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Aim:The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between late-life depression and daily life stress in a representative sample of 10 969 Japanese subjects.Methods: Data on 10 969 adults aged Ն50 who participated in the Active Survey of Health and Welfare in 2000, were analyzed. The self-administered questionnaire included items on 21 reasons for life stressors and the magnitude of stress, as well as the Japanese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The relationship between the incidence of life stressors and mildmoderate (D16) and severe (D26) depressive symptoms was examined using logistic regression analysis.Results: A total of 21.9% of subjects had D16 symptoms, and 9.3% had D26 symptoms. Further, increased age and being female were associated with more severe depressive state. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the strongest relationship between both the incidence of D16 and D26 symptoms and life stressors stemmed from 'having no one to talk to' (odds ratio = 3.3 and 5.0, respectively). Latelife depression was also associated with 'loss of purpose in life', 'separation/divorce', 'having nothing to do', 'health/illness/care of self', and 'debt'. Conclusion:There is a relationship between late-life depression and diminished social relationships, experiences involving loss of purpose in life or human relationships, and health problems in the Japanese general population.

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Interhemispheric coherence and relative power were compared in a patient with total agenesis of the corpus callosum and age and sex matched controls. The patient showed lower interhemispheric coherence than normal controls in F3-F4, C3-C4, and in P3-P4 especially in the higher theta, lower alpha, and beta bands. Differences in relative power were much less marked. These results seem to reflect that interhemispheric connection is degraded because of callosal agenesis.

Case control studies have suggested that advanced glycation end products play a key role in the pathophysiology of chronic schizophrenia. However, the longitudinal association between advanced glycation end products and psychotic symptoms among drug-naïve adolescents remains unclear. This study examined whether advanced glycation end products could predict the trajectory of psychotic symptoms in drug-naive adolescents using data from prospective population-based biomarker subsample study of the Tokyo Teen Cohort. A total of 277 community-dwelling adolescents aged 13 years without antipsychotic medication were analyzed. Fingertip advanced glycation end products were measured in adolescents using noninvasive technology that can be used quickly. The trajectory of psychotic symptoms in a 12-month follow-up was assessed by experienced psychiatrists using a semi-structured interview. Of the 277 participants, 13 (4.7%) experienced persistent psychotic symptoms (psychotic symptoms at baseline and follow-up), 65 (23.5%) experienced transient psychotic symptoms (psychotic symptoms at baseline or follow-up), and 199 (71.8%) did not have psychotic symptoms. Multinomial logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex revealed that baseline fingertip advanced glycation end products might predict the risk of persistent psychotic symptoms (odds ratio = 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–2.69; P = 0.03). Altogether, fingertip advanced glycation end products potentially predicted the trajectory of psychotic symptoms among drug-naive adolescents, which indicated its involvement in the pathophysiology of early psychosis. Further studies are required to identify strategies to reduce adolescent advanced glycation end products, which may contribute to preventing the onset of psychosis.

The epidemiological study presented here was conducted to examine the association between sleep problems and restless legs syndrome (RLS) among a large sample taken from the general population of Japan. The presence of RLS was established by asking the subjects if they experienced a crawling sensation in their legs after going to bed. This survey was performed in June 2000, targeting a sample that was randomly selected from 300 communities throughout Japan. The questionnaire contained questions focusing on health consciousness, mental health, and sleep. A total of 26 705 participants completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of RLS was 3.0%, with a significant predominance in women. The prevalence of RLS increased significantly with advancing age. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that RLS was significantly associated with difficulty initiating sleep (odds ratio, OR = 2.58), excessive daytime sleepiness (OR = 2.28), difficulty maintaining sleep (OR = 1.71), non-restorative sleep (OR = 1.51), subjective insufficient sleep (OR = 1.36), and early morning awakening (OR = 1.21). These results suggest that the prevalence of RLS in Japan is lower than in northern European populations and that RLS is strongly associated with difficulty initiating sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness.

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