Publications by authors named "Yasuo Kawabata"

The mechanism underlying the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) remains unclear, particularly regarding its impact on different severities of depression. From a personalized treatment perspective, evaluating functional improvements by illness severity is crucial. This study investigated changes in cerebral hemodynamics before and after six weeks of rTMS treatment in 45 patients with depression, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

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Aim: Live two-way video, easily accessible from home via smartphones and other devices, is becoming a new way of providing psychiatric treatment. However, lack of evidence for real-world clinical setting effectiveness hampers its approval by medical insurance in some countries. Here, we conducted the first large-scale pragmatic, randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of long-term treatment for multiple psychiatric disorders via two-way video using smartphones and other devices, which are currently the primary means of telecommunication.

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Article Synopsis
  • Multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measures changes in cerebral blood flow, showing that depression is linked to decreased blood flow in the frontal cortex, known as hypofrontality.
  • Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are alternative treatments for depression, although their mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • This study found that after 30 rTMS sessions, patients experienced a significant increase in oxygenated hemoglobin, indicating improved blood flow in the frontal cortex, which may activate neuronal synapses and enhance treatment effects.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people around the world. Anxiety related to infection, stress and stigma caused by the forced changes in daily life have reportedly increased the incidence and symptoms of depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Under such circumstances, telepsychiatry is gaining importance and attracting a great deal of attention.

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Objective: Accumulated evidence collected via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been reported with regard to mental disorders. A previous finding revealed that emotional words evoke left frontal cortex activity in patients with depression. The primary aim of the current study was to replicate this finding using an independent dataset and evaluate the brain region associated with the severity of depression using an emotional Stroop task.

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Objective: The prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-age children is 7.2%, and ADHD is divided into clinical subtypes.

Methods: The current study explored whether specific cognitive profiles as assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)-IV could be obtained for each clinical ADHD subtype (ADHD-Inattentive type and ADHD-Combined type) and investigated the correlation between WISC scores and parental age at their children's birth or birthweight.

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Introduction: The search for objective biomarkers of psychiatric disorders has a long history. Despite this, no universally accepted instruments or methods to detect biomarkers have been developed. One potential exception is near-infrared spectroscopy, although interpreting the measures of blood flow recorded with this technique remains controversial.

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Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a reasonable option for intractable depression or schizophrenia, but a mechanism of action has not been established. One credible hypothesis is related to neural plasticity. Three genes (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc) involved in the induction of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are Wnt-target genes, which constitute a key gene group involved in neural plasticity through the TCF family.

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Introduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is currently regarded as a significant treatment option for intractable psychiatric disorders, such as catatonic schizophrenia or treatment-resistant depression; however, the underlying molecular mechanism for its therapeutic effect remains obscure.

Methods: Employing microarray analysis (Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array; Affymetrix, United States) of cDNA derived from the peripheral blood of patients with catatonic schizophrenia (n = 5), we detected a significant change in 145 genes (0.

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Background: Thirty-three Japanese children and adolescents diagnosed with an anxiety disorder participated in individual or group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) that was modelled after evidence-based intervention programs developed in Western countries.

Method: The treatment consisted of: (a) building rapport and education; (b) identifying emotions and recognizing cognitive self-talk; (c) challenging anxious self-talk; (d) developing an anxiety hierarchy and in vivo exposures; and (e) planning for future challenges.

Results: Three months following treatment, 20 of the 33 children and adolescents (60.

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