• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.30-35
• /
• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to observe the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) contrast changes due to the reaction of human brain at a gustatory sense in response to a salty-taste stimulation. Materials and Methods : Twelve healthy, non-smoking, right-handed male subjects (mean age: 25.6, range: 23-28 years) participated in this salty-taste stimulus functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study. MRI scans were performed with 1.57 GE Signa, using a multi-slice GE-EPI sequence according to a blood-oxy-gen-level dependent (BOLD) experiment paradigm. Scan parameters included matrix size $128\times128$, FOV 250 mm, TR 5000 msec, TE 60 msec, TH/GAP 5/2 mm. Sequential data acquisitions were carried out for 42 measurements with a repetition time of 5 sec for each taste-stimulus experiments. Analysis of fMRI data was carried out using SPM99 implemented in Matlab. NaCl solution $(3\%)$ was used as a salty stimulus. The task paradigm consisted of alternating rest-stimulus cycles (30-second rest, 15-second stimulus) for 210 seconds. During the stimulus period, NaCl-solution was presented to the subject's mouth through plastic tubes as a bolus of delivered every 5 sec using -processor controlled auto-syringe pump. Results : Insula, frontal opercular taste cortex, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were activated by a salty-taste stimulation $(NaCl,\;3\%)$ in the fMRI experiments. And dosolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was also significantly responded to salty-taste stimuli. Activation areas of the right side hemisphere were more superior to the left side hemisphere. Conclusion : The results of this study well correspond to the fact that both insula, amygdala, OFC, DLPFC areas are established as taste cortical areas by neuronal recordings in primates. Authors found that laboratory-developed auto-syringe pump is suitable for gustatory fMRI study. Further research in this field will accelerate to inquire into the mechanism of higher order gustatory process.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.37-49
• /
• 2001

We propose an optimization of mutual information for multiresolution image registration to represent useful information as integrated form obtaining from complementary information of multi modality images. The method applies mutual information as cost function to measure the statistical dependency or information redundancy between the image intensities of corresponding pixels in both images, which is assumed to be maximal if the images are geometrically aligned. As experimental results we validate visual inspection for accuracy, changning initial condition and addictive noise for robustness. Since our method uses the native image rather than prior feature extraction, few user interaction is required to perform the registration. In addition it leads to robust density estimation and convergence as applying non-parametric density estimation and stochastic multiresolution optimization.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.75-88
• /
• 2008

Visual scene contains lots of redundant information. To process this redundant information without increasing brain's volume, human visual system may summarize incoming information. If similar but different information are given to visual system, visual system extracts statistical properties of the information. One example of the statistical representation is representation of mean size. The mean representation is accurate and durable. The process of mean representation is suggested to be parallel. However, previous studies on the mean representation mostly used behavioral methods. The purpose of this study was to investigate which neural regions extracted the mean size of a set of circles using fMRI method. According to previous studies, BOLD signal of certain areas that were in charge of cousin stimuli decreased when the same stimuli presented repetitively. We used this paradigm and found that BOLD signal of right occipital area was decreased when same mean site was presented repeatedly. This results suggest that right occipital area is the locus of mean representation of visual stimuli.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.43-49
• /
• 2005

A few studies have shown that the function of fusiform face area is selectively involved in the perception of faces including a race difference. We investigated the neural substrates of the face-selective region called fusiform face area in the ventral occipital-temporal cortex and same-race memory superiority in the fusiform face area by the event-related fMRI. In our fMRI study, subjects (Oriental-Korean) performed the implicit distinction of the race while they consciously made familiar-judgments, regardless of whether they considered a face as Oriental-Korean or European-American. For race distinction as an implicit task, the fusiform face areas (FFA) and the right parahippocampal gyrus had a greater response to the presentation of Oriental-Korean faces than for the European-American faces, but in the conscious race distinction between Oriental-Korean and European-American faces, there was no significant difference observed in the FFA. These results suggest that different activation in the fusiform regions and right parahippocampal gyrus resulting from superiority of same-race memory could have implicitly taken place by the physiological processes of face recognition.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.48-54
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is a rare, autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by early-onset hypotonia associated with brain malformations in dystroglycanopathy. Although the wide spectrum of congenital muscular dystrophies causes difficulty in diagnosis, correlating the genotype with the clinical phenotype can help diagnose FCMD. Here, we evaluated the correlation of targeted molecular genetic analysis of FKTN gene mutation with the FCMD phenotype. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively with 9 subjects. Inclusion criteria included clinical symptoms characterized by early-onset hypotonia with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) featuring brain malformations. FKTN gene-alteration analysis was performed using various FKTN gene-analysis methods, including sequencing. Results: Among the 9 subjects studied, 4 (44.4%) were male and 5 (55.6%) were female. The median age of onset of the first symptom was 3.1 months. The first symptom was a delayed milestone in 6 cases (66.7%). All 9 subjects (100%) presented with early-onset hypotonia and global delayed development. All subjects presented with cortical malformation in their brain MRIs. Of the 9 subjects, 6 subjects had previously undergone muscle biopsy and 4 cases (4/6; 66.7%) showed dystrophic or myopathic features. Pathogenic mutations causing FCMD were identified in 3 cases. Conclusions: In this study, all 3 subjects with FKTN mutations showed important MRI findings (pachygyria and cerebellar dysplasia). These data suggest that patients with characteristic phenotypes who show pachygyria and cerebellar abnormalities in brain MRIs may have a high probability of being diagnosed with FCMD.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.70-80
• /
• 2006

Spin echo gradient moment nulling pulse sequences were designed and implemented on a clinical magnetic resonance imaging system. A new technique was introduced for flow compensation that minimized echo time and effectively suppresses unwanted echoes on the slice selection gradient axis in spin echo sequences. A unified gradient shape was used in all orders of flow compensation up to the third order. A dual-purpose gradient was applied for flow compensation and to reduce unwanted artifacts. The sequences were used to generate images of phantoms and/or human brains. This technique was especially good at reducing eddy currents and artifacts related to imperfection of the refocusing pulse. The developed sequences were found to have shorter echo times and better flow compensation in through-plane flow than those of the previous models that were used by other investigators.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.158-165
• /
• 2002

Purpose : To evaluate the effect of Gd-DTPA on signal intensity of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance(MR) image and apparent diffuse coefficient (ADC) in dog brain with hype racute stroke. Materials and methods : Experimental canine model of hyperacute cerebral infarction was made by selective intraarterial embolization with particulate embolic material. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging was performed in five dogs at 1 hour after the embolization of internal carotid artery. After intravenous bolus injection of Gd- DTPA, additional 11 diffusion-weighted MR images were serially obtained from 2 minutes to 90 minutes after injection in each dog. The author evaluated findings of hyperacute cerebral infarction on diffusion-weighted MR imaging, and calculated mean signal intensity and mean ADC in infarcted region and contralateral normal region. Statistical analysis of mean signal intensity, mean ADC and contrast-noise ratio before and after Gd-DTPA injection was performed. Results : Hyperacute cerebral infarction developed in all five dogs on diffusion-weighted MR images obtained 1 hour after embolization. The area of hyperacute infarction had steady increase in signal intensity on diffusion-weighted MR image and decrease in ADC. In normal perfusion area, decrease in signal intensity was observed at 2 minutes the Gd-DTPA injection, whereas ADC did not changed. Conclusion : Intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA had no influence on ADC in both hyperacute infarction and normally perfused are a, but caused initial transient signal reduction in normally perfused area on diffusion-weighted MR image due to susceptibility effect of Gd-DTPA. It is important to calculate ADC in evaluating the effect of diffusion after injection of Gd-DTPA.

• Annual Conference on Human and Language Technology
• /
• 2004.10d
• /
• pp.270-272
• /
• 2004

본 논문에서는 뇌손상으로 인하여 난독증을 보이는 환자를 대상으로 시각적 단어 재인과정에 대한 평가와 기능적 자기공명영상기법을 통한 언어처리과정의 대뇌활성 양상을 살펴봄으로써 난독증의 특성을 알아보고자 한다. 인지신경심리학적 언어행동평가를 통해 환자 JYM는 자소-음소 변환(grapheme-phoneme conversion)경로와 직접 경로(direct route) 모두가 손상된 심층성 난독증(deep dyslexia)으로 보이며. 기능적 자기공명영상촬영 결과 언어처리과정에서 특정한 언어관련영역보다 등외측전전두영역과 시각피질의 활성이 증가되는 양상을 나타냈다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.82 no.4
• /
• pp.953-958
• /
• 2021

High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is a potentially fatal neurological syndrome that develops in persons traveling to a high altitude. We report the case of a 49-year-old male who had traveled to a high altitude, and lost consciousness for a few hours. Susceptibility-weighted images revealed multiple, fine black pepper like microbleeds along the corpus callosum with several microbleeds in the left frontal and parietal subcortical white matter. The T2-weighted images did not show any abnormal signal intensities along the corpus callosum. The diffusion-weighted images revealed small nodular high signal intensities in the basal ganglia. This report describes the atypical radiologic findings of HACE showing multiple microbleeds along the corpus callosum, without abnormal high-signal intensity on T2-weighted images.

• The Science & Technology
• /
• no.9 s.424
• /
• pp.20-22
• /
• 2004

"이제 미지의 영역은 뇌뿐입니다. 영상장치의 수준에 따라 각국의 연구성과는 달라질 겁니다." PET(양전자 방출 단층촬영 장치)를 세계 최초로 개발, 뇌영상 연구분야의 세계 3대 석학 가운데 한 사람으로 꼽히는 UC어바인 조장희(68) 교수는 쩌렁쩌렁한 목소리에 기백이 넘쳤다. 고희를 앞둔 나이가 무색할 정도였다. 한국과학기술원과 광주과학기술원의 초빙 석좌교수 시절(1978~98년)의 거침없는 성격은 변함이 없었고, 뇌과학의 미래에 대한 그의 확신은 여전했다. 조 교수는 자신의 마지막 연구 인생을 조국에서 불태울 수 있는 기회를 잡았다. 가천의대가 조 교수를 영입해 370억 원을 들여 최첨단 뇌과학연구소를 세우기로 한 것이다. 조 교수에게는 15년간 연봉 30만 달러를 보장하는 파격적인 조건을 제시했다. 조 교수가 맡게 될 뇌과학영상연구소는 뇌 속에서 벌어지는 미세한 현상을 손바닥 보듯 들여다볼 수 있는 방법과 장치를 개발하게 된다. 가장 우선적인 목표는 MRI(자기공명 영상장치)와 PET를 합친 영상장치의 세계 최초 개발이다.