Biology subjects

Mizuno, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Mizuno, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Music exposure reduces anxiety- and depression-like behavior in rodents: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Anxiety and depressive disorders impose a major global burden, prompting interest in non-pharmacological interventions that may influence affective processes. Music exposure has often been reported to affect anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, but preclinical findings remain heterogeneous and have not been quantitatively synthesized. Prior work has also focused almost entirely on mean behavioral responses, largely overlooking inter-individual variability as a biologically meaningful dimension. We conducted a preregistered systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of experimental studies testing music exposure in laboratory rodents. Following PRISMA and PRISMA-EcoEvo guidelines, we synthesized 298 effect sizes from 20 studies using multilevel models to account for non-independence among effect sizes. We quantified effects on mean behavior with the log response ratio (lnRR) and effects on variability with the log variability ratio (ln V R). Overall, music exposure was associated with a statistically significant reduction in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, corresponding to an average decrease of about 18% relative to controls. This mean effect was detected across outcome types and life stages despite substantial heterogeneity. By contrast, music exposure did not produce a statistically significant overall change in inter-individual behavioral variability. Instead, variability responses were context dependent: behavioral assay type and music meta-genre significantly moderated ln V R, with anxiety-like assays tending to show increased variability and depression-like assays tending to show reduced variability under music exposure. These results suggest that music exposure reliably shifts average affect-related behavior without uniformly changing behavioral stability across individuals. Because the evidence comes mainly from short-term exposures in young adult laboratory rodents, generalization beyond similar contexts should remain cautious.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2023

Keywords to success: a practical guide to maximise the visibility and impact of academic papers

In a growing digital landscape, enhancing the discoverability and resonance of scientific articles is essential. Here, we offer ten recommendations to amplify the discoverability of studies in scientific databases. Particularly, we argue that the strategic use and placement of key terms in the title, abstract, and keyword sections can boost indexing and appeal. By surveying 237 journals in ecology and evolutionary biology, we found that current author guidelines may unintentionally limit article discoverability. Our survey of 5842 studies revealed that authors frequently exhaust abstract word limits -- particularly those capped under 250 words. This suggests that current guidelines may be overly restrictive and not optimised to increase the dissemination and discoverability of digital publications. Additionally, 91.9% of studies used redundant keywords in the title or abstract, undermining optimal indexing in databases. We encourage adopting structured abstracts to maximise the incorporation of key terms in titles, abstracts, and keywords. In addition, we encourage the relaxation of abstract and keyword limitations in journals with strict guidelines, and the inclusion of multilingual abstracts to broaden global accessibility. These evidence-based recommendations to editors are designed to improve article engagement and facilitate evidence synthesis, thereby aligning scientific publishing with the modern needs of academic research.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2022

Functional analysis of the N-terminal region of Vibrio FlhG, a MinD-type ATPase in flagellar number control

GTPase FlhF and ATPase FlhG are two key factors involved in regulating the flagellum number in Vibrio alginolyticus. FlhG is a paralog of the Escherichia coli cell division regulator MinD, which has a longer N-terminal region. Deleting the N-terminal region of FlhG results in cells with multiple flagella. The Q9A mutation in the DQAxxLR motif of the N-terminal region prevents it from activating the GTPase activity of FlhF in vitro and results in a multi-flagellation phenotype. The mutant FlhG protein was remarkably reduced compared to that of the wild-type protein in vivo. When the mutant FlhG was expressed at the same level as the wild-type FlhG, the number of flagella was restored to the wild-type level. Once synthesized in Vibrio cells, the N-terminal region mutation in FlhG seems not to affect the protein stability. We speculated that the flhG translation efficiency is decreased by N-terminal mutation. Our results suggest that the N-terminal region of FlhG controls the number of flagella by adjusting the FlhF activity and the amount of FlhG in vivo. We speculate that the regulation by FlhG, achieved through transcription by the master regulator FlaK, is affected by the mutations, resulting in reduced flagellar formation by FlhF.

biochemistry↗