Human herpesvirus is capable of establishing a lifelong latent infection of its host, reactivating frequently by stress and fatigue. We show the relationship between herpes simplex virus reactivation and Alzheimer's disease. We study the molecular mechanism of latency and pathogenesis of HHV-6, and find a latent protein of HHV-6 which may associate with mood disorder. Additionally we apply HHV-6 to the tools for monitoring and studying the fatigue.

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We examined the association of serum folate, vitamin B_6, and vitamin D and dietary patterns with depressive symptoms among Japanese workers and observed the following results. 1) Higher folate concentrations at baseline were associated with lower prevalence of depressive symptoms after 3 years in men. 2) The prevalence of depressive symptoms after 3 years tended to decrease with increasing vitamin B_6 concentrations at baseline. 3) The prevalence of depressive symptoms tended to decrease with increasing vitamin D concentrations in late autumn. 4) A healthy Japanese dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of vegetables, fruit, soy products, and mushrooms was associated with decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms. A healthy Japanese dietary pattern was associated with higher intakes of folate, vitamin C, and vitamin E, which have shown to be associated with decreased depression. The inverse association with the dietary pattern may be ascribed to the combined effect of these nutrients on mood. The present study has some limitations including small sample size. Further study is required to examine the association in large-scale, prospective, and intervention study.

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The effects of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been studied in clinical and epidemiological fields of atherosclerosis, such as acute myocardial infarction, since the 1970's. Since then, evidence of the effects of ω3 PUFAs in various fields has accumulated, and epidemiological studies and clinical trials of ω3 PUFAs in psychiatry were started in the 1980's and 2000's, respectively. To date, meta-analyses have suggested that ω3 PUFAs play a role in depression. At present, more than a million people in Japan have mood disorder, and ω3 PUFAs show promise as a complementary therapy for depression from a nutritional point of view. In this review, we introduce some epidemiological and clinical studies.

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Prevalence of depression during pregnancy is about 10%. Because the majority of pregnant women do not want to take medicine, development of more safety alternative medicine is required. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most studied alternative medicines for depression. In this paper, we summarized the evidence of omega-3 fatty acids for depression, especially pregnancy, by introducing epidemiological studies, randomized controlled trials (RCT), meta-analysis of RCT. The efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids is possibly affected by meals, so further studies are needed in order to establish the evidence of omega-3 fatty acids for depression in Japan.

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In the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear memory becomes excessively consolidated and extinction learning does not progress. Based on the animal research to date, the level of hippocampal neurogenesis was able to be modulated and was associated with a causal relationship between adult neurogenesis and the hippocampus-dependent period of fear memory. It is theoretically possible that promoting adult neurogenesis early in the transition period might facilitate the clearance of fear memory from the hippocampus. Omega-3 fatty acid promoted the development of hippocampal neurons in vitro by increasing neurite extension and branching as well as the maturation of neurons and hippocampal neurogenesis in adult rats. We focused on a conceptual model of fear memory and propose a new, rationally hypothesized translational preventive intervention for PTSD through promoting hippocampal neurogenesis by omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The results of our two clinical trials in Japan suggest that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation can reduce subsequent PTSD symptoms.

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Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is defined as any practice or health care system which typically has not been included in the conventional medicine. Although CAM is prevailing among patients with psychiatric disorders, clinicians have not precisely recognized the efficacy of CAM except omega-3 fatty acid. We conducted a qualitative review about CAM for depression and anxiety symptom. There are some meta-analytic studies about relaxation, St. John's wort, homeopathy, exercise, and acupuncture. However, most of those studies included low quality randomized controlled trials. The evidence of CAM for depression and anxiety is still insufficient to conclude the efficacy of CAM, and more methodologically sophisticated studies are needed to determine the standards of recommendation.

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Objectives : The masticatory system is very complex and accomplishes specific vital functions such as mastication, swallowing, and speaking. Bruxism is not a dysfunction, but a parafunction such as biting the lip and lingual thrust. In the glossary of terms of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, bruxism is defined as a total parafunctional daily or nighty activity that includes grinding, gnashing, or clenching of the teeth. In the etiology of bruxism remain some controversial aspects, for example the relationship between bruxism and stress. In 1936, Selye H. was responsible for the first publication of "stress" in the medical literature. The term of stress has tremendous manifold meanings and is very variable, therefore it is hard to measure a state of stress exactly. The aim of this study is to compile a questionnaire which enables us to express a stress state with an objective indicator in a dentistry examination room and to verify the reliability and validity. Moreover, it aims to clarify the relationship between bruxism and stress from the result of a medical interview and a questionnaire. Method : To consider stress factors, three constructs of "feeling of depression", "feeling of anger", and "fatigue of mind and body" were assumed. The multiplex index model was created and covariance structure analysis was conducted. The Amos structural equation modeling (SEM) program was used to analyze the multiple indicator model. Results : As a result, the obtained model provided a good fit to the actual data, the Goodness of Fit Index (GFI)=.934, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=.950, the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)=.067. The value of Average Variance Extracted (AVE) : "feeling of depression" was .66, "the feeling of anger" was .51 and "fatigue of mind and body" was .51. The value of Composite Reliability (CR) : "feeling of depression" was .93, "feeling of anger" was .89 and "fatigue of mind and body" was .79. Conclusion : From the result, convergent validity was proved statistically. Moreover, as for discriminant validity, our investigation factor analysis proved that this Questionnaire can evaluate stress by the three factors. Moreover, this structural equation modeling suggested that it is important to control fatigue of mind and body.

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