH-based data were reorganised into these spatial bins to evaluate sub-region-based activation.Results: Sub-regions with sizes corresponding to fNIRS spatial resolution were defined. We demonstrated this method by integrating data from two of our fNIRS studies that shared the same region of interest but used different channel arrangements.Conclusions: Using this method, data from multiple fNIRS studies with different CH arrangements can be integrated in standard brain space, while keeping in mind the brain structure-function relationship.Significance: The current method will facilitate an effective use of accumulating fNIRS data by allowing integration of data from multiple studies. (C) 2009 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.01.023

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

We explored the feasibility of introducing implicit attitude measures for the study of food-related stereotypes by assessing gender-based food stereotypes among young Japanese using a semantic priming paradigm. Thirty-seven Japanese university students were asked to judge if a given forename was male or female immediately after the presentation of a food-name prime stimulus. The participants required significantly less time to verify the gender of forenames when the stereotyped gender of the food and the gender of forename were congruent than when they were incongruent. We demonstrate that a semantic priming paradigm is capable of uncovering implicit gender-based food stereotypes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2008.11.002

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：OXFORD UNIV PRESS  

We examined whether food identity information presented as name labels would influence perception of basic tastes. To test this hypothesis, we used 10 aqueous taste solutions consisting of 2-3 of the 5 basic tastes in different ratios and presented them with one of these food names: "lemon," "coffee jelly," "caramel candy," and "consomme soup." Forty-six participants tasted samples presented with either food-name labels or random number labels. We found that participants who tasted samples with food-name labels rated tastes with significantly higher liking and familiarity scores than those presented with random numbers, especially when the names and tastes were perceived as being congruent. Though an effect on perceived intensity was not as prominent, we observed cases in which intensity ratings significantly changed. Effects of identity information have been shown in olfaction and flavors. This study demonstrates the first experimental evidence that identity information given as names also influence the perception of unimodal basic tastes.

DOI： 10.1093/chemse/bjn075

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC  

In adults, a salient tone embedded in a sequence of nonsalient tones improves detection of a synchronously and briefly presented visual target in a rapid, visually distracting sequence. This phenomenon indicates that perception from one sensory modality can be influenced by another one even when the latter modality provides no information about the judged property itself However, no study has revealed the age-related development of this kind of cross-modal enhancement. Here we tested the effect of concurrent and unique sounds on detection of illusory contours during infancy. We used a preferential looking technique to investigate whether audio-visual enhancement of the detection of illusory contours could be observed at 5, 6, and 7 months of age. A significant enhancement, induced by sound, of the preference for illusory contours was observed only in the 7-month-olds. These results suggest that audio-visual enhancement in visual target detection emerges at 7 months of age. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.jecp.2008.07.002

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

The act of tasting is the product of inseparable integrative behavior consisting of multi-sensory processing and orolingual motor coordination. Often tasting-induced brain activity is looked at in a reductionist manner as a set of isolated components. However, brain activity as a whole during tasting may not simply be the sum of isolated brain responses; therefore, attempting to look at the cortical activation in a more holistic manner is important. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we assessed cortical responses during tasting, contrasting observed neuronal activation of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), of 19 healthy participants before and during tasting of 8 ml of sweet-based solutions. To examine the activated brain structure, we estimated the anatomical regions of the measured location in standard brain space. We also included simple tongue tapping movement (TT) and word fluency (WF) tasks as comparative functional markers. Significant activity was found in channels (CHs) estimated to be in the bilateral oral motor areas during the TT task, and those in the LPFC, primarily in the left hemisphere, during the WF task. During the tasting task, significant activation was observed in CHs estimated to lie in the ventral part of pre- and post-central gyri as well as in the ventro-LPFC (VLPFC). The activated regions partly overlapped with those detected during TT or WF tasks, but extended more anteriorly and ventrally. Our study suggests that, in addition to tongue motor areas, the VLPFC is involved in the act of tasting. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.12.016

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC  

Attachment between mothers and infants is the most primitive and primary form of human social relationship. Many reports have suggested that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays a significant role in this attachment; however, only a select few provide experimental neurophysiological evidence. In the present study, to determine the neural substrates underlying the social and emotional attachment between mothers and infants, we measured their prefrontal activation by using near-infrared spectroscopy. We used movie stimuli that could robustly induce a positive affect, and the results for viewing own versus unfamiliar infants showed that own-infant viewing elicited increased activations around the anterior part of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the mothers. Their response magnitude in that area was also correlated with the behavioral rating of the pleasant mood of infants. Furthermore, our study revealed that the infants' prefrontal activation around the anterior OFC is specific to viewing their mothers' smile. These results suggest the OFC's role in regulating and encoding the affect in attachment system and also show that infants share similar neuronal functions with mothers, associated with their bonds at 1 year of age. We further discussed infants' prefrontal activations and their implications for the development of the social brain network.

DOI： 10.1093/cercor/bhn081

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

Food purchasing decisions of consumers are influenced by information on food labels such as origin and nutritional value of the food product. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the impact of the amount and accessibility of information on consumers' value judgment of food products. Participants (n = 120, Japanese university Students) Fated their maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for three food products varying in information accessibility (active-search or read-only conditions) and in the amount of information (small, medium, or large) provided. We will demonstrate that a consumer's WTP depends on the interaction between these two factors. In the active-search condition, food products with a large amount of information Were valued significantly higher than those with less information. However, in the read-only condition, food products with a medium amount of information were valued significantly higher than those with little information, and there was no significant difference between conditions with large and small amounts of information. To conclude, a larger amount of information led to a higher value only when participants searched for the information actively, whereas a moderate amount of information did the best when participants are only allowed to read the information. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2008.05.054

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：STATISTICA SINICA  

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging non-invasive optical technique to monitor the cortical hemodynamic response. Generally, parametric statistical methods are used to analyze fNIRS data, requiring certain strong assumptions that may fail in fNIRS data. This paper illustrates the application of non-parametric alternatives, such as permutation and bootstrap methods, which require fewer and weaker assumptions. We demonstrate that the proposed methods can increase the statistical significance of results when compared to the equivalent parametric methods in controlling familywise error rate in fNIRS group studies.

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：WILEY-LISS  

Raf-1 is an important effector of Ras mediated signaling and is a critical regulator of the ERK/MAPK pathway. Raf-1 activation is controlled in part by phosphorylation on multiple residues, including an obligate phosphorylation site at serine 338. Previously PAK1 and casein kinase II have been implicated as serine 338 kinases. To identify novel kinases that phosphorylate this site, we tested the ability of group II PAKs(PAKs 4-6) to control serine 338 phosphorylation. We observed that all group II PAKs were efficient serine 338 kinases, although only PAK1 and PAK5 significantly stimulated Raf-1 kinase activity. We also showed that PAK5 forms a tight complex with Raf-1 in the cell, but not A-Raf or B-Raf. Importantly, we also demonstrated that the association of Raf-1 with PAK5 targets a subpopulation of Raf-1 to mitochondria. These data indicate that PAK5 is a potent regulator of Raf-1 activity and may control Raf-1 dependent signaling at mitochondria.

DOI： 10.1002/jcb.21809

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV  

Optical imaging has been gradually utilized to investigate language functions in the brain. The majority of hemodynamic response (slow signal) measurements have been applied to receptive and productive language processing, while several event-related optical signal (EROS) measurements on neuronal response (fast signal) have focused on receptive language processing. Therefore, an investigation of language production based on fast signal measurement is yet to be realized. Using a continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopic (CW-NIRS) method with three long wavelengths in close ranges (780,805, and 830 nm), which are suitable for the detection of fast optical signals, the current work investigated whether absorbance-based EROS components during overt language production might be elicited bilaterally in each wavelength with a 25 ms sampling time. Healthy adult subjects read aloud Japanese noun phrases (NP) presented on a computer screen. Two conditions (short/long-vowel duration) included either initial [s]- or [k]-phoneme types in the first words of the NP. The cognitive subtraction method achieved by deducting short-duration from long-duration conditions showed that in both phoneme types, reliable fast optical components with a peak latency of about 100-175 ms post initial-consonant onset were bilaterally elicited by long vowels. This result suggests that the present CW-NIRS methodology can clearly detect such early optical signals with good temporal resolution and with a good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) obtained from a small number of stimuli. The fact that optical absorbance values at all three wavelengths had the same positive deflections during the initial-syllable production demonstrates that the elicitation of fast optical components may directly represent neuronal activity. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.05.079

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

The present study examined cortical oxygenation changes during lexical decision on words and pseudowords using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Focal hyperoxygenation as an indicator of functional activation was compared over three target areas over the left hemisphere. A 52-channel Hitachi ETG-4000 was used covering the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), the left inferior parietal gyrus (IPG) and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). To allow for anatomical inference a recently developed probabilistic mapping method was used to determine the most likely anatomic locations of the changes in cortical activation [Tsuzuki, D., Jurcak, V., Singh, A. K., Okamoto, M., Watanabe, E., Dan, I., 2007. Virtual spatial registration of stand-alone fNIRS data to MNI space. NeuroImage 43 ( 4), 1506-1518.Subjects made lexical decisions on 50 low and 50 high frequency words and 100 pseudowords. With respect to the lexicality effect, words elicited a larger focal hyperoxygenation in comparison to pseudowords in two regions identified as the SFG and left IPG. The SFG activation difference was interpreted to reflect decision-related mechanisms according to the Multiple Read-Out Model [Grainger, J., Jacobs, A. M., 1996. Orthographic processing in visual word recognition: A multiple read-out model. Psychological Review 103, 518-565]. The greater oxygenation response to words in the left IPG suggests that this region connects orthographic, phonological and semantic representations. A decrease of deoxygenated hemoglobin was observed to low frequency in comparison to high frequency words in a region identified as IFG. This region's sensitivity to word frequency suggests its involvement in grapheme-phoneme conversion, or its role during the selection of preactivated semantic candidates. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.12.037

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japanese Psychonomic Society  

We examined whether simultaneous illusory thermal sensations can influence the perception of hardness. By applying thermal stimuli on the index and ring fingers, we elicited referred thermal sensation on the middle finger, to which only hardness stimuli was applied without affecting the thermal properties of the peripheral receptors. Seven participants underwent a two-alternative forced-choice task on the perceived hardness of rubber pieces with various hardness values. The results show that the participants found samples to be harder under the cold condition. This phenomenon implies that the illusory thermal experience induces a tactile illusion in which warm (cold) material is perceived to be soft (hard).

DOI： 10.14947/psychono.KJ00005084888

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

This study examines whether the modulation of biting behavior while subjects are engaged in food texture judgment can be explained as an intra-oral exploratory procedure optimized for recognizing a specified sensory attribute. Subjects were asked to compare two cheese samples for "the force required to penetrate the sample with the molar teeth" (the definition for "hardness" used in this study). Based on this definition, we hypothesize that the subjects targeted the first peak of the bite time-force profile (i.e. the intra-oral phenomenon of the initial fracture) as an essential property for judgment. We observed significant elongation of the first peak in the judgmental biting, compared to the biting without judgment, for all subjects. Shortening of the second peak (teeth-to-teeth contact) duration and decrease of the second peak force were also observed for all subjects. These active biting modulations suggested that the first peak was targeted for judgment, whereas the second peak was not targeted. The sample with greater maximum force or time-integral of the bite force at the first peak was also judged as requiring greater force; these agreements were statistically significant. This result confirmed that the parameters related to the first peak were targeted as judgmental cues. We concluded that the biting behavior in hardness judgment functions as the exploratory procedure and was optimized for encoding the target sensory properties. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.006

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：IEEE  

The aim of this study is to observe the mechanism of functional recovery of the brain after aphasia by means of optical topography. 13 patients in the recovery phase of aphasia were enrolled in this study. All showed aphasia after strokes on their left frontal lobes. We used 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy. Optical probes were placed on the frontoparietal area. Word generation task was used with five-trial-averaging. About 30% of cases showed activities in the right frontal area. 30% showed activations in the left hemisphere surrounding the Broca's area. 7 cases were followed up for several times. 4 cases showed the shift of activities from the right to the left hemisphere within 2 years. Our results strongly suggest the participation of the right language area in the recovery of aphasia.

DOI： 10.1109/ICCME.2007.4381881

Web of Science

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：SOC BIOSCIENCE BIOENGINEERING JAPAN  

Humans use various higher cognitive processes for taste, including memorization, recollection, and imagination, in our dietary lives, as well as in more specialized situations, such as sensory evaluation used in the food industry. So far, the cognitive aspects of taste processing have been studied mainly with psychological approaches, and their neural bases are not yet well understood. Conventional neuroirnaging techniques are being used to converge psychological findings with human brain functions. However, these techniques require subjects to be in a supine position and strictly restrict head movements, narrowing the range of experimental paradigms that can be performed. This is especially true for taste studies; it is difficult to taste samples and perform cognitive tasks on them under conventional neuroimaging conditions. Therefore, we have attempted to use functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging noninvasive neuroirnaging technique, to study human cortical taste cognitive processing. fNIRS, utilizing light to measure cortical hemoglobin concentration changes associated with neural activities, is more tolerant of subject body movement, thus allowing a wider range of experimental tasks for taste. However, it has some shortcomings that needed to be addressed. in this review, we will show how these technical obstacles have been overcome, how fNIRS contributes to the mapping of taste-related brain functions, and further promote the understanding of human taste processing. We propose fNIRS as a potential mediator between psychology and neuroscience.

DOI： 10.1263/jbb.103.207

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：Int. Res. Promotion Council  

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), an emerging non-invasive tool for functional neuroimaging, has evolved as a multichannel technique allowing simultaneous measurements through many channels ranging from below ten to above hundred. Simultaneous testing of such a large number of channels escalates the risk of Type I error, therefore multiplicity correction is unavoidable. To date, only a few studies have considered this issue using Bonferroni correction, which is an effective conservative solution, but may be too severe for neuroimaging. Its power varies in inverse proportion of the number of channels, which varies among NIRS studies depending on selected region of interest (1101), thereby leading to a subjective inference. This problem may be well circumvented by a more contemporary approach, called false discovery rate (FDR) that is widely being adopted in functional neuroimaging. An FDR-based procedure controls the expected proportion of erroneously rejected hypotheses among the rejected hypotheses, which offers a more objective, powerful, and consistent measure of Type I error than Bonferroni correction and maintains a better balance between power and specificity. In this technical note, we examine FDR approach using examples from simulated and real NIRS data. The FDR-based procedure could yield 52% more power than Bonferroni correction in a 172-channel real NIRS study and proved to be more robust against the changing number of channels. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.06.047

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD  

Sensory evaluation (SE) of food attributes involves various levels of cognitive functions, yet not much has been studied about its neural basis. Using multi-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we examined the activation of the anterior portion of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of 12 healthy volunteers during the SE of tea samples. The experimental task used corresponded to the early phase of the same-different test, and required subjects to attentively taste tea samples and memorize their flavors. To isolate activation associated with the cognitive functions involved in the task, we contrasted the results with those achieved by a control (Ctl) task during which subjects held familiar tea samples in their mouths without actively evaluating their flavor. We probabilistically registered the fNIRS data to the Montreal Neurological Institute standard brain space to examine the results as they correspond with other published neuroimaging studies. We found significant activation in the left LPFC and in the right inferior frontal gyrus. The activation pattern was consistent with earlier studies on encoding of other sensory stimuli, with cortical regions supposed to be involved in semantic and perceptual processing. This research makes a start on characterizing the cognitive process employed during SE from the neuroimaging perspective. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.appet.2006.04.003

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE  

To elucidate the function of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) in taste encoding, it is worth applying to taste, the psychological paradigms of intentional memorization that have been used with other extensively studied senses, and thus updating current models for LPFC functions to include a taste modality. Using multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we examined the LPFC's of healthy volunteers (N = 18) during the intentional memorization of a basic taste. In order to minimize the confounding effects of verbal processes that are known to employ the left LPFC, we used quaternary taste mixtures that were difficult to verbalize, and confined analysis to those who did not use a verbal strategy during memorization (N = 10). In order to examine the results in association with data in the literature, the location of activity was probabilistically estimated and anatomically labeled in the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) standard brain space. By contrasting the cortical activation under encoding conditions with that under control conditions without memory requirement, we found activation in the bilateral ventroLPFC and the right posterior portion of the LPFC. The activation pattern was consistent with previous studies on the encoding of nonverbal materials using other senses. This suggests that models for LPFC functions that derive from previous studies can be generalized to intentional encoding processes of taste information, at least at a macrostructural level. The current study also demonstrates that, by using fNIRS, LPFC functions on taste can be examined with experimental paradigms relevant to those used for other senses. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.12.021

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

It is important to create a link between stereotaxic coordinates and head-surface-based positioning systems in order to share data between tomographic and transcranial brain mapping studies. In our previous studies, we established the probabilistic correspondence of the international 10-20 positions to the standard stereotaxic coordinate systems and made a reference database. However, its expansion required the physical marking of the 10-20 positions and the subsequent acquisition of MR images. To avoid such tedious procedures, we developed a virtual 10-20 measurement algorithm that can be applied to re-analyze any structural MR image that covers the whole head. As in the physical 10-20 measurements, with the reference points given, the algorithm automatically determines each 10-20 position step by step. Using the virtual 10-20 measurement method, we re-analyzed the MR images of 17 healthy subjects for whom we had determined 10-20 positions by physical marking in our previous study. The acquired 10-20 positions were normalized to the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) stereotactic coordinates and compared with the positions previously determined by physical measurements. 10-20 positions determined using the virtual and physical methods were roughly consistent. Average standard deviations for virtual and physical methods were 7.7 mm and 9.0 mm, respectively. There was a systematic shift in the virtual method, likely due to the absence of hair interference. We corrected the shift with affine transformation. The virtual 10-20 measurement method proved to be an effective alternative to physical marking. This method will serve as an essential tool for expanding the reference database and will further strengthen the link between tomographic and transcranial brain mapping methods.

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Recent advancements in two noninvasive transcranial neuroimaging techniques, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), signify the increasing importance of establishing structural compatibility between transcranial methods and conventional tomographic methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). The transcranial data obtained from the head surface should be projected onto the cortical surface to present the transcranial brain-mapping data on the same platform as tomographic methods. Thus, we developed two transcranial projection algorithms that project given head-surface points onto the cortical surface in structural images, and computer programs based on them. The convex-hull algorithm features geometric handling of the cortical surface, while the balloon-inflation algorithm is faster, and better reflects the local cortical structure. The automatic cortical projection methods proved to be as effective as the manual projection method described in our previous study. These methods achieved perfect correspondence between any given point on the head surface or a related nearby point in space, and its cortical projection point. Moreover, we developed a neighbor-reference method that enables transcranial cortical projection of a given head-surface point in reference to three neighboring points and one additional standard point, even when no structural image of the subject is available. We also calculated an error factor associated with these probabilistic estimations. The current study presents a close topological link between transcranial and tomographic brain-mapping modalities, which could contribute to inter-modal data standardization.

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Signaling through the T cell antigen receptor leading to elimination (negative selection) or differentiation (positive selection) of developing thymocytes generates a self-tolerant T cell repertoire. Here we report that the serine-threonine kinase MINK selectively connects the T cell receptor to a signaling pathway that mediates negative but not positive selection. Analysis of this pathway suggested that the essential function of MINK in the elimination of self-reactive thymocytes may be associated with 'downstream' activation of Jun kinase and enhancement of expression of the proapoptotic molecule Bim.

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Last author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

An intriguing application of neuroimaging is directly measuring actual human brain activities during daily living. To this end, we investigated cortical activation patterns during apple peeling. We first conducted a pilot study to assess the activation pattern of the whole lateral cortical surface during apple peeling by multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and detected substantial activation in the prefrontal region in addition to expected activations extending over the motor, premotor and supplementary motor areas. We next examined cortical activation during mock apple peeling by simultaneous measurement using multichannel NIRS and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in four subjects. We detected activations extending over the motor, premotor and supplementary motor areas, but not in the prefrontal cortex. Thus, we finally focused on the prefrontal cortex and examined its activation during apple peeling in 12 subjects using a multichannel NIRS. We subsequently found that regional concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin significantly increased in the measured region, which encompassed portions of the dorsolateral, ventrolateral and frontopolar areas of the prefrontal cortex. The current study demonstrated that apple peeling as practiced in daily life recruited the prefrontal cortex but that such activation might not be detected for less laborious mock apple peeling that can be performed in an fMRI environment. We suggest the importance of cortical study of an everyday task as it is but not as a simplified form; we also suggest the validity of NIRS for this purpose. Studies on everyday tasks may serve as stepping stone toward understanding human activities in terms of cortical activations.

PubMed

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

A multiple-point sheet sensor was used to measure the bite force applied to raw and cooked apple specimens during the first bite with incisors. Wedge penetration tests were compared with human bite measurements on the same samples. The shape of the force-time curves during biting of cooked apples clearly differed from that for raw apples. The first curve of cooked apple biting became jagged, and the maximum force was reduced. The second curve emerged following the first curve in most subjects as a characteristic feature of cooked apple biting, whereas it was not seen in the bite curve of a raw specimen or the wedge penetration curve of a cooked specimen. The maximum force for tissue fracture decreased for cooked apples, but the duration of biting increased. No adequate counterparts for the impulse of biting could be obtained from the load-displacement curves of the wedge penetration tests. The existence of parameters only measurable by bite tests and not by mechanical tests suggests the necessity of directly measuring the human bite.

DOI： 10.1111/j.1745-4603.2003.tb01078.x

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Overlapping of genes, especially in an anti-parallel fashion, is quite rare in eukaryotic genomes. We have found a rare instance of exon overlapping involving CHRNE and MINK gene loci on chromosome 17 in humans. CHRNE codes for the epsilon subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChRepsilon) whereas MINK encodes a serine/threonine kinase belonging to the GCK family. To elucidate the evolutionary trail of this gene overlapping event, we examined the genomes of a number of primates and found that mutations in the polyadenylation signal of the CHRNE gene in early hominoids led to the overlap. Upon extending this analysis to genomes of other orders of placental mammals, we observed that the overlapping occurred at least three times independently during the course of mammalian evolution. Because CHRNE and MINK are differentially expressed, the potentially hazardous mutations responsible for the exon overlap seem to have escaped evolutionary pressures by differential temporo-spatial expression of the two genes.

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author,　Corresponding author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

The p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of protein kinases has recently attracted considerable attention as an effector of Rho family of small G proteins and as an upstream regulator of MAPK signalling pathways during cellular events such as re-arrangement of the cytoskeleton and apoptosis. We have cloned a novel human PAK family kinase that has been designated as PAK5. PAK5 contains a CDC42/Rac1 interactive binding (CRIB) motif at the N-terminus and a Ste20-like kinase domain at the C-terminus. PAK5 is structurally most related to PAK4 and PAK6 to make up the PAK-II subfamily. We have shown that PAK5 preferentially binds to CDC42 in the presence of GTP and that CRIB motif is essential for this interaction. PAK5 is a functional protein kinase but unlike PAK-I family kinases (PAK1, 2, and 3), the kinase activity of PAK5 does not seem to require the binding of CDC42. Overexpression of PAK5 activates the JNK kinase pathway but not p38 or ERK pathways. PAK5 transcript is predominantly expressed in brain as revealed by Northern blot and in situ hybridization. The expression pattern of PAK5 is distinct from that of PAK4 and PAK6, suggesting a functional division among PAK-II subfamily kinases based on differential tissue distribution.

DOI： 10.1038/sj.onc.1205478

Scopus

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

We have cloned a novel human GCK family kinase that has been designated as MASK (Mst3 and SOK1-related kinase). MASK is widely expressed and encodes a protein of 416 amino acid residues, with an N-terminal kinase domain and a unique C-terminal region. Like other GCK-III subfamily kinases, MASK not activate any mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Wild type MASK, but not a form lacking the C terminus, exhibits homophilic binding in the yeast two-hybrid system and in coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Additionally, deletion of this C-terminal region of MASK leads to an increased kinase activity toward itself as well as toward an exogenous substrate, myelin basic protein. A potential caspase 3 cleavage site (DESDS) is present in the C-terminal region of MASK, and we show that MASK is cleaved in vitro by caspase 3. Finally, wild type and C-terminally truncated forms of MASK can both induce apoptosis upon overexpression in mammalian cells that is abrogated by CrmA, suggesting involvement of MASK in the apoptotic machinery in mammalian cells.

DOI： 10.1074/jbc.M110882200

Scopus

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

A series of pH/temperature-sensitive hydrogels composed of maleilated chitosan (MC) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) were prepared and characterized with respect to their swelling behaviors, change of lower critical solution temperature (LCST). These hydrogels showed broad pH-sensitivities below 32 °C, but above that temperature exhibited sharp pH-dependent phase transition behaviors which depended on the content of MC in the hydrogels. The change of ratio of NIPAAm to MC in weight did not affect LCST significantly, while it affected equilibrium water content (EWC) at high pH region. The hydrogels also exhibited a typical of reversibility depending on temperature and pH.

DOI： 10.1007/s002890200008

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

A new germinal center kinase (GCK) family kinase, Misshapen/NIKs-related kinase (MINK), has been cloned and its expression has been characterized in several tissues and various developmental stages of the mouse brain. MINK encodes a 1300 amino acid polypeptide, consisting of an N-terminal kinase domain, a proline-rich intermediate region, and a C-terminal GCK homology region. The expression of MINK is up-regulated during the postnatal development of the mouse brain. MINK activates the cJun N-terminal kinase and the p38 pathways. Copyright (C) 2000 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

DOI： 10.1016/S0014-5793(00)01247-3

Scopus

PubMed

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Book type：Scholarly book

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(公社)日本心理学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：WILEY  

DOI： 10.1111/jpr.12230

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING  

In pediatrics studies, the quality of functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals is often reduced by motion artifacts. These artifacts likely mislead brain functionality analysis, causing false discoveries. While noise correction methods and their performance have been investigated, these methods require several parameter assumptions that apparently result in noise overfitting. In contrast, the rejection of noisy signals serves as a preferable method because it maintains the originality of the signal waveform. Here, we describe a semi-learning algorithm to detect and eliminate noisy signals. The algorithm dynamically adjusts noise detection according to the predetermined noise criteria, which are spikes, unusual activation values (averaged amplitude signals within the brain activation period), and high activation variances (among trials). Criteria were sequentially organized in the algorithm and orderly assessed signals based on each criterion. By initially setting an acceptable rejection rate, particular criteria causing excessive data rejections are neglected, whereas others with tolerable rejections practically eliminate noises. fNIRS data measured during the attention response paradigm (oddball task) in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were utilized to evaluate and optimize the algorithm's performance. This algorithm successfully substituted the visual noise identification done in the previous studies and consistently found significantly lower activation of the right prefrontal and parietal cortices in ADHD patients than in typical developing children. Thus, we conclude that the semi-learning algorithm confers more objective and standardized judgment for noise rejection and presents a promising alternative to visual noise rejection.

DOI： 10.1117/12.2249742

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

J-GLOBAL

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本薬物脳波学会  

小児注意欠陥多動障害(ADHD)の注意機能障害に関与する脳機能低下部位を明確にする事を目的に、注意機能課題(Oddball課題)遂行時にfNIRS計測を実施した。また、注意機能障害に対する塩酸メチルフェニデート徐放剤(MPH)の作用を脳機能学的に検討するためにプラセボ二重盲検試験を行った。IQが70以上の右利きのADHD(年齢6-14歳)児22人を対象とし、Oddball課題施行中にfNIRS計測を実施し、脳機能変化を酸素化ヘモグロビン(oxy-Hb)濃度の変化を用いて評価した。ADHD群と年齢、性別を統計学的に合致させた6-13歳の対照群22人の検討も行った。対照群において右前頭前野と右下頭頂葉に有意な活性を認めたが、MPH内服前とプラセボ内服後のADHD群では活性がなかった。一方、MPH内服後のADHD群において、右前頭前野にのみ活性を認めた。右前頭前野の脳機能変化は、ドパミントランスポーターに親和性が高いMPHが、ドパミン系回路であるmesocortical pathwayに作用したと考えられた。さらに、fNIRSにより認めた小児ADHDの右前頭前野機能不全は、ADHDの病態特性を示すバイオマーカーとなり、治療薬であるMPHの薬理効果の指標となりうると考えられた。(著者抄録)

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

J-GLOBAL

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本体力医学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本臨床神経生理学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本抗加齢医学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：The UK Embassy of Tokyo, and The Royal Society  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：厚生労働省  

researchmap

Language：Japanese  

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) may be suited for functional monitoring during swallowing as it is comparatively immune to body movement. However, still fNIRS measurement on swallowing poses a technical problem that it may often involve motion artifacts. Although there is no single way to solve this problem, technical insights have been available form related studies in the past. Here we introduce two examples for analyzing data rich in motion artifacts putting emphasis on temporal structures of the data. The first is about fNIRS assessment of language function during overt naming tasks. Since data were temporally continuous, we adopted a general linear model with regression to a canonical hemodynamic response function to extract cortical activations related to overt naming tasks. The second example is about fNIRS assessment on go/no-go task performance with or without methylphenidate administration in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) children. Since data were disrupted by unexpected motion artifacts, we simplified temporal data structures by averaging to extract only robust signals. Thus, we indicated that the optimum analytical strategy varies depending on the temporal structures of the data.

PubMed

researchmap

J-GLOBAL

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本体力医学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：農林水産省  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本大学医学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：FFIジャーナル編集委員会  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本小児神経学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：財団法人 生存科学研究所  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2011.07.892

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：Organization for Human Brain Mepping  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本体育学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本体育学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本医用画像工学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本基礎心理学会  

DOI： 10.14947/psychono.KJ00006393807

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：厚生労働省  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN  

Measurement of multichannel continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CW-NIRS) is dependent on the modified Beer-Lambert law, which includes optical pathlength (PL) as an essential parameter. PLs are known to differ across different head regions and different individuals, but the distribution of PLs for the whole head has not been evaluated so far. Thus, using time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (TR-NIRS), we measured the optical characteristics including PL, scattering coefficients (mu(s)'), and absorption coefficients (mu(a)) at three wavelengths (760, 800, 830 nm). Then, we constructed maps of these parameters on the subjects' head surface. While the PLs in nearby channels are similar, they differ depending on the regions of the head. The PLs in the region above the Sylvian fissure tended to be shorter than those in the other regions at all of the wavelengths. The difference in the distribution of PLs may be attributed to differences in tissue absorption and scattering properties. The current study suggests the importance of considering PL differences in interpreting functional data obtained by CW-NIRS.

DOI： 10.1007/978-1-4419-1241-1_29

Web of Science

PubMed

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：放射線科学  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：フレグランスジャーナル社  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2009243392

Language：Japanese   Publisher：食品総合研究所  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：厚生労働省  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：PION LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本基礎心理学会  

DOI： 10.14947/psychono.KJ00005578274

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：全国清涼飲料工業会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本臨床神経生理学会  

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本基礎心理学会  

DOI： 10.14947/psychono.KJ00004902546

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：認知神経科学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：光琳  

J-GLOBAL

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：シーエムシー出版社  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：食品化学新聞社  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：認知神経科学会  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2008159232

Language：Japanese   Publisher：(一社)日本体力医学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本味と匂学会  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2008064685

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本分析化学会  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://search.jamas.or.jp/link/ui/2008047882

Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本認知神経科学会  

DOI： 10.11253/ninchishinkeikagaku1999.9.13

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：OXFORD UNIV PRESS  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2007.06.135

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2007.06.602

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

DOI： 10.1016/j.neures.2007.06.540

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：JAPAN SOC FOOD SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publisher：IEEE  

Optical topography is an emerging neuroimaging technique for the noninvasive monitoring of human cerebral hemodynamics. Its relatively more compact, flexible, and affordable setup allows bedside monitoring of patients and infants in clinical situations, and of healthy subjects in their real-life environments. However, optical topography poses a technical obstacle in that it measures cortical activities from the head surface without anatomical information of the brain, which is essential to identify the source of the monitored brain activity. It also poses difficulty in comparing data with that from other neuroimaging techniques, which use a standard template for presenting functional brain analyses. To cope with this problem, we have developed spatial analysis methods that allow stand-alone optical topography data to be presented in standard brain spaces. These methods are automatic and do not require the subjects' MR images, which may be too expensive or difficult to acquire under certain clinical or experimental restrictions.

DOI： 10.1109/ICCME.2007.4382102

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：The Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：オーム社  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：オーム社  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：食品総合研究所  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：食品総合研究所  

J-GLOBAL

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper, summary (international conference)   Publisher：ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD  

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：食品総合研究所  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：羊土社  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：羊土社  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：羊土社  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (other)   Publisher：朝日新聞社  

researchmap

Language：English  

PubMed

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：物性研究刊行会  

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/10938441

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：English   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap