Reduced frontal activation during verbal fluency task in chronic hepatitis C patients with interferon-based therapy as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy.

AIM: Psychiatric side-effects are the main reason for discontinuation of interferon (IFN)-based therapy. Recent developments in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) have enabled non-invasive clarification of brain functions in psychiatric disorders. We prospectively evaluated brain activation in 20 chronic hepatitis C patients with or without IFN-based therapy by using NIRS during a verbal fluency task (VFT). METHODS: The relative concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin were measured while patients completed a questionnaire survey at the start of treatment and at 4 and 12 weeks during treatment, using NIRS. RESULTS: The VFT performance did not change among the two groups. Patients with IFN-based therapy showed significantly lower activation during VFT in frontal channels at 12 weeks than those at the start of treatment and control (P < 0.05). Their Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were significantly higher at 12 weeks than those at the start of treatment, although major depressive symptoms were not found (8.3 ± 7.9 vs. 13.2 ± 6.0, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations of the frontal lobe detected using NIRS in this study reflects hypofunction of the frontal lobe. This functional decline that was caused by IFN-based therapy may be associated with the prodromal phase of depression.

Facial expression perception correlates with verbal working memory function in schizophrenia.

AIMS: Facial emotion perception is considered to provide a measure of social cognition. Numerous studies have examined the perception of emotion in patients with schizophrenia, and the majority has reported impaired ability to recognize facial emotion perception. We aimed to investigate the correlation between facial expression recognition and other domains of social cognition and neurocognition in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were 52 patients with schizophrenia and 53 normal controls with no history of psychiatric diseases. All participants completed the Hinting Task and the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was administered only to the patients. Facial emotion perception measured by the Facial Emotion Selection Test (FEST) was compared between the patients and normal controls. RESULTS: Patients performed significantly worse on the FEST compared to normal control subjects. The FEST total score was significantly positively correlated with scores of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia attention subscale, Hinting Task, Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire Verbal Working Memory and Metacognition subscales. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that verbal working memory function was positively related to the facial emotion perception ability in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: These results point to the concept that facial emotion perception and some types of working memory use common cognitive resources. Our findings may provide implications for cognitive rehabilitation and related interventions in schizophrenia.

New instrument for measuring multiple domains of social cognition: construct validity of the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire (Japanese version).

AIM: The present study aimed to test the construct validity and internal consistency of the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire (SCSQ) (Japanese version). METHODS: We first tested whether the subscale scores and the total score of the SCSQ could discriminate patients with schizophrenia from normal controls. Next, we tested the internal consistency. Finally, we investigated the relation between the subscale scores and other measures of social cognition and social functioning that were presumed to correspond to the subscale's scores, including the Hinting Task, the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ), the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale and the Social Functioning Scale. RESULTS: The subscale scores and the total score appeared to show more robust between-group differences than other measures of social cognition, such as the AIHQ and the Hinting Task. The total score distinguished the patients from normal controls with an area under the receiver-operator curve of 0.84, which indicated a high level of discrimination. The Cronbach's alpha for the four subscales was 0.72, which was considered acceptable. In terms of criterion-related validity, theory of mind, metacognition and hostility bias subscale scores showed significant correlations with the Hinting Task, Beck Cognitive Insight Scale and AIHQ, respectively. Moreover, the theory of mind subscale score showed a significant correlation with four domain scores of the Social Functioning Scale. The present results indicated good construct validity and internal consistency of the SCSQ. CONCLUSIONS: Although this is an interim report with a small sample size, the SCSQ holds promise as an efficient measure for social cognition.

Cryptococcus gattii Meningitis in a Previously Healthy Young Woman: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Cryptococcus gattii (C. gatti) is a rare cause of meningitis in the United States. Outbreaks in new geographic distributions in the past few decades raise concern that climate change may be contributing to a broader distribution of this pathogen. We review a case of C. gattii in a 23-year-old woman in Northern California who was diagnosed via lumbar puncture after six weeks of headache, blurred vision, and tinnitus. CASE REPORT: A 23-year-old previously healthy young woman presented to the emergency department (ED) after multiple visits to primary care, other EDs, and neurologists, for several weeks of headache, nausea, tinnitus, and blurred vision. On examination the patient was found to have a cranial nerve VI palsy (impaired abduction of the left eye) and bilateral papilledema on exam. Lumbar puncture had a significantly elevated opening pressure. Cerebrospinal fluid studies were positive for C. gattii. The patient was treated with serial lumbar punctures, followed by lumbar drain, as well as amphotericin and flucytosine. The patient had improvement in headache and neurologic symptoms and was discharged to another facility that specializes in management of this disease to undergo further treatment with immunomodulators and steroids. CONCLUSION: Fungal meningitis is uncommon in the US, particularly among immunocompetent patients. Due to climate change, C. gattii may be a new pathogen to consider. This finding raises important questions to the medical community about the way global climate change affects day to day medical care now, and how it may change in the future.

Effects of storytelling on the childhood brain: near-infrared spectroscopic comparison with the effects of picture-book reading.

In children, storytelling provides many psychological and educational benefits, such as enhanced imagination to help visualize spoken words, improved vocabulary, and more refined communication skills. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the effects of storytelling on children are not clear. In this study, the effects of storytelling on the brains of children were assessed by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Results indicated significant decreases of the blood flow in the bilateral prefrontal areas during picture-book reading when the subjects were familiarized in comparison to the cases of the subject naïve to the stories. However, no significant differences in the blood flow were found during storytelling between the subjects naïve and familiarized to the stories. The results indicated more sustained brain activation to storytelling in comparison with picture-book reading, suggesting possible advantages of storytelling as a psychological and educational medium in children.

Frontal activity measured by near-infrared spectroscopy in patients taking different atypical antipsychotic drugs: A cross-sectional study.

Using near-infrared spectroscopy, we examined changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin ([oxy-Hb]) in the frontal lobe during a verbal fluency task in 20 patients with schizophrenia (10 patients each receiving olanzapine [OLZ] and risperidone [RIS]) and 10 healthy controls. We found that [oxy-Hb] levels in the prefrontal region were higher in the patients receiving OLZ than in those receiving RIS. These results suggest that antipsychotic drugs have different effects on cerebral hemodynamic patterns, which may reflect frontal lobe function. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to verify our preliminary findings.

Reduced brain activity in female patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have impaired health-related quality of life including physical and mental state. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a useful tool for evaluation of brain activity and depressive state. This study aimed to determine the brain activity of female NAFLD patients using NIRS. Cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration during a verbal fluency task (VFT) was measured using NIRS in 24 female NAFLD patients and 15 female healthy controls. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) questionnaire was administered to both groups before NIRS. There was no significant difference in CES-D score between groups. However, the oxy-Hb concentration and number of words during the VFT were less in NAFLD compared to healthy controls. The mean value of oxy-Hb concentration during 0-60 s VFT in the frontal lobe was also smaller in NAFLD patients compared to healthy controls (0.082 ± 0.126 vs. 0.183 ± 0.145, P < 0.001). Cerebral oxygen concentration is poorly reactive in response to VFT in female NAFLD patients. This may indicate an association between decreased brain activity and NAFLD regardless of depression.

Dynamic changes in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) findings in first-episode schizophrenia: a case report.

The clinical course of schizophrenia is characterized by recurrence and chronicity and has a large burden on society.　Nevertheless, diagnosis of schizophrenia is based only on distinctive symptoms and the disease course.　Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a useful method for measuring changes in the hemoglobin concentration in the cortical surface area and reflects brain function.　We measured NIRS four times during the clinical course in a patient with first-episode schizophrenia.A 17-year-old woman admitted to our hospital because of hallucinations, delusions and appetite loss. After treatment with low-dose antipsychotics, NIRS findings showed a prompt increase in the cerebral blood volume in the frontal region.　On the basis of the clinical course of this patient, we introduce a new point of view, namely, that NIRS findings may be useful as a state marker that indicates the severity of schizophrenia in some cases.

Pituitary apoplexy after leuprolide injection for ovum donation.

Patients with occult pituitary adenomas infrequently present with pituitary apoplexy. Precipitation of pituitary apoplexy by gonadotropin releasing hormone or gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists has been described. The pathophysiologic mechanism by which these agents induce apoplexy remains unclear. We describe a case of pituitary apoplexy in a young woman receiving leuprolide in preparation for ovum donation. Severe hyponatremia, cerebral vasospasm and infarction, and diabetes insipidus complicated this patient's prolonged hospital course. To our knowledge, pituitary apoplexy after gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist use for ovum donation has not been previously described. The use of leuprolide or other gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists for pituitary down-regulation in conjunction with ovarian stimulation can have serious consequences in women harboring unrecognized pituitary adenomas. Thorough endocrine screening should be performed prior to initiating therapy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy and plasma homovanillic acid levels in bipolar disorder: a case report.

Misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder is a serious, but not unusual problem for patients. Nevertheless, there are few biomarkers for distinguishing unipolar and bipolar disorder. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive and useful method for the measurement of hemoglobin concentration changes in the cortical surface area, which enables the assessment of brain function. We measured NIRS and plasma monoamine metabolite levels in a patient with bipolar disorder. A 22-year-old man was admitted due to major depression. At admission, NIRS findings showed oxygenated hemoglobin reincrease in the posttask period, which is characteristic of schizophrenia. After treatment with paroxetine, he became manic with psychotic symptoms. His plasma level of homovanillic acid just before the manic switch was ten times higher than that just after paroxetine initiation. Treatment with lithium and antipsychotics was successful, and plasma homovanillic acid decreased after treatment. In this case, the NIRS findings may predict a possible risk of a manic switch, which is likely induced by paroxetine. NIRS may be able to help distinguish unipolar and bipolar disorder in clinical settings.