BackgroundPhysical activity reduces the incidence and progression of cognitive impairment. Cognitive-motor dual-task training, which requires dividing attention between cognitive tasks and exercise, may improve various cognitive domains; therefore, we examined the effect of dual-task training on the executive functions and on plasma amyloid β peptide (Aβ) 42/40 ratio, a potent biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease, in healthy elderly people.MethodsTwenty-seven sedentary elderly people participated in a 12-week randomized, controlled trial. The subjects assigned to the dual-task training (DT) group underwent a specific cognitive-motor dual-task training, and then the clinical outcomes, including cognitive functions by the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examination and the Trail-Making Test (TMT), and the plasma Aβ 42/40 ratio following the intervention were compared with those of the control single-task training (ST) group by unpaired t-test.ResultsAmong 27 participants, 25 completed the study. The total scores in the 3MS examination as well as the muscular strength of quadriceps were equally improved in both groups after the training. The specific cognitive domains, “registration & recall”, “attention”, “verbal fluency & understanding”, and “visuospatial skills” were significantly improved only in the DT group. Higher scores in “attention”, “verbal fluency & understanding”, and “similarities” were found in the DT group than in the ST group at post-intervention. The absolute changes in the total (8.5 ± 1.6 vs 2.4 ± 0.9, p = 0.004, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.75―3.39) and in the scores of “attention” (1.9 ± 0.5 vs −0.2 ± 0.4, p = 0.004, 95 % CI 2.25―9.98) were greater in the DT group than in the ST group. We found no changes in the TMT results in either group. Plasma Aβ 42/40 ratio decreased in both groups following the training (ST group: 0.63 ± 0.13 to 0.16 ± 0.03, p = 0.001; DT group: 0.60 ± 0.12 to 0.25 ± 0.06, p = 0.044), although the pre- and post-intervention values were not different between the groups for either measure.ConclusionsCognitive-motor dual-task training was more beneficial than single-task training alone in improving broader domains of cognitive functions of elderly persons, and the improvement was not directly due to modulating Aβ metabolism.

Effects of sweat gland training by daily local heating were examined and its significance in heat acclimatization was evaluated.Training by 2-hr immersion of an arm in hot water of 43°C caused distinct augmentation of sweat gland activity in the trained area, with reduc-

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Summary: This study was performed to elucidate the ligamentous structures in the lower eyelid other than the Lockwood ligament. Ten lower eyelids (right 5, left 5) of 5 Oriental post-mortems were dissected. The orbital septum was incised along the orbital rim, and then turned over toward the eyelid margin. The orbital fat was exposed and removed as much as possible without injuring the ligamentous structures. The ligamentous structures in the lower eyelid were then investigated macroscopically. There were two other ligaments in the lower eyelid in addition to the Lockwood ligament. All three ligaments originated from the posterior lacrimal crest, but went in different directions. The superior ligament ran on the junction of the orbital septum and the capsulopalpebral fascia, and in the lateral area, it ran on the posterior aspect of the orbital septum and attached to the periosteum of the lateral orbital rim. The inferior ligament went toward the posterior aspect of the inferior oblique muscle after separating from the Lockwood ligament. Ligaments other than the Lockwood ligament were revealed in the lower eyelid. These ligaments are thought to reinforce the fragility of the lower eyelid.

BackgroundCentral administration of γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) induces lower body temperature in animals in hot ambient air. However, it is still unknown whether oral GABA administration affects temperature regulation at rest in a hot environment in humans. Therefore, in the present study, we specifically hypothesized that systemic administration of GABA in humans would induce hypothermia in a hot environment and that this response would be observed in association with decreased heat production.MethodsEight male participants drank a 200-ml sports drink with 1 g of GABA (trial G) or without GABA (trial C), then rested for 30 minutes in a sitting position in a hot environment (ambient air temperature 33°C, relative humidity 50%).ResultsWe found that changes in esophageal temperature from before drinking the sports drink were lower in trial G than in trial C (-0.046 ± 0.079°C vs 0.001 ± 0.063°C; P < 0.05), with lower heat production calculated by oxygen consumption (41 ± 5 W/m2 vs 47 ± 8 W/m2; P < 0.05).ConclusionsIn this study, we have demonstrated that a single oral administration of GABA induced a larger decrease in body core temperature compared to a control condition during rest in a hot environment and that this response was concomitant with a decrease in total heat production.