• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.23 no.1 s.178
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• pp.209-215
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• 2006

The present study purposed to examine differences between 20s and 40s in visuospatial performance, the number of activated yokels and cerebral lateralization using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). For this study, eight college students in their twenties (21.5 years on the average) and six adults in their forties (45.7 years on the average) participated in the experiment. Functional brain images were taken from 37 MRI using the single-shot EPI method. Compared to the twenties the forties showed lower visuospatial performance and longer reaction time. In addition, compared to the twenties the forties had a smaller number of activated yokels and less cerebral lateralization. The results of this study show that people's visuospatial performance and number of activated yokels decrease with aging. In addition, they also suggest that cerebral lateralization decreases in order to supplement the lowering of visuospatial performance, which in turn symmetrizes the activation of the left and right hemisphere.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.183-192
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• 2005

This study compared cerebral lateralization index based on the area of neural activation with that based on the intensity of neural activation. For this purpose, 8 right-handed male college students (the mean age - 23.5 years) and 10 right-handed male college students (the mean age - 25.1 years) participated respectively in researches on visuospatial and verbal task brain function. Functional brain images were taken from 3T MRI using the single-shot EPI method. The result of measuring cerebral lateralization index based on the area of neural activation suggested that the right hemisphere is dominant in visuospatial tasks and the left one is in verbal tasks. However, the dominance is not sufficient to locate the exact part of the brain for these tasks. When cerebral lateralization index was computed based on the intensity of neural activation, it was derived that the area of cerebral lateralization closely related to visuospatial tasks is the superior parietal lobe, and the area of cerebral lateralization closely related to verbal tasks is the inferior and middle frontal lobes. Thus, cerebral lateralization index by area based on the intensity of neural activation as proposed by this study can determine the dominance of the cerebrum by area, so is helpful for accurate and quantitative determination of cerebral lateralization.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.52-57
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• 2000

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the pattern of cerebral response to motor tasks in patients with schizophrenia compared with normal subjects using functional MRI. Materials and methods ; Nine right handed-schizophrenic patients and six right-handed normal subjects were included. We used right hand movement as task. Series of 120 consecutive echo-planar images per section were acquired during three cycles of task and rest activations. Lateralization index of cortical response was measured and compared between patients and normal subjects. Results ; Right hand motor task was associated with greater activation in left sensorimotor cortex than the right in normal subjects. Schizophrenia patients showed relatively decreased activation in left cortex and increased activation in right cortex compared with normal subjects. In one patient, reversed lateralization was noted. Conclusion : Normal hemispheric asymmetry of cortical response to motor task was found in different pattern in schizophrenia. Our result is consistent with functional disturbance of motor circuitry in this disorder. Functional MRI will play an important role in diagnosis and research of this disorder.