Faculty Profiles - OHIRA, Hideki

Polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene modulates brain and physiological responses to acute stress in Japanese men

P2-13 サイコパシー特性による意思決定方略の変容 : 報酬獲得のための合理的・非合理的リスクに関する検討

大隅尚広, 大平英樹

日本パーソナリティ心理学会大会発表論文集 Vol. 18 ( 18 ) page： 152 - 153 2009.11

Reduced recollective memory about negative items in high trait anxiety individuals: an ERP study. Reviewed

Inaba M, Ohira H.

International Journal of Psychophysiology Vol. 74 ( 2 ) page： 106-113 2009.11

Reduced recollective memory about negative items in high trait anxiety individuals: an ERP study. Reviewed

Inaba M, Ohira H

International Journal of Psychophysiology Vol. 74 ( 2 ) page： 106-113 2009.11

Ohira H., Matsunaga M., Isowa T., Nomura M., Ichikawa N., Kimura K., Kanayama N., Murakami H., Osumi T., Konagaya T., Nogimori T., Fukuyama S., Shinoda J., Yamada J.

Stress Vol. 12 ( 6 ) page： 533 - 543 2009.11

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Stress

A short (S) variant, compared to a long (L) variant, of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5HTTLPR) has been related to emotional hyper-reactivity. We tested whether the 5HTTLPR could modulate acute stress responses in the brain and, the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine systems. Ten Japanese male participants carrying double copies of the S alleles and 10 Japanese males carrying S and L alleles conducted a mental arithmetic task, and their regional cerebral blood flow by 15O positron emission tomography and cardiovascular and neuroendocrine parameters were measured. During the acute stress task, the participants with the SS alleles showed stronger reactivity in blood pressure and secretion of epinephrine, compared to the participants with the SL and LL alleles. Furthermore, the SS carriers showed greater activation in stress-related brain regions such as the hypothalamus, cerebellum, midbrain, and pulvinar compared to the SL and LL carriers during the acute stress task. The present findings indicated that the S allele of the 5HTTLPR is associated with greater brain and physiological reactivity to acute stress in Japanese men. © 2009 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

DOI： 10.3109/10253890902787826

Reduced recollective memory about negative items in high trait anxiety individuals: An ERP study

Polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene modulates brain and physiological responses to acute stress in Japanese men.

Ohira H, Matsunaga M, Isowa T, Nomura M, Ichikawa N, Kimura K, Kanayama N, Murakami H, Osumi T, Konagaya T, Nogimori T, Fukuyama S, Shinoda J, Yamada J

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Vol. 12 ( 6 ) page： 533 - 43 2009.11

Midori Inaba, Hideki Ohira

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Vol. 74 ( 2 ) page： 106 - 113 2009.11

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

The present study investigated whether trait anxiety reduce the contribution of episodic retrieval to recognizing negative words. Behavioral and electrophysiological responses in anxious individuals were measured during an exclusion recognition task to compare with a previous report about control participants (Inaba et al., 2007). At test, participants were asked to respond "old" when an item had been included in a target study list. According to the process-dissociation framework, the difference in the waveforms for the "old" responses between target and non-target items is considered to be a measurement of recollection. It was shown to be the difference in the slow waves. As with the behavioral estimate of recollection, the difference in the slow waves at left-parietail area was smaller for negative items compared to other items in the anxiety group. This result was in contrast to a greater difference in the slow positivity for negative words in the control group. These findings suggest that excess old judgments for negative items in the anxious group might be associated with less recollective memory. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2009.08.001

Cardiac responses predict decisions: An investigation of the relation between orienting response and decisions in the ultimatum game

Cardiac responses predict decisions: an investigation of the relation between orienting response and decisions in the ultimatum game Reviewed

Osumi T, Ohira H.

International Journal of Psychophysiology Vol. 74 ( 1 ) page： 74-79 2009.10

Profiling of serum proteins influenced by warm partner contact in healthy couples Reviewed

Matsunaga M, Sato S, Isowa T, Tsuboi H, Konagaya T, Kaneko H, Ohira H.

Neuro Endocrinol Lett Vol. 30 ( 2 ) page： 227-236 2009.10

Takahiro Osumi, Hideki Ohira

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Vol. 74 ( 1 ) page： 74 - 79 2009.10

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Emotion-based behaviors in humans cannot be fully explained by economic rationality. Particularly, in the ultimatum game, which incorporates conflict between self-interest and fairness, negative emotions evoked by an unfair offer seem to promote an economically irrational decision. In accordance with this suggestion, the previous studies have reported that physiological arousal is associated with rejecting unfair offers. In the present study, we investigated electrocardiogram and electrodermal activities in individuals which received fair, advantageously unfair, and disadvantageously unfair offers to specify the relations of the orienting and the defensive responses with these offers and with the decisions to accept and reject them. The results indicated that when an offer that would be rejected was presented, heart rate initially decelerated more than when an offer that would be accepted was presented. Additionally, there was a linear relationship between the deceleration and unfairness of offers. On the other hand, such different patterns were not seen in late cardiac acceleration or electrodermal response. The results suggest that because of perception of disadvantage and unpleasantness in a social context, the orienting response is evoked when an offer will be rejected. In addition, these results are discussed regarding the effect of the autonomic activity in decision-making. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2009.07.007

Association of polymorphism in the human μ-opioid receptor <i>OPRM1</i> gene with proinflammatory cytokine levels and health perception

Cardiac responses predict decisions: an investigation of the relation between orienting response and decisions in the ultimatum game Reviewed

Osumi T, Ohira H

International Journal of Psychophysiology Vol. 74 ( 1 ) page： 74-79 2009.10

Cardiac responses predict decisions: an investigation of the relation between orienting response and decisions in the ultimatum game Reviewed

Osumi T, Ohira H

International Journal of Psychophysiology Vol. 74 ( 1 ) page： 74-79 2009.10

Matsunaga, M; Isowa, T; Murakami, H; Kasugai, K; Yoneda, M; Kaneko, H; Ohira, H

BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY Vol. 23 ( 7 ) page： 931 - 935 2009.10

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

Recent studies in psychoneuroimmunology have indicated that proinflammatory cytokines cause several diseases and behaviors that overlap symptomatically with depression. It is known that the endogenous opioid peptide β-endorphin regulates proinflammatory cytokine secretion from peripheral immune cells via μ-opioid receptor-dependent mechanisms. Therefore, it is possible that the functional polymorphism of the μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1, SNP: A118G) influences peripheral circulating proinflammatory cytokine levels and the health-related quality of life (QOL) even in healthy populations. In this study, we compared the serum concentrations of several proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)) and the health-related QOL between OPRM1 genotypes. Interestingly, serum concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were significantly lower and the general health score was significantly higher in carriers of the G allele, who show a strong binding of β-endorphin to the μ-opioid receptor as compared to individuals without the G allele. Correlation analysis indicated that the general health score was negatively correlated with the IL-6 serum concentration. These results suggest that the sensitive endogenous opioid system in carriers of the G allele may suppress proinflammatory cytokine secretion from peripheral immune cells; consequently, it may influence the health perception. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.bbi.2009.03.007

Profiling of serum proteins influenced by warm partner contact in healthy couples

Matsunaga M., Sato S., Isowa T., Tsuboi H., Konagaya T., Kaneko H., Ohira H.

Neuroendocrinology Letters Vol. 30 ( 2 ) page： 227 - 236 2009.9

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Neuroendocrinology Letters

OBJECTIVES: Warm physical contact may positively influence our health and well-being; however, it has not been investigated yet whether serum proteins are influenced by warm physical contact in healthy couples. In this study, we focused on psychological and physiological effects of warm partner contact in healthy couples. METHODS: When participants freely kissed and hugged their romantic partners, they were asked to subjectively evaluate their present emotions. Furthermore, changes of serum proteins were determined by using ProteinChip surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). We characterized these proteins by using biochemical techniques combined with gel filtration high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), reverse-phase HPLC, and sequencing analyses. RESULTS: Romantic couples became happier and less irritated after kissing and hugging. Accompanying these psychological changes, SELDI-TOF-MS indicated that the intensities of 66-k Da, 11.7-k Da, and 5.9-k Da serum proteins were increased. These proteins were identified as serum albumin and β2- microglobulin, and probably fibrinogen fragment. The feeling of happiness positively correlated and the feeling of irritation negatively correlated with intensities of serum albumin and β2-microglobulin. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that psychological stress may be reduced and we may feel happiness when we kiss and hug a romantic partner. Furthermore, these results also suggest that warm partner contact influences peripheral circulating proteins, more importantly, may promote health and well-being. Copyright © 2009 Neuroendocrinology Letters.

Transient responses of inflammatory cytokines in acute stress

Yamakawa Kaori, Matsunaga Masahiro, Isowa Tokiko, Kimura Kenta, Kasugai Kunio, Yoneda Masashi, Kaneko Hiroshi, Ohira Hideki

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY Vol. 82 ( 1 ) page： 25 - 32 2009.9

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Biological Psychology

It has been demonstrated that concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are elevated by acute stress. Although several studies confirmed robust changes in IL-6, how acute stress affects other cytokines was less clear. Therefore, the present study simultaneously examined the effects of acute stress on several pro-inflammatory cytokines. Sixteen male participants were given the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Blood samples were collected at baseline, immediately after, and 30, 60, and 90 min after the TSST. IL-1β significantly increased immediately after the TSST and returned to the baseline level after 30 min. Additionally, this elevation of IL-1β was correlated with the perceived intensity of stress. These results showed that the concentration of IL-1β is rapidly regulated, and that elevation of the IL-1β level could possibly be attributed to transient mobilization of monocytes caused by sympathetic nervous activation. Moreover, a transient increase of IL-1β might be conveyed to the brain and play a role in forming negative emotional states. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.05.001