Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a screening tool that is simple and easy to use for assessing sleep problems, including hypersomnolence, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia. We also examined the reliability and validity of this tool. Methods: We developed the Sleep Problem Screening Questionnaire (SPSQ), which consists of three sub-sections: insomnia (SPSQi), hypersomnolence (SPSQh), and restless legs syndrome (SPSQr). Subsequently, the participants, consisting of 222 patients with insomnia disorder and 78 healthy individuals, completed both the SPSQ and the comparative scale (Korean version of the Insomnia Severity Index). The analysis was then conducted using this data. Results: The SPSQ demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, as well as satisfactory internal consistency. A cutoff score of 6 on the SPSQi was found to be optimal for distinguishing individuals with insomnia. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the SPSQ is a reliable and valid tool for screening sleep problems among general adult population. However, there is a limitation as a comparison and validation with scales related to restless legs syndrome and hypersomnolence were not conducted.

OBJECTIVE: Conventional methods for organotypic hippocampal tissue slice culture (OHSC) have shown several disadvantages or limitations regarding age of animals used, duration of culture and difficulty using neurodegenerative models. Therefore, we tried to establish OHSC from old 3xTg-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mice for longer period (over 4 weeks) and to validate utility of this system as a valid platform for translational neuroscience of AD. METHODS: OHSC was performed with old 3xTg-AD mice (12–14 months), old wild type mice (12–14 months) and young 3xTg-AD mice (2–4 months) using serum-free medium for 4 weeks. Hippocampal structure was evaluated by 4’, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) intensity and neuronal metabolism was measured by Alamarblue assay. Pathologic characteristics of AD were also investigated; β-amyloid levels by ELISA, amyloid plaque deposition by Thioflavin-S staining, and glial activation by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Following 4-week culture in serum-free media, hippocampal cells and layers were well preserved in cultured slices from old AD mice as was in those from young AD and old wild type mice. On the contrary, excessive regression of total visible cells was observed in conventional serum-containing medium regardless of genotype of mice. In parallel with this well preserved structure, major pathologic characteristics of AD were also well manifested in hippocampal slices from old AD mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that long-term OHSC from old 3xTg-AD mouse can serve as a promising ex vivo system for studies on pathophysiology of AD, especially with the minimum number of sacrifice of experimental animals.
Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Culture Media, Serum-Free ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genotype ; Hippocampus ; Immunohistochemistry ; Metabolism ; Mice ; Neurons ; Neurosciences ; Plaque, Amyloid

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is known to have a high rate of progression to Alzheimer’s disease. Early detection and intervention of MCI are of great interest in psychiatric and socioeconomic aspects. There are various screening tools for MCI, but their sensitivity and specificity vary greatly. This study assessed the usefulness of virtual reality (VR) neurocognitive tests as an assessment tool for neurocognitive function deficit in MCI. Methods: Both VR neurocognitive tests and conventional neurocognitive tests, including MiniMental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB), were conducted, and 21 participants completed the tests. The test results of the MCI and normal groups were compared, and correlation coefficients between the VR neurocognitive tests and SNSB were examined. Results: The mean VR neurocognitive test total score of the MCI participants was significantly lower than that of normal participants (30.0±1.0 vs. 36.9±6.4; p<0.001). There were no significant differences in the SNSB, MMSE, and MoCA scores between the two groups. The VR neurocognitive total score correlated significantly with the MMSE, MoCA, and SNSB total scores (r=0.61, r=0.54, r=0.50, respectively; p<0.05). The scores of the subdomains of VR neurocognitive tests showed significant correlations with those of MMSE, MoCA, and subdomains of SNSB, with VR executive function and visuospatial function scores showing significant correlations with the SNSB executive function (r=0.46; p<0.05) and visuospatial function (r=0.60; p<0.01) scores, respectively. Conclusion This preliminary study suggests that the VR neurocognitive test can be a feasible and realistic tool for assessing the subtle but complex cognitive deficits in MCI, emphasizing spatial reasoning and executive functions.

Objective: This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of Minds.NAVI, a depression screening kit combining psychometric measures and stress hormone biomarkers, in a prospective clinical trial. The objective was to assess its potential as a depression screening tool and investigate the associations between psychological assessments, salivary hormone staging, and depression severity. Methods: Thirty-five participants with major depressive disorder and 12 healthy controls (HCs) were included. The Minds.NAVI software, utilizing the PROtective and Vulnerable factors battEry Test (PROVE) and salivary cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) analysis, was employed. The PROVE test is a comprehensive self-report questionnaire that assesses depressive symptoms, suicide risk, attachment style, adverse childhood experiences, mentalization capacity, and resilience. In addition, salivary cortisol and DHEA levels were measured to evaluate the functional stage of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Results: Minds.NAVI exhibited 100% sensitivity, 91.7% specificity, and 97.9% accuracy in distinguishing depression from HCs within an exploratory small group. Salivary stress hormone phases showed changes with depression stage (p=0.030), and the proportion of patients with “adrenal exhaustion stage” was higher in the moderate/severe depression group (p=0.038). Protective/vulnerable factors differed significantly between controls and depressed groups (p<0.001). Cortisol awakening response inversely correlated with depressive symptom severity (r=-0.31, p=0.034). Conclusion This study suggested possible clinical effectiveness of Minds.NAVI, a depression screening tool that integrates psychometric measures and stress hormone biomarkers. The findings support the potential association between depression, chronic stress, and HPA axis hyporesponsiveness.