Mastication is an indispensable oral function related to physical, mental, and social health throughout life. The elderly tend to have a masticatory dysfunction due to tooth loss and fragility in the masticatory muscles with aging, potentially resulting in impaired cognitive function. Masticatory stimulation has influence on the development of the central nervous system (CNS) as well as the growth of maxillofacial tissue in children. Although the relationship between mastication and cognitive function is potentially important in the growth period, the cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been sufficiently elucidated. Here, we show that the reduced mastication resulted in impaired spatial memory and learning function owing to the morphological change and decreased activity in the hippocampus. We used an in vivo model for reduced masticatory stimuli, in which juvenile mice were fed with powder diet and found that masticatory stimulation during the growth period positively regulated long-term spatial memory to promote cognitive function. The functional linkage between mastication and brain was validated by the decrease in neurons, neurogenesis, neuronal activity, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus. These findings taken together provide in vivo evidence for a functional linkage between mastication and cognitive function in the growth period, suggesting a need for novel therapeutic strategies in masticatory function-related cognitive dysfunction.

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SPL may occur among patients with left hemispheric stroke, especially those with lesions in the thalamus, spastic paresis on the right side immediately after stroke, and psychiatric disorders such as alcohol and tobacco intoxication.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease (ACVD) differ in angiographic appearance and probably hemodynamics. Pediatric MMD (PMMD) usually presents with cerebral ischemia, while intracranial hemorrhage is more common in adult MMD (AMMD), suggesting differences in cerebral hemodynamics. We analyzed the cortical flow velocity and direction of recipient arteries using micro-Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate the cortical circulation before and after anastomosis in MMD and ACVD. Twenty-eight patients with adult MMD (AMMD), 7 with pediatric MMD (PMMD), 16 with ACVD, and 12 control patients were studied. A micro-Doppler probe was applied on the cortical recipient artery (A4 or M4) before and after anastomosis. Systolic maximum flow velocity (V max) and blood flow direction were investigated at proximal and distal parts of anastomosed sites in recipient arteries. Pre- and postoperative regional cerebral blood flow was measured by cold xenon-computed tomography (Xe-CT). Before anastomosis, retrograde cortical flow was significantly more common in PMMD patients, and V max in cortical artery was significantly lower in AMMD patients. Bypass surgery changed the direction of blood flow from the anastomosis site to proximal and distal sites of the recipient artery in most patients, but pre-anastomosis flow direction was preserved more frequently in PMMD patients. The rate of V max increase after anastomosis was significantly higher in AMMD than in PMMD (11.6 ± 9.8 vs. 3.9 ± 1.8; P = 0.01). Micro-Doppler ultrasonography identified differences in cortical circulation among AMMD, PMMD, and ACVD. In AMMD, significantly low velocity in the cortical artery was observed before anastomosis, and bypass surgery reversed the flow and significantly increased flow velocity. The data of PMMD showed unique hemodynamics of the cortical artery before anastomosis, characterized by a higher frequency of retrograde flow and preserved velocity. The V max increase rate was significantly higher in patients with postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion on Xe-CT, and further study is warranted to validate the clinical use of intraoperative micro-Doppler monitoring to predict postoperative hyperperfusion.

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Hypermetabolism is common in patients with DLB and may be related to visual hallucinations.

Objectives-Mutational analysis of the sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27) gene was performed on three patients from two Japanese families who had cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) associated with parkinsonism. Methods-Clinical evaluations, brain MRI studies, and laboratory analyses were completed on the three patients. The CYP27 gene was analysed for mutations by PCR amplification of gene segments followed by direct sequencing. Results-Two diVerent, homozygous mutations were identified in these families. One is a novel transition, substituting T for G at Glu162 (GAG) resulting in a stop codon (TAG). The other is also a transition, substituting T for C at Arg441 (CGG) resulting in Trp (TGG). The second is located in two amino acids ahead of the heme ligand binding site (Cys443) of the protein likely rendering it non-functional. It is the most common CTX mutation in Japanese patients. Conclusions-CTX with parkinsonism is caused by mutations with a severe impact on enzyme function. The two mutations described here are likely to cause loss of function because they are chain terminating or aVect an essential site in the protein. (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1999;67:195-198)

Objectives Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays important roles in neuroplasticity in the brain. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of long-term exercise combined with low-level inhibition of GABAergic synapses on motor control and the expression of BDNF in the motor-related cortex. Methods ICR mice were divided into four groups based on the factors exercise and GABA receptor inhibition. We administered the GABA receptor antagonist bicuculline intraperitoneally (0.25 mg/kg). Mice exercised on a treadmill 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Following behavioral tests, BDNF expression in the motor cortex and cerebellar cortex was assayed using RT-PCR and ELISA. Results Exercise increased BDNF protein in the motor cortex and improved motor coordination in the rotarod test either in the presence or absence of bicuculline. BDNF mRNA expression in the motor cortex and muscle coordination in the wire hang test decreased after administration of bicuculline, whereas bicuculline administration increased mRNA and protein expression of BDNF in the cerebellum. Discussion The present study revealed that long-term exercise increased BDNF expression in the motor cortex and facilitated a transfer of motor learning from aerobic exercise to postural coordination. Thus, aerobic exercise is meaningful for conditioning motor learning to rehabilitate patients with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. However, long-term inhibition of GABA receptors decreased the expression of cortical BDNF mRNA and decreased muscle coordination, despite the increase of BDNF in the cerebellum, suggesting that we have to consider the term of the inhibition of the GABAergic receptor for future clinical application to CNS patients.