COMT Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Declarative Memory in Adulthood and Old Age

Variation in memory performance is to a large extent explained by genes. In the prefrontal cortex, the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is essential in the metabolic degradation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter implicated in cognitive functions. The present study examined the effect of a polymorphism in the COMT gene on individual differences and changes in memory in adulthood and old age. Tests assessing episodic and semantic memory were administered to 286 men (initially aged 35-85 years) from a random sample of the population (i.e., the Betula prospective cohort study) at two occasions followed over a 5-year period. Carriers of the Met/Met genotype (with low enzyme activity) performed better on episodic and semantic memory, as compared to carriers of the Val allele (with higher enzyme activity). Division of episodic memory into its recall and recognition components showed that the difference was specific to episodic recall, not recognition tasks; an effect that was observed across three age groups (middle-age, young-old, and old-old adults) and over a 5-year period. The COMT gene is a plausible candidate gene for memory functioning in adulthood and old age.     

Prediction of physical activity level in adulthood by physical characteristics,physical performance and physical activity in adolescence: an 11-year follow-up study

The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent the physical activity pattern in adulthood can be predicted by physical characteristics, performance and activity in adolescence. A group of 62 men and 43 women completed a questionnaire concerning physical activity during their leisure time at the ages of 16 and 27 years. An activity index produced from the questionnaire. At the age of 16 years, the subjects were also tested for strength (strength test battery) and running performance (9-min run). Maximal oxygen uptake ( ) was estimated from a submaximal test and a muscle biopsy specimen was taken and analysed for fibre types (percentages of types I, IIA, 1113). The proportion of subjects engaged in some kind of physical activity during their leisure time was approximately 70% among the women and 80% among the men at both ages. The time spent on physical activity (minutes per week) decreased with age for the men but not for the women. The women devoted less time. to physical activity than the men both at age 16 and 27 years. The attitude to endurance activities had changed to a more positive attitude among the women and to a less positive attitude among the men at age 27 years. The aerobic potential ( and percentage of type I fibre), running performance, strength performance, physical activity and marks in physical education at age 16 years explained 82% of the physical activity level in adulthood for the women and 47% for the men. The aerobic potential at age 16 years alone explained 31% of the adult physical activity level in the women and 24% in the men. Strength performance, physical activity and marks in physical education at age 16 years further increased the predictive value for the physical activity level in adulthood for the women but not for the men. It is suggested that the major portion of the variation in physical activity level in adult women, but not in the adult men, could be predicted from physical characteristics, physical performance, and the activity level in adolescence.     

Unusual Longevity Without Surgical Intervention in Complete Transposition of the Great Arteries

A case of unusual longevity to the age of 58 years is reported for a female patient with complete transposition of the great arteries. The association with a wide atrial septal defect with intact interventricular septum may have contributed to the long survival without surgery. Factors determining intercirculatory mixing and systemic oxygen saturation may be the high pulmonary flow, the location of the anatomic communication, sufficient hemoglobin concentration to allow an adequate level of systemic resistance and recirculated systemic flow, and the belated development of pulmonary vascular disease.     

Emotion complexity and emotion regulation across adulthood

This research used data from a study on daily emotional experience in adulthood to examine the associations between age, emotion complexity, and emotion regulation. Data were drawn from a study of daily stress that included 239 participants ranging in age from 18 to 89 from North Central Florida. Two indicators of emotion complexity were considered: emotion differentiation and the co-occurrence of positive and negative affect. Emotion regulation was assessed in terms of individuals’ likelihood of maintaining adaptive emotion states. There were no age differences in adults’ co-occurrence of positive and negative emotions. In contrast to theories suggesting age would be associated with greater emotion complexity, the findings revealed that older adults had lower differentiation scores than younger adults. Age was also associated with more adaptive patterns of emotion regulation. Specifically, older adults persisted in low negative states and moved out of high negative states more readily than younger adults. Finally, neuroticism, self-concept incoherence, mean daily stress, and emotion complexity were associated with emotion regulation. Notably, adults who reported a greater mix of positive and negative affect moved out of high negative affect states more rapidly than adults with lower co-occurrence scores. This finding is in keeping with a growing body of work suggesting that positive affect promotes recovery from negative affect. Overall, the findings suggest that although emotion complexity is associated with emotion regulation, it does not appear to be a key factor underlying age differences in emotion regulation.     

Adolescent but not adult rats exhibit ethanol-mediated appetitive second-order conditioning

Background: Adolescent rats are less sensitive to the sedative effects of ethanol than older animals. They also seem to perceive the reinforcing properties of ethanol. However, unlike neonates or infants, ethanol‐mediated appetitive behavior is yet to be clearly shown in adolescents. Appetitive ethanol reinforcement was assessed in adolescent (postnatal day 33, P33) and adult rats (P71) through second‐order conditioning (SOC). Methods: On P32 or P70, animals were intragastrically administered ethanol (0.5 or 2.0 g/kg) paired with intra‐oral pulses of sucrose (CS₁, first‐order conditioning phase). CS₁ delivery took place either 5–20 (early pairing) or 30–45 minutes (late pairing) following ethanol administration. The time interval between CS₁ exposure and ethanol administration was 240 minutes in unpaired controls. On P33 or P71, animals were presented the CS₁ (second‐order conditioning phase) in a distinctive chamber (CS₂, second‐order conditioning). Then they were tested for CS₂ preference. Results: Early and late paired adolescents, but not adults, had greater preference for the CS₂ than controls, a result indicative of ontogenetic variation in ethanol‐mediated reinforcement. During the CS₁‐CS₂ associative phase, paired adolescents given 2.0 g/kg ethanol wall‐climbed more than controls. Blood and brain ethanol levels associated with the 0.5 and 2.0 g/kg doses at the onset of each conditioning phase did not differ substantially across age, with mean blood ethanol concentration of 38 and 112 mg%. Conclusions: These data indicate age‐related differences between adolescent and adult rats in terms of sensitivity to ethanol’s motivational effects. Adolescents exhibited high sensitivity for ethanol’s appetitive effects. These animals also showed ethanol‐mediated behavioral activation during the SOC phase. The SOC preparation provides a valuable conditioning model for assessing ethanol’s motivational effects across ontogeny.     

Epilepsy in patients with advanced Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy

BackgroundRecent advances in respiratory management have improved survival for patients with Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), characterized by congenital muscular dystrophy and brain malformation. Previous studies reported that more than half of patients exhibit seizures in childhood. However, little is known about epilepsy after childhood.MethodsTo elucidate the long-term clinical course of epilepsy, we retrospectively reviewed all medical records in nine patients (6 males, mean age 20.7 years) with FCMD diagnosed between 1981 and 2019.ResultsThe follow-up periods ranged from 6 to 30 years (mean 18.4 years). A total of 75 EEG recordings were available from nine patients. In some patients, EEGs were normal during early childhood but tended to show paroxysmal discharges with age. Overall, epileptic seizures were observed in six patients. Except for one presenting with afebrile seizure at one year of age, the remaining five patients developed epilepsy between 13 and 22 years of age. The most common seizure type was focal impaired awareness seizure. After adolescence, four patients exhibited status epilepticus. Their convulsive movements of the seizures became less prominent with progression of the disease. At the last evaluation, most patients (5/6) had uncontrolled seizures.ConclusionsDespite presence of distinct brain malformation, epileptic seizures may develop after childhood in FCMD patients. Our experience suggests that clinicians should be careful not to overlook epileptic seizures, especially in advanced-stage patients who had profound muscle weakness.     

以凝血功能障碍为首发表现的特发性成人肝内胆管缺失症1例

<正>病例:患者男,24岁。因"反复皮下瘀斑8年,身目黄染3个月"于2012年3月11日收治入院。患者8年前四肢受到轻微碰撞后出现大面积皮下瘀斑伴牙龈出血,外院予止血治疗(具体不详)后瘀斑消退,但该症状常反复。1年前再次因皮下瘀斑至外院就诊,检查显示凝血酶原时间(PT)120 s,活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)107.8 s,凝血因子FⅦ、FⅨ下降,ALT 372 U/L,AST 386 U/L,ALP 1 633 U/L,甲状旁腺素173.9 pg/mL,骨扫描未见异常,骨髓穿刺活检提示刺激性骨髓象,予"止血、护肝"等对症治疗,皮下出血症状好转后出院。11个月前,复查ALT 298 U/L,AST 246 U/L,继续     

Greek adolescents' intimate relations before their transition to adulthood

The study examined whether the characteristics of the other partner in a dyad could reveal some unique intimate relationships regardless of the commonalties in the intimate relationships adolescents and emerging adults endorse with four important partners (mother, father, female and male peers). Six hundred and thirteen (56.8% female) Greek adolescents and emerging adults participated in the study. Participants endorsed their agreement to nine items addressing issues of intimacy and companionship. The intimate relationships with the four important partners share some common characteristics reflecting the person who endorses the intimate relationships and are also reciprocal, depending on who is the other partner in the dyad. The intimacy participants endorsed with their parents contributed to the intimate relationship with their peers of the same sex with the parent. The way Greek youth is gendered could explain the characteristics of the intimate relationships they endorse with the other partners in the dyads.     

Ethanol induces second-order aversive conditioning in adolescent and adult rats

Alcohol abuse and dependence are considered public health problems, with an etiological onset often occurring during late childhood and adolescence, and understanding age-related differences in ethanol sensitivity is important. Low to moderate ethanol doses (0.5 and 2.0 g/kg, intragastrically [i.g.]) induce single-trial, appetitive second-order place conditioning (SOC) in adolescent, but not adult, rats. Recent studies have demonstrated that adolescents may be less sensitive than adults to the aversive properties of ethanol, reflected by conditioned taste aversion. The present study assessed the aversive motivational effects of high-dose ethanol (3.0 and 3.25 g/kg, i.g., for adolescents and adults, respectively) using SOC. Experiment 1 revealed similar blood and brain ethanol levels in adolescent and adult rats given 3.0 and 3.25 g/kg ethanol, respectively. In Experiment 2, animals received ethanol or vehicle paired with intraoral pulses of sucrose (conditioned stimulus 1 [CS1]). After one, two, or three conditioning trials, the rats were presented with the CS1 while in a distinctive chamber (CS2). When tested for CS2 preference, ethanol-treated animals exhibited reduced preference for the CS2 compared with controls. This result, indicative of ethanol-mediated aversive place conditioning, was similar for adolescents and adults; for females and males; and after one, two, or three training trials. In conjunction with previous results, the present study showed that, in adolescent rats subjected to SOC, ethanol’s hedonic effects vary from appetitive to aversive as the ethanol dose increases. Adolescent and adult animals appear to perceive the postingestive effects of high-dose ethanol as similarly aversive when assessed by SOC.