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Purpose As shown in our previous study, inspiration after swallowing (SW-I) increases during the bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation (BiPAP) in healthy subjects because swallowing-associated non-inspiratory flow (SNIF) triggers inspiratory support, while SW-I during continuous positive pressure ventilation (CPAP) is rare. In the present study, we evaluated the coordination between breathing and swallowing during spontaneous breathing, BiPAP, and CPAP in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients and methods This study is a prospective intervention study at the Hoshigaoka Medical Center (November 01, 2015-April 30, 2018). We simultaneously recorded the respiratory flow, laryngeal motion, and swallowing sounds during saliva swallowing in patients with COPD. We estimated the respiratory phase after swallowing, frequency of SNIF, the duration of the respiratory pause during swallowing, and timing of swallowing in the respiratory cycle and compared these parameters among control, CPAP, and BiPAP conditions. Results The expiration after swallowing (SW-E) frequency was associated with the occurrence of SNIF (p

Stress is prevalent in modern society and can affect human health through its effects on appetite. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite in healthy, non-obese males during fasting. In total, 22 volunteers participated in two experiments (stress and control conditions) on different days. The participants performed a stress-inducing speech-and-mental-arithmetic task under both conditions, and then viewed images of food, during which, their neural activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In the stress condition, the participants were told to perform the speech-and-mental-arithmetic task again subsequently to viewing the food images; however, another speech-and-mental-arithmetic task was not performed actually. Subjective levels of stress and appetite were then assessed using a visual analog scale. Electrocardiography was performed to assess the index of heart rate variability reflecting sympathetic nerve activity. The findings showed that subjective levels of stress and sympathetic nerve activity were increased in the MEG session in the stress condition, whereas appetite gradually increased in the MEG session only in the control condition. The decrease in alpha band power in the frontal pole caused by viewing the food images was greater in the stress condition than in the control condition. These findings suggest that acute stress can suppress the increase of appetite, and this suppression is associated with the frontal pole. The results of the present study may provide valuable clues to gain a further understanding of the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite. However, since the stress examined in the present study was related to the expectation of forthcoming stressful event, our present findings may not be generalized to the stress unrelated to the expectation of forthcoming stressful event.

研究グループは、意欲を引き出すような情報が与えられることによって認知課題の成績が向上する神経メカニズムを解明しました。これまで、学業成績の向上には達成感などによって引き出される学習意欲が重要であることが指摘されていましたが、意欲を引き出すような情報が与えられることによって認知機能が向上する神経メカニズムは明らかでありませんでした。そこで、本研究ではパソコン上で認知課題を行う合間に、実際の成績とは無関係に認知課題の成績が「平均を上回るほぼ最高レベル」であることを示す画像を提示する条件と、課題成績とは関係のない画像を提示する条件を設定し、両条件下で課題実施中の脳活動を脳磁図法を用いて測定しました。課題成績とは関係しない画像を提示した場合には次第に認知課題の成績(正答率)が低下したのに対し、成績が良好であることを提示した場合には課題成績が保たれました。認知課題中の脳活動について調べると、本研究で用いた認知課題の実行に関係している脳領域において、成績が良好であることを提示することで課題成績が保たれた程度(＝そうでない条件と比べて成績が向上した程度)と情報処理の活発さとの間に関連があることが明らかになりました。本研究結果から、達成感・有能感を引き出すような情報が与えられることで、課題に取り組む際に使用する脳部位の働きが促進され、その結果、認知課題の成績が向上する可能性が考えられます。, The alterations in neural activity related to the improvement of cognitive performance, which would be leading to better academic performance, remain poorly understood. In the present study, we assessed neural activity related to the improvement of task performance resulting from academic rewards. Twenty healthy male volunteers participated in this study. All participants performed four sessions of a 1-back-Stroop task under both target and control conditions. An image indicating that the task performance of each participant was above average and categorized as being at almost the highest level was presented immediately after each session under the target condition, whereas a control image did not indicate task performance. Neural activity during the 1-back-Stroop task was recorded by magnetoencephalography. The correction rate of the 1-back-Stroop task in the final session relative to that in the first under the target condition was increased compared with the control condition. Correlation analysis revealed that the decreases in alpha band power in right Brodmann's area (BA) 47 and left BA 7 were positively associated with the increased correction rate caused by the target condition. These findings are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the improvement of cognitive performance.

It has been reported that physical activity not only increases energy expenditure, but also affects appetite. However, little remains known about the effects of physical activity-induced fatigue sensation on appetite. In the present study, classical conditioning related to fatigue sensation was used to dissociate fatigue sensation from physical activity. The participants were 20 healthy male volunteers. After overnight fasting, on day 1, the participants performed hand-grip task trials for 10 min with listening to a sound. The next day, they viewed food images with (target task) and without (control task) listening to the sound identical to that used on day 1, and their neural activity during the tasks were recorded using magnetoencephalography. The subjective levels of appetite and fatigue sensation were assessed using a visual analog scale. The subjective level of fatigue increased and that of appetite for fatty foods showed a tendency toward increase in the target task while the subjective level of fatigue and that of appetite for fatty foods were not altered in the control task. In the target task, the decrease of theta (4–8 Hz) band power in the supplementary motor area (SMA), which was observed in the control task, was suppressed, and the suppression was positively correlated with appetite for fatty foods, suggesting hand grip activity-induced fatigue sensation may increase the appetite for fatty food; this increase could be related to neural activity in the SMA. These findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of the neural mechanisms of appetite in relation to fatigue.