Toyo Gakuen University

About: Toyo Gakuen University is a education organization based out in Nagareyama, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Isometric exercise & Mental health. The organization has 33 authors who have published 56 publications receiving 492 citations. The organization is also known as: Toyo Gakuen.

Commodifying Affection, Authority and Gender in the Everyday Objects of Japan

Abstract: Cute objects are encountered everywhere in Japan: in advertising, company logos, everyday objects and pornography; and in government-sponsored public safety posters, baby faces, smiling children, tiny bunnies and beaming bears are used to inform, warn, advise, admonish and shape opinion. Cuteness communicates power relations and power play, effec tively combining weakness, submissiveness and humility with influence, domination and control. It merges meekness, admiration and attachment with benevolence, tenderness and sympathy. This paper focuses on the gen dered aspect of cute things: how they communicate messages about being the 'ideal' woman. The multivocality of cuteness is revealed by employing Turner's symbolic analysis and this paper discusses the meanings and cul tural values that, embedded in all the varied objects of cuteness, constitute a socionormative commentary about how women should behave, especially vis-a-vis men. Examples are provided to show how cuteness, as a sentiment that has been obj...

Confirming validity of The Fear of COVID-19 Scale in Japanese with a nationwide large-scale sample.

Abstract: Assessing fear and anxiety regarding COVID-19 viral infection is essential for investigating mental health during this epidemic. We have developed and validated a Japanese-language version of The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) based on a large, nationwide residential sample (n = 6,750) recruited through news and social media responding to an online version of the questionnaire. Data was collected from August 4-25, 2020. Results correlated with K6, GAD-7 and IES-R psychological scales, and T-tests and analysis of variance identified associated factors. All indices indicated the two-factor model emotional fear reactions and symptomatic expressions of fear a better fit for our data than a single-factor model in Confirmatory Factor Analysis (χ2 = 164.16, p<0.001, CFI 0.991, TLI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.043). Socio-demographic factors identified as disaster vulnerabilities such as female sex, sexual minority, elderly, unemployment, and present psychiatric history associated with higher scores. However, respondent or family member experience of infection risk, or work/school interference from confinement, had greatest impact. Results suggest necessity of mental health support during this pandemic similar to other disasters.

Effects of sports participation on psychiatric symptoms and brain activations during sports observation in schizophrenia

Abstract: Weight gain has been identified as being responsible for increased morbidity and mortality rates of schizophrenia patients. For the management of weight gain, exercise is one of the most acknowledged interventions. At the same time, exercise and sports have been recognized for their positive impact on psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the neurobiological basis for this remains poorly understood. We aimed to examine the effect of sports participation on weight gain, psychiatric symptoms and brain activation during sports observation in schizophrenia patients. Thirteen schizophrenia patients who participated in a 3-month program, including sports participation and 10 control schizophrenia patients were studied. In both groups, body mass index (BMI), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and brain activation during observation of sports-related actions measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging were accessed before and after a 3-month interval. BMI and general psychopathology scale of PANSS were significantly reduced in the program group but not in the control group after a 3-month interval. Compared with baseline, activation of the body-selective extrastriate body area (EBA) in the posterior temporal-occipital cortex during observation of sports-related actions was increased in the program group. In this group, increase in EBA activation was associated with improvement in the general psychopathology scale of PANSS. Sports participation had a positive effect not only on weight gain but also on psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia. EBA might mediate these beneficial effects of sports participation. Our findings merit further investigation of neurobiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of sports for schizophrenia.

Association between forearm muscle thickness and age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, handgrip and knee extension strength and walking performance in old men and women: a pilot study

Abstract: Very little information is available concerning the relationship between handgrip strength and muscle size in the upper and lower extremities, especially the forearm muscle itself. To investigate the relationships among ultrasound-measured forearm muscle thickness from the radius and ulna bone interface with handgrip strength, knee extension strength, walking speed and absolute/relative total skeletal muscle mass (TMM), 32 Japanese men and 21 Japanese women ages 70–83 years had muscle thickness (MT) measured by ultrasound. In the forearm, two MTs (forearm-radius and forearm-ulna MT) were measured. TMM was estimated from an ultrasound-derived prediction equation. Handgrip-strength was significantly correlated with forearm-ulna MT in both men and women. There were no significant correlations between forearm MT and walking speed in either sex. In men, both forearm-radius and forearm-ulna MT were significantly correlated with TMM and TMM index. In women, a significant correlation was only observed between forearm-ulna MT and TMM index. Our results suggest that forearm-ulna MT may be a useful parameter for evaluating handgrip strength and TMM index in older Japanese men and women.