Intra- and inter-brain coupling and activity dynamics during improvisational music therapy with a person with dementia: an explorative EEG-hyperscanning single case study.

Objective: Real-life research into the underlying neural dynamics of improvisational music therapy, used with various clinical populations, is largely lacking. This single case study explored within-session differences in musical features and in within- and between-brain coupling between a Person with Dementia (PwD) and a music therapist during a music therapy session. Methods: Dual-EEG from a music therapist and a PwD (male, 31 years) was recorded. Note density, pulse clarity and synchronicity were extracted from audio-visual data. Three music therapists identified moments of interest and no interest (MOI/MONI) in two drum improvisations. The Integrative Coupling Index, reflecting time-lagged neural synchronization, and musical features were compared between the MOI and MONI. Results: Between-brain coupling of 2 Hz activity was increased during the MOI, showing anteriority of the therapist's neural activity. Within-brain coupling for the PwD was stronger from frontal and central areas during the MOI, but within-brain coupling for the therapist was stronger during MONI. Differences in musical features indicated that both acted musically more similar to one another during the MOI. Conclusion: Within-session differences in neural synchronization and musical features highlight the dynamic nature of music therapy. Significance: The findings contribute to a better understanding of social and affective processes in the brain and (interactive) musical behaviors during specific moments in a real-life music therapy session. This may provide insights into the role of such moments for relational-therapeutic processes.

Moving beyond domain-specific versus domain-general options in cognitive neuroscience.

Comparative research on language, music, and action in cognitive neuroscience keeps finding evidence for both shared and non-shared components of cognitive systems. The discussions, then, tend to quickly fall into the sterile dichotomy between domain-specific versus domain-general options. In this position paper, we take issue with this dichotomy and argue for an alternative account based on neural reuse theories to understand findings on the relationship between language, music, and action. We argue that the differences between those cognitive systems can be explained in terms of the specialization of the same brain mechanism(s) for each domain, which emerges in the course of development and/or evolution.

The evolution of hierarchical structure building capacity for language and music: a bottom-up perspective.

A central property of human language is its hierarchical structure. Humans can flexibly combine elements to build a hierarchical structure expressing rich semantics. A hierarchical structure is also considered as playing a key role in many other human cognitive domains. In music, auditory-motor events are combined into hierarchical pitch and/or rhythm structure expressing affect. How did such a hierarchical structure building capacity evolve? This paper investigates this question from a bottom-up perspective based on a set of action-related components as a shared basis underlying cognitive capacities of nonhuman primates and humans. Especially, I argue that the evolution of hierarchical structure building capacity for language and music is tractable for comparative evolutionary study once we focus on the gradual elaboration of shared brain architecture: the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits for hierarchical control of goal-directed action and the dorsal pathways for hierarchical internal models. I suggest that this gradual elaboration of the action-related brain architecture in the context of vocal control and tool-making went hand in hand with amplification of working memory, and made the brain ready for hierarchical structure building in language and music.

Why musical hierarchies?

Credible signaling may have provided a selection pressure for producing and discriminating increasingly elaborate proto-musical signals. But, why evolve them to have hierarchical structure? We argue that the hierarchality of tonality and meter is a byproduct of domain-general mechanisms evolved for reasons other than credible signaling.

Hierarchical control as a shared neurocognitive mechanism for language and music.

Although comparative research has made substantial progress in clarifying the relationship between language and music as neurocognitive systems from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, there is still no consensus about which mechanisms, if any, are shared and how they bring about different neurocognitive systems. In this paper, we tackle these two questions by focusing on hierarchical control as a neurocognitive mechanism underlying syntax in language and music. We put forward the Coordinated Hierarchical Control (CHC) hypothesis: linguistic and musical syntax rely on hierarchical control, but engage this shared mechanism differently depending on the current control demand. While linguistic syntax preferably engages the abstract rule-based control circuit, musical syntax rather employs the coordination of the abstract rule-based and the more concrete motor-based control circuits. We provide evidence for our hypothesis by reviewing neuroimaging as well as neuropsychological studies on linguistic and musical syntax. The CHC hypothesis makes a set of novel testable predictions to guide future work on the relationship between language and music.

Capturing the Effects of Domestication on Vocal Learning Complexity.

Domesticated and vocal learning species can serve as informative model organisms for the reduction of reactive aggression and emergence of speech in our lineage. Amidst mounting evidence that domestication modifies vocal repertoires across different species, we focus on the domesticated Bengalese finch, which has a more complex song than the wild-type white-rumped munia. Our explanation for this effect revolves around the glutamate neurotransmitter system. Glutamate signaling (i) is implicated in birdsong learning, (ii) controls dopamine activity in neural circuits crucial for vocal learning, (iii) is disproportionately targeted in the evolution of domesticates, and (iv) regulates stress responses and aggressive behaviors attenuated under domestication. We propose that attenuated excitation of stress-related neural circuits potentiates vocal learning via altered dopaminergic signaling.

MicroRNA-211 and autophagy-related gene 14 signaling regulate osteoblast-like cell differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been the subject of recent attention as key regulatory factors in cell differentiation. In the current study, to explore the early signaling cascade of osteogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells, we investigated miR-211 regulation and autophagy-related gene (Atg) signaling in osteogenic differentiation. In addition to reciprocal strong induction of miR-211 expression in differentiated cells following osteogenic differentiation, we found abundant Argonaute 3 bound to miR-211. There were also dramatic increases in the mRNA and protein levels of Atg14 together with increases in the amount of autophagosomes as well as autophagic fluxes. While transfection of a miR-211 inhibitor abrogated the induction of Atg14, autophagy events, osteoblast differentiation markers, and induction of calcification were suppressed markedly. Treatment with small interfering RNAs against Atg14 also suppressed the osteogenic differentiation medium (ODM)-induced increase in osteogenic differentiation. The osteogenic phenotype was inhibited by chloroquine (an autophagy inhibitor), but increased after treatment with rapamycin (an autophagy inducer). Taken together with our previous findings, we have revealed a unique sequential cascade involving miR-211 and Atg14 in ODM-induced differentiation of hiPS cells into osteoblast-like cells at a relatively early stage.

Syntax in language and music: what is the right level of comparison?

It is often claimed that music and language share a process of hierarchical structure building, a mental "syntax." Although several lines of research point to commonalities, and possibly a shared syntactic component, differences between "language syntax" and "music syntax" can also be found at several levels: conveyed meaning, and the atoms of combination, for example. To bring music and language closer to one another, some researchers have suggested a comparison between music and phonology ("phonological syntax"), but here too, one quickly arrives at a situation of intriguing similarities and obvious differences. In this paper, we suggest that a fruitful comparison between the two domains could benefit from taking the grammar of action into account. In particular, we suggest that what is called "syntax" can be investigated in terms of goal of action, action planning, motor control, and sensory-motor integration. At this level of comparison, we suggest that some of the differences between language and music could be explained in terms of different goals reflected in the hierarchical structures of action planning: the hierarchical structures of music arise to achieve goals with a strong relation to the affective-gestural system encoding tension-relaxation patterns as well as socio-intentional system, whereas hierarchical structures in language are embedded in a conceptual system that gives rise to compositional meaning. Similarities between music and language are most clear in the way several hierarchical plans for executing action are processed in time and sequentially integrated to achieve various goals.

Osteoclast-type giant cell tumor of minor salivary gland with mucin-rich salivary duct carcinoma: a case report of unusual histology with immunohistochemical analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Salivary giant cell tumor (GCT) is exceedingly rare. This article presents an additional rare case of salivary GCT with salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). STUDY DESIGN AND RESULTS: The patient was a 40-year-old Japanese male. The peripheral region of the tumor showed SDC and partly revealed a mucin accumulation with cancer nests, which was a mucin-rich variant of SDC. In the central region of the tumor, mononuclear ovoid tumor cells contained osteoclastic-type giant cells. SDC showed immunopositivity for gross cystic disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15), androgen receptor (AR), and Her-2, whereas the giant cell lesion was negative for GCDFP-15, AR, and Her-2. Mononuclear cells in salivary GCT showed immunopositivity for epithelial membrane antigen and p53. CONCLUSION: The salivary GCT was thought to be neoplastic and derived from epithelial cells. The present case is the first de novo case of intraoral salivary GCT with a mucin-rich variant of SDC.

Dedifferentiated epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland: a rare case report of immunohistochemical analysis and review of the literature.

Dedifferentiation of salivary gland neoplasms is a rare event, unlike bone and soft part sarcomas, which was first described by Stanley et al. in 1988. An additional case of dedifferentiated epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma (EMC) is reported here. The patient was a 70-year-old Japanese man who requested examination of the rapid growth of a mass in the right parotid region, which he had first noticed 25 years previously. Clinical examination showed an ill-circumscribed, 6.8 x 4.7 x 7.0-cm lesion. Histologically, most parts of the lesion were high-grade carcinoma (HGC) with sheetlike and nestlike growth of markedly atypical cells and comedonecrosis, whereas the minor part consisted of typical EMC. The outer clear cells of EMC were positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA), p63, cytokeratin (CK) 14, and vimentin, and the inner ductal cells of EMC were positive for CKs and epithelial membrane antigen. HGC was negative for ASMA, CK14, and vimentin, but diffusely positive for p53 protein and cyclin D1. The Ki-67 labeling index of EMC was 11.5%, whereas that of HGC was 67.1%. These findings and a review of literature indicate that HGC arose from preexisting EMC, and this phenomenon is the dedifferentiation of EMC. Dedifferentiated EMC is extremely rare.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma of the larynx: a case report of an unusual location with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm of uncertain origin. In this article, we report a case of ASPS occurring in the larynx, an extremely rare location for this rather unusual tumor. METHODS AND RESULTS: The patient was a 34-year-old Japanese woman who requested an examination for hoarseness. The tumor showed a proliferation of large polygonal cells with periodic-acid-Schiff-positive diastase-resistant intracytoplasmic granules, arranged in an alveolar growth pattern. The cytoplasm of the tumor cells was eosinophilic. Tumor cells were positive for vimentin and titin. Nuclear immunoreactivity for TFE3 was observed, and the Ki-67 labeling index was 14.7%. Ultrastructurally, electron-dense rod-shaped crystals were infrequently observed in the cytoplasm. This case was finally diagnosed as ASPS of the larynx. CONCLUSION: We discuss the histogenesis and differential diagnosis of ASPS with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings. TFE3 immunohistochemistry was found to be a very useful marker for the diagnosis of ASPS.

[Clinical phase trial of concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined TS-1 and nedaplatin].

We have treated head and neck carcinoma by concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (CDDP). However,this chemoradiotherapy could not show an enormous effect in the advanced carcinoma of Stage III and IV. Therefore,we changed the contents of the chemotherapy, i.e., we replaced 5-FU, one of the agents with time dependency, to continuous administration of TS-1 for 2 weeks,also replacing CDDP, one of the agents with dose dependency, to nedaplatin (CDGP) in order to reduce kidney dysfunction. In this concurrent chemoradiotherapy, oral TS-1 was continued for 2 weeks and CDGP was administered on the 4 th day from the start of TS-1. In addition, radiotherapy was performed concurrently. In this way,we performed a phase I clinical trial of concurrent chemoradiotherapy combining TS-1 and nedaplatin (CDGP). As for the incidence of adverse events,grade 3 mucositis due to radiation was observed in two patients. As a result of the phase I clinical trial,we decided the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of TS-1 to be 80 mg/m2 (maximum 120 mg/body) and 100 mg/m2 for CDGP, and then determined the recommended dose(RD) of TS-1 as 80 mg/m2 (maximum 120 mg/ body) TS-1 and of CDGP as 9 0 mg/m2 CDGP.