Uniformly positive or negative correlation of cerebral gray matter regions with driving safety behaviors of healthy older drivers.

This study investigated the relationship between cerebral gray matter (GM) regions and driving safety behaviors (DSBs) of 98 older drivers without dementia (mean age, 77.72 ± 3.677 years). Their DSBs were evaluated on actual vehicles running on a closed-circuit course. The DSB was scored in six categories: DSB1, visual search behavior; DSB2, speeding; DSB3, signaling of the indicator; DSB4, vehicle stability; DSB5, positioning; and DSB6, steering. The scores were calculated by a single driving instructor; larger scores indicated safer driving performances. Regional GM volumes were measured with voxel-based morphometry by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Out of 56 GM regions, 18 were correlated with DSB categories except for DSB4. When a single GM region was correlated with multiple DSB categories, a positive or negative response was uniformly determined for the respective region despite clear differences in the DSB categories. This result suggests the possible existence of two contradictory mechanisms in the brain for DSB. The left postcentral gyrus may largely function in regulating DSBs because it was negatively correlated with five of six DSB categories. Thus, MRI's measurement of regional GM volumes may help deepen the understanding of the diversity and complexity inherent in brain functions for DSBs.

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder traits in healthy adults associated with brain volumetric data identify precuneus involvement in traffic crashes.

This large-scale study including 2548 healthy adults with no clinical attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis intended to clarify the complex relationships between cerebral grey matter volumes (GMVs), ADHD traits, and driving safety behaviours. Path analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results and questionnaires about ADHD traits and traffic crashes over the past decade revealed significant correlations of ADHD traits with different brain regions relevant to different cognitive functions. The left precuneus responsible for visuospatial cognition was the sole region correlated with all ADHD trait categories, suggesting it plays an important role in understanding driving safety and traffic crashes. For the first time, a strong relationship was found among regional GMVs, ADHD traits, and real-life traffic crashes. These insights into the complex interplay may inform the development of an effective intervention with MRI examination to prevent traffic crashes. Large-scale brain volumetric data may further open social applications of behaviour science and neuroimaging.

Prevalence and risk factors for COPD in subjects with preserved ratio impaired spirometry.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been found to be caused by impairment of lung development. Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is thought to be a subtype of lung growth impairment and is associated with COPD. PRISm is heterogeneous and the prevalence and progression to COPD are not yet clear. To prove this, we examined the association by using the medical check-up data. METHODS: This retrospective study included medical check-up subjects who visited the Kochi Medical Check-up Clinic at least twice for both period 1 (P1) (2014-2016) for the first visit and period 2 (P2) (2017-2019) for the final visit. The mean duration between visits was 1042±323 days. COPD was defined as a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1):forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio LLN and per cent forced expiratory volume in 1 s (%FEV1) (FEV1/predicted FEV1) of <80% without bronchodilators in this study. RESULTS: Of 1672 subjects (mean age±SD 56.5±9.5), 976 (58.4%) were male. The prevalence of PRISm was 10.5% in P1 and 8.9% in P2. The percentage of subjects who progressed to COPD was higher in PRISm than in the normal lung function group (OR 2.62, p=0.014). In logistic regression analysis, PRISm was an independent risk factor for developing COPD (OR 3.75, p<0.001). The best cut-off value of %FEV1 for prediction of progression to COPD was 86%. The proportion of the PRISm group increased (23.6%) in this cut-off. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PRISm was around 10% but increased up to 23.6% at the best cut-off for progression to COPD, and careful follow-up is necessary in these groups even if FEV1/FVC is normal.

Parietal and occipital leukoaraiosis due to cerebral ischaemic lesions decrease the driving safety performance of healthy older adults.

Leukoaraiosis, a common ischaemic lesion diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can influence driving safety performance (DSP). Most older drivers with leukoaraiosis are unaware of their affliction. Japan is a super-aged country, where preventing accidents caused by older drivers is an urgent national issue. We investigated the subcortical and periventricular leukoaraiosis regions that were most involved in DSP decline. The driving skills of 101 drivers (49 men, 52 women; mean age, 77.88 ± 3.77 years) without dementia were assessed by official driving instructors, using actual vehicles on a closed-circuit course. Parietal and occipital (but not frontal or temporal) leukoaraiosis volumes were significantly correlated with decreased DSP scores regardless of age, especially when turning right at intersections, which needs more attention than turning left because left-side driving is legally enforced in Japan. Occipital leukoaraiosis was also involved via a decline in dynamic visual cognitive function. MRI-based assessment of leukoaraiosis volume and localisation may enable the identification of older drivers prone to DSP deterioration. Risk factors for leukoaraiosis include smoking and lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension. Thus, brain healthcare in patients with MRI-diagnosed leukoaraiosis may be particularly useful for the risk management of traffic accidents caused by the elderly in Japan.

Sex Differences in the Correlation between Fatigue Perception and Regional Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Adults: A Large-Scale Study.

The relationship between fatigue perception and regional gray matter volume (rGMV) has seldom been studied in healthy adults. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze sex differences in the correlation between rGMV and fatigue perception using Chalder's fatigue questionnaire (CFQ). The CFQ was used to analyze the sexual features of rGMV related to the degree of perceived fatigue in 2955 healthy adults (male = 1560, female = 1395) of various ages (20-89 years, median 56). A higher CFQ score denotes a higher perceived fatigue level by the participant. According to the CFQ scores in males, the volumes of the right orbital part of the inferior frontal gyrus and left precuneus were negatively correlated (i.e., smaller rGMV had a higher CFQ score), whereas the left angular gyrus was positively correlated. In females, the right inferior temporal gyrus was negative, whereas the left middle temporal gyrus and right putamen were positive (i.e., larger rGMV had a higher CFQ score). The lack of identified regions in this large-scale study between males and females might be related to sex differences in clinical or pathological fatigue morbidities. Additionally, the sex differences in the negative or positive correlations between rGMV and fatigue perception may contribute to a better understanding of the neuronal mechanism in the early stages of fatigue development.

Cerebral gray matter volume correlates with fatigue and varies between desk workers and non-desk workers.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a clinical entity of chronic fatigue, has been associated with a decrease in regional gray matter volume (rGMV). In this study targeting a large number of healthy middle-aged individuals without CFS, the relationship between fatigue perception and rGMV was investigated. Considering that the work setting is an environmental factor that influences fatigue perception among healthy individuals, the differences between desk workers and non-desk workers were investigated. Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ) scores were used for perceptional evaluation of fatigue, and rGMV of 110 brain regions was adapted with Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) 8 on 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results for the volumetric calculation of gray matter. The CFQ scores were negatively correlated with the right supplementary motor area (SMC) and positively correlated with the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) and left basal forebrain in all participants (n = 1,618). In desk workers and non-desk workers, the CFQ scores correlated with different regions and yielded different mechanisms of fatigue perception in the brain. Identifying the gray matter regions correlated with fatigue perception in healthy individuals may help understand the early stage of fatigue progression and establish future preventive measures.

Association between airflow limitation and leukoaraiosis of the brain.

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have several comorbidities. Leukoaraiosis (LA) is an abnormal appearance of brain white matter on neuroimaging, and it has been linked to microangiopathy of the brain. In this study, we explored the association between airflow limitation (AL) and LA volume and localization. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study included 3,945 subjects who underwent medical check-ups between January 2015 and December 2017. LA was automatically assessed and quantified on brain MRI images using a morphometric program. Spirometry without bronchodilator was performed, and AL was defined as the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity <0.70. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, AL was an independent predictor of LA volume (t = 3.06, P < 0.01), in addition to age, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Compared with the propensity-matched subjects without AL, the subjects with AL (n = 157) had significantly higher LA volumes (4.65 cm3 vs. 3.26 cm3, P < 0.05) and frequency of LA in the frontal lobe, but not in the parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that AL is associated with increased LA volume and with more frequent localization of LA in the frontal lobe.

Aging Brains Degrade Driving Safety Performances of the Healthy Elderly.

The relationship between aging brains and driving safety performances (DSPs) of elderly drivers was studied. A total of 90 dementia-free participants (63 men and 27 women, mean age 75.31 ± 4.795 years) were recruited and their DSPs were analyzed on actual vehicles running through a closed-circuit course. DSPs were comprehensively evaluated on the basis of driving instructors' scores (DIS). Signaling and visual research behaviors, part of DSPs, were measured to supplement the DIS evaluation by driving recorders (DR) and wearable wireless sensors (WS), respectively. Aging brains were evaluated via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and experimentally assigned to two grades (high vs. low) of brain atrophy (BA) and leukoaraiosis (LA). Regression analyses on DIS and DR data, and logistic analysis on WS scores showed significant correlations of aging brains with degradation of DSPs. The participant group with more advanced BAs and LAs showed lower DIS, DR data, and WS scores representing degraded DSP regardless of age. These results suggest that MRI examinations from both volumetric and pathological perspectives of brains have the potential to help identify elderly drivers with dangerous driving behaviors. Brain healthcare, lifestyle improvements and medical treatments to suppress BA and LA, may contribute to preventing DSP degradation of elderly drivers with aging brains.

Enhanced MDR1 expression and chemoresistance of cancer stem cells derived from glioblastoma.

We established a cancer stem (CS) cell line, U87CS, by means of spheroid culture of U87MG cells derived from glioblastoma (GBM) in neuronal stem cell medium. U87CS cells presented positive immunohistochemical staining for multidrug resistance (MDR)1 and CD133, a marker for a subset of leukemia and GBM CS cells. The gene expression of MDR1 and CD133 on U87CS cells increased by an average of 8.51 and 47.18 times, respectively, compared to the levels on U87MG cells by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. U87CS cells possessed stronger drug-resistance to conventional anti-cancer drugs, such as doxorubicin (Dox), etoposide (VP-16), carboplastin, and BCNU than U87MG cells. Double immunofluoresence staining showed co-expression of MDR1 and CD133 on U87CS cells transplanted into nude mice brains. In addition, we identified the crossreactivity of CD133 and MDR1 in a surgical specimen of GBM. Our results suggest that CS cells may be resistant to current chemotherapy and represent a novel target for GBM therapeutics.

Being watched over by a conversation robot may enhance safety in simulated driving.

INTRODUCTION: In an aging society that is more and more information-oriented, being able to replace human passengers' protective effects on vehicle drivers with those of social robots is both essential and promising. However, the effects of a social robot's presence on drivers have not yet been fully explored. Thus, using a driving simulator and a conversation robot, this experimental study had two main goals: (a) to find out whether social robots' anthropomorphic qualities (i.e., not the practical information the robot provides drivers) have protective effects by promoting attentive driving and alleviating crash risks; and (b) by what psychological processes such effects emerge. METHOD: Participants were recruited from young (n = 38), the middle-aged (n = 39), and the elderly (n = 49) age groups. They were assigned to either the treatment group (simulated driving in a conversation robot's presence) or the control group (simulated driving alone), and their driving performance was measured. Mental states (peaceful, concentrating, and reflective) also were assessed in a post-driving questionnaire using our original scales. RESULTS: Although the group of older participants did not experience protective effects (perhaps due to motion sickness), the young participants drove attentively, with the robot enhancing peace of mind. The protective effect was also observed among the middle-aged participants, and the verbal data analysis ascribed this to the robot's role of expressing sympathy, especially when the middle-aged drivers nearly had not-at-fault crashes, which caused them to be stressed. In conclusion, we discuss the practical implications of the results.

Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensity as a Healthcare Quotient.

To better understand the risk factors and optimal therapeutic strategies of cerebral white matter hyperintensity (WMH), we examined a large population of adults with and without various vascular risk factors (VRFs) or vascular risk conditions (VRCs), such as hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia (DLP), including the comorbidities. We assessed two participant groups having no medical history of stroke or dementia that underwent brain checkup using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): 5541 participants (2760 men, 2781 women) without VRCs and 1969 participants (1169 men, 800 women) who had received drug treatments for VRCs and the combination of comorbidities. For data analysis, we constructed WMH-brain healthcare quotient (WMH-BHQ) based on the percentile rank of WMH volume. This metric has an inverse relation to WMH. Multiple linear regression analysis of 5541 participants without VRCs revealed that age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), Brinkman index (BI), and female sex were significant factors lowering WMH-BHQ, whereas body mass index (BMI), male sex, fasting blood sugar, and triglyceride levels were increasing factors. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn tests showed that WMH-BHQs significantly increased or decreased with BMI or SBP and with BI classification, respectively. Regarding the impact of impaired fasting glucose and abnormal lipid metabolism, there were almost no significant relationships. For 1969 participants who had HT, DM, and DLP, as well as their comorbidities, we found that DLP played a substantial role in increasing WMH-BHQ for some comorbidities, whereas the presence of HT and DM alone tended to decrease it. Cerebral WMH can be used as a healthcare quotient for quantitatively evaluating VRFs and VRCs and their comorbidities.

Identification of elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are alleviated by passenger presence.

It is essential to find measures to compensate for the decline in elderly drivers' driving ability in order to meet their mobility needs and ensure their safety when driving. Although it has been well documented that elderly drivers' risks of crash involvement are alleviated by the presence of passengers, few studies have investigated whether the protective effect of passengers is influenced by driver characteristics including the degree of cognitive impairment. This study aimed to identify subgroups of elderly drivers whose crash involvement risks are more effectively alleviated by passenger presence. After dividing elderly drivers into three levels of cognitive impairment, as measured by the Short-Memory Questionnaire, and two gender groups, the present study found that only male drivers in the middle cognitive level benefited from passenger presence. The effectiveness of passenger presence may be more successfully achieved by proper selection of the appropriate range of cognitive decline and gender.

Leukoaraiosis significantly worsens driving performance of ordinary older drivers.

BACKGROUND: Leukoaraiosis is defined as extracellular space caused mainly by atherosclerotic or demyelinated changes in the brain tissue and is commonly found in the brains of healthy older people. A significant association between leukoaraiosis and traffic crashes was reported in our previous study; however, the reason for this is still unclear. METHOD: This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of driving performance in ordinary older drivers with leukoaraiosis. First, the degree of leukoaraiosis was examined in 33 participants, who underwent an actual-vehicle driving examination on a standard driving course, and a driver skill rating was also collected while the driver carried out a paced auditory serial addition test, which is a calculating task given verbally. At the same time, a steering entropy method was used to estimate steering operation performance. RESULTS: The experimental results indicated that a normal older driver with leukoaraiosis was readily affected by external disturbances and made more operation errors and steered less smoothly than one without leukoaraiosis during driving; at the same time, their steering skill significantly deteriorated. CONCLUSIONS: Leukoaraiosis worsens the driving performance of older drivers because of their increased vulnerability to distraction.

Elderly drivers' everyday behavior as a predictor of crash involvement--Questionnaire responses by drivers' family members.

When or whether elderly drivers stop driving is concerning not only to the drivers themselves but also to their family members. Therefore, it is important for family members to take the initiative if they wish to obtain information on the likelihood of the drivers' involvement in crashes. On the basis of the older drivers' Everyday Behavior Questionnaire (EBQ) developed in this paper, we attempt to predict drivers' involvement in crashes using the responses given by their family members. The results revealed that this 14-item questionnaire has a sufficient level of internal consistency as well as a significant correlation (r=0.29) with the experience of involvement in crashes in the last three years (p<0.01). Although the EBQ is a proxy-reported questionnaire and does not include items directly related to driving behaviors, the correlation between the EBQ and crash involvement is stronger than that of the self-reported Driver Behavior Questionnaire reported in deWinter and Dodou (2010), who conducted a meta-analysis and estimated the overall correlation among samples of earlier studies. In addition, logistic regression analysis showed that the EBQ score and the exposure to driving risks, measured by the frequency of driving, are significant predictors of involvement in crashes.

Leukoaraiosis, a common brain magnetic resonance imaging finding, as a predictor of traffic crashes.

BACKGROUND: There are no reported studies on the relationship between traffic crashes and brain tissue changes in healthy drivers. The relationship between traffic crashes and leukoaraiosis, a common magnetic resonance imaging finding, was investigated in this study. METHODS: A total of 3,930 automobile drivers (2,037 men and 1,893 women; age, 21-87 years) who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging as part of total health check-ups and answered a road traffic questionnaire were examined to determine whether asymptomatic leukoaraiosis was associated with various types of traffic crashes. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the relationship between leukoaraiosis and various types of traffic crashes. RESULTS: Subcortical leukoaraiosis was diagnosed in 28.52% of all subjects, whereas periventricular leukoaraiosis was diagnosed in 9.57% of all subjects. Adjusted odds ratios for involvement in all types of traffic crashes were not significant for subjects with periventricular leukoaraiosis; however, they were significant for subjects with multiple and large multiple subcortical leukoaraiosis. Adjusted odds ratios for involvement in crashes at crossroads were 1.09 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-2.00) for subjects with single subcortical leukoaraiosis, 3.35 (95% CI, 2.36-4.77) for subjects with multiple subcortical leukoaraiosis, and 2.45 (95% CI, 2.36-4.98) for subjects with large multiple subcortical leukoaraiosis. Periventricular leukoaraiosis was not significantly associated with crossroad crashes. Involvement in crashes of any type, parking lot crashes, and rear-end collisions showed no significant association with either subcortical or periventricular leukoaraiosis. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple subcortical leukoaraiosis, but not periventricular leukoaraiosis, is significantly associated with traffic crashes, in particular, crossroad crashes. This association is independent of sex, age, and driving exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence describing the relationship between brain tissue changes and traffic crashes.