Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) often present with apathy symptoms resembling the decreased motivation observed in depressed patients. Therefore, differentiating the initial phase of AD from late life depression may be difficult in some cases. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a functional neuroimaging modality that uses near-infrared light to measure changes in hemoglobin concentration on the cortical surface during activation tasks. The objective of this study was to investigate differences in brain activation associated with late life depression and with AD by means of NIRS.

Several lines of evidence implicate orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this study was to investigate neuropsychological dysfunction of the orbitofrontal cortex in children with OCD.

Hormonal changes due to menopause can cause various health problems including weight gain and depressive symptoms. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that oestrogen receptors (ERs) play a major role in postmenopausal obesity and depression. However, little is known regarding the ER subtype-specific effects on obesity and depressive symptoms. To delineate potential effects of ERβ activation in postmenopausal women, we investigated the effects of a novel oestrogen receptor β-selective ligand (C-1) in ovariectomized mice. Uterine weight, depressive behaviour, and weight gain were examined in sham-operated control mice and ovariectomized mice administered placebo, C-1, or 17β-oestradiol (E2). Administration of C-1 or E2 reduced body weight gain and depressive-like behaviour in ovariectomized mice, as assessed by the forced swim test. In addition, administration of E2 to ovariectomized mice increased uterine weight, but administration of C-1 did not result in a significant increase in uterine weight. These results suggest that the selective activation of ERβ in ovariectomized mice may have protective effects against obesity and depressive-like behaviour without causing an increase in uterine weight. The present findings raise the possibility of the application of ERβ-ligands such as C-1 as a novel treatment for obesity and depression in postmenopausal women.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Questionnaire-Children with Difficulties (QCD), which was developed for the evaluation of children’s daily life behaviors during specified periods of the day.

Animal studies suggest that estrogen receptor β (ERβ)-agonists, but not ERα-agonists, are antidepressants. Several endogenous ligands for ERβ have been proposed, including 5α-androstane-3β, 17β-diol (3βAdiol), Androstenediol (Δ5-diol), and 7α-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone (7α-OH-DHEA). The aim of this study was to determine the serum and salivary levels of natural ERβ ligands in men and women with and without past depressive episodes in the elderly population. DHEA (a precursor of 3βAdiol, Δ5-diol, and 7α-OH-DHEA), 17β-estradiol (E2), and cortisol (F) were also measured. Samples were collected from 51 subjects and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used for measurement. Comparisons were made between groups based on sex and depression history. E2, 3βAdiol, and Δ5-diol levels were significantly lower in women than in men regardless of depression history. There were no significant differences between men and women in DHEA or 7α-OH-DHEA levels. DHEA was significantly lower in women with depression than in women without depression. Reduced DHEA levels may be related to depression vulnerability in women. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism underlying sex differences in the prevalence of depression and increased risk of depression during menopause. Not only E2 but also two other estrogenic steroids (3βAdiol and Δ5-diol) should be involved in these studies.

Evidence suggests that cytokines may be one of the major factors influencing cognitive development in those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To shed light on the neural and cognitive mechanisms of ASD, we investigated the association between peripheral cytokine levels and cognitive profiles in children with ASD. The serum levels of 10 cytokines (granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were examined in 14 children with ASD using the Human Ultrasensitive Cytokine Magnetic 10-Plex Panel for the Luminex platform. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was administered to each subject, and the relationships between WISC scores and serum levels of the cytokines were examined. The full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) was significantly negatively correlated with the levels of IL-6 (Spearman’s rank, p < 0.0001, false discovery rate q < 0.01). The levels of IL-6 and IFN-γ showed significant negative correlations with the verbal comprehension index (p < 0.001, q < 0.01) and working memory index (p < 0.01, q < 0.05), respectively. No other cytokines were significantly correlated with full-scale IQ or with any of the subscale scores of the WISC. The present results suggest negative correlations of IL-6 and IFN-γ levels with cognitive development of children with ASD. Our preliminary findings add to the evidence that cytokines may play a role in the neural development in ASD.