• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.3
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• pp.440-453
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of watching a two-dimensional (2D) forest video and a virtual reality (VR) forest video on stress reduction in adults. Experiments were conducted in an artificial climate room, and 40 subjects participated. After inducing stress in the subjects, subjects watched a 2D gray video, 2D forest video, or VR forest video for 5 mins. The autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated continuously in terms of measured heart rate variability during the experiment. After each experiment, the subject's psychological state was evaluated using a questionnaire. The 2D forest video decreased the viewer's stress index, increased HF, and reduced heart rate compared with the 2D gray video. The VR forest video had a greater stress index reduction effect, LF/HF increase effect, and heart rate reduction effect than the 2D gray video. Psychological measurements showed that subjects felt more comfortable, natural, and calm when watching the 2D gray video, 2D forest video or VR forest video. We also found that the 2D forest video and VR forest video increased positive emotions and reduced negative emotions compared to the 2D gray video. Based on these results, it can be concluded that watching the 2D forest and VR forest videos reduces the stress index and heart rate compared with watching the 2D gray video. Thus, it is considered that the 2D forest video increases the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, and the VR forest video increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system upon watching the VR forest video is judged to be positive sympathetic nerve activity, such as novelty and curiosity, and not negative sympathetic activity, such as stress and tension. The results of this study are expected to be the basis for examining the visual effects of forest healing, with hope that the utilization of VR, the technology of the fourth industrial revolution in the forestry field, will broaden.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.586-595
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• 2012

This study was conducted to determine the effects of horticultural therapy (HT) program using hydroponics on work adjustment skills of students with mental retardation. Based on the critical role transitional model and special education curriculum for agriculture, especially hydroponics, HT program (total 22 sessions) using hydroponics procedure for Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. 'Asia Heuk Romaine') was developed. Fourteen (10 males, 4 females) graded $1^{st}$ to $2^{nd}$ with intellectual disabilities were recruited from a special education class in a high school located in Inchon, Korea and then a special farm for hydroponics in Inchon, Korea was offered for the HT program. The students with intellectual disabilities participated in the HT program for 4-month (from September to December of 2011, twice a week, approximately 60 minutes per session). Before and after the HT program, the McCarron assessment neuromuscular development, emotional behavioral checklist, interpersonal negotiation strategies, and KEPAD picture vocational interest test were performed by the teachers and horticultural therapists. As the results, the students significantly improved motor performance (p = 0.002), emotional behavioral strategies (p = 0.00), and interpersonal negotiation strategies (p = 0.05). However, no significant difference between before and after the HT program for vocational interest was observed. In conclusion, the HT program using hydroponics, consists of simple and easy tasks so that it would be applicable for the students with intellectual disabilities positively affected to work adjustment skills by improving the motor performance, emotional behavioral strategies, and interpersonal negotiation strategies. Additionally, HT programs using hydroponics with various kinds of vegetables are required to develop and to apply in practical settings for improving work adjustment skills.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-90
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• 2017

Rewards or penalties become informative only when contingent on an immediately preceding response. Our goal was to determine if the brain responds differently to motivational events depending on whether they provide feedback with the contingencies effective for learning. Event-related fMRI data were obtained from 22 volunteers performing a visuomotor categorical task. In learning-condition trials, participants learned by trial and error to make left or right responses to letter cues (16 consonants). Monetary rewards (+500) or penalties (-500) were given as feedback (learning feedback). In random-condition trials, cues (4 vowels) appeared right or left of the display center, and participants were instructed to respond with the appropriate hand. However, rewards or penalties (random feedback) were given randomly (50/50%) regardless of the correctness of response. Feedback-associated BOLD responses were analyzed with ANOVA [trial type (learning vs. random) x feedback type (reward vs. penalty)] using SPM8 (voxel-wise FWE p < .001). The right caudate nucleus and right cerebellum showed activation, whereas the left parahippocampus and other regions as the default mode network showed deactivation, both greater for learning trials than random trials. Activations associated with reward feedback did not differ between the two trial types for any brain region. For penalty, both learning-penalty and random-penalty enhanced activity in the left insular cortex, but not the right. The left insula, however, as well as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, showed much greater responses for learning-penalty than for random-penalty. These findings suggest that learning-penalty plays a critical role in learning, unlike rewards or random-penalty, probably not only due to its evoking of aversive emotional responses, but also because of error-detection processing, either of which might lead to changes in planning or strategy.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2019

Recent studies reported that obesity upregulated the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and regulated particular behavior patterns in animal models. They also reported that ameliorated the increase in nNOS expression and decreased depression and anxiolytic effects. Thus, exercise seems to be an effective strategy for improving brain function by downregulating nNOS. However, the immune response differs greatly, depending on the exercise intensity. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in brain nNOS expression in obese C57BL/6 mice that performed exercise of different intensities. Obesity was induced in 6-wks-old mice (n=35) by feeding a 60%-fat diet for 6-wks. A control (CON) group (n=14) was fed a normal diet. At the end of the induction 6-wks period of obesity, seven animals in the CON group and obesity-induced group were sacrificed to confirm obesity induction (preliminary experiments and confirmation of visceral fat accumulation). The remaining animals were then used in an 8-wks exercise intervention. Other than the CON (n=7), the obesity-induced animals were divided into the following groups: high-fat diet (HFD, n=7), HFD-low intensity (HFD-LI, n=7, 12 m/min for 75 min), HFD-moderate intensity (HFD-MI, n=7, 15 m/min for 60 min), and HFD-high intensity (HFD-HI, n=7, 18 m/min for 50 min). The exercise was performed on an animal treadmill. The expression of the nNOS protein in the hippocampus was significantly higher in the HFD group as compared with that in the CON group (p<0.01). However, there was no difference in the hippocampal expression of the nNOS protein in the other exercise groups as compared with that in the CON group. In contrast, nNOS expression in the HFD-HI group was significantly lower than that in the HFD-LI group (p<0.05). The expression of phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) was significantly higher in all the exercise groups as compared with that in the CON and HFD groups. There was no difference in the expression of pAkt in the cerebral cortex among groups, and the expression of pAkt in the cerebellum was significantly higher in the HFD-HI group as compared with that in the CON group (p<0.05). There were also no between-group differences in pAkt expression in the cerebellum among the various exercise groups. In conclusion, nNOS seems to be overexpressed in response to obesity, and it appears to be downregulated by exercise. Relatively high-intensity exercise may be effective in improving brain function by downregulating nNOS.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.17-38
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• 1999

The effects of Sahyangsohapwon on the affective reactivity of rats were studied with open-field behavior. Sample group was treated with the medicine for 8 weeks, whereas control group was treated with the vehicle. The effects of Sahyangsohapwon on the enhancement of learning and memory of AD model rats were studied with two-way avoidance task. Sample group electrically lesioned on nbM(nucleus basalis of Meynert) was treated with the medicine for 8 weeks, whereas control group with nbM lesion and sham group with the sham operation were treated with the vehicle. 1. In the open-field behavior task, the start latency from start box was measured $27.08{\pm}7.51sec$ in control group, $23.15{\pm}5.98sec$ in sample group. Rats in sample group showed a tendency of shortened latency going out to a strange place compared with those in control group, but with no statistical significance(p>0.05). 2. In the open-field behavior task, the number of locomotion crossing the grid lines was measured $84.54{\pm}3.55$ in control group, $116.93{\pm}6.41$ in sample group. There was an increased locomotion in sample group compared with control group with statistical significance(p<0.01). This can be interpreted as rats in sample group showed lowerd anxiety under a strange environment. 3. In the open-field behavior task, the rearing number was measured $7.46{\pm}0.57$ in control group, $10.13{\pm}0.95$ in sample group. There was an increased rearing in sample group compared with control group with statistical significance(p<0.05). This can also be interpreted as rats in sample group showed lowerd anxiety under a strange environment. 4. In the open-field behavior task, the number of crossing behavior was measured $5.54{\pm}1.50$ in control group, $9.20{\pm}1.67$ in sample group. There was a increasing tendency of crossing behavior in sample group compared with control group, but with no statistical significance(p<0.05). 5. In the open-field behavior task, the total activity was measured $97.54{\pm}4.70$ in control group, $136.27{\pm}792$ in sample group. There was an increased total activity in sample group compared with control group with statistical significance(p<0.01). This can also be interpreted as rats in sample group showed lowerd anxiety under a strange environment. 6. In the analysis of effects on the learning and memory in AD model rats with two-way avoidance task, the response latency was measured $6717{\pm}134msec$ in the 1st session, $5416{\pm}160msec$ in the 2nd session, $5252{\pm}148msec$ in the 3rd session in control group. It was measured $6724{\pm}155msec$ in the 1st session, $4642{\pm}139msec$ in the 2nd session, $4914{\pm}148msec$ in the 3rd session in sample group and $4357{\pm}144msec$ in the 1st session, $3125{\pm}115msec$ in the 2nd session, $3091{\pm}98msec$ in the 3rd session in sham group. There were differences between sham group and nbM lesioned groups with statistical significance in post hoc analysis(p<0.000). And in the 2nd session, there was a reduction of latency in sample group compared with control group with statistical significance (p<0.000). This showed that sample group had better learning capacity than control group. 7. In the analysis of effects on the learning and memory in AD model rats with two-way avoidance task, the number of avoidance response was measured $5.85{\pm}1.41$ in the 1st session, $14.23{\pm}2.89$ in the 2nd session, $15.69{\pm}2.56$ in the 3rd session in control group. It was measured $7.92{\pm}1.94$ in the 1st session, $16.83{\pm}2.29$ in the 2nd session, $15.42{\pm}2.81$ in the 3rd session in sample group and $14.38{\pm}1.62$ in the 1st session, $22.88{\pm}0.89$ in the 2nd session, $23.88{\pm}1.64$ in the 3rd session in sham group. There were differences between sham group and nbM lesioned groups with statistical significance in post hoc analysis(p<0.001). But between control and sample group, there was no significant difference. With the experimental results above, Sahyangsohapwon can be supposed to have the enhancing effects on the affect reactivity and learning with memory of AD model rats induced by electrolyte injury of nbM.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2006

The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of the positive menial stress, eustress, on autonomic nervous system(ANS) and human health. For this, we analyzed heart rate variability(HRV) parameters, the most promising markers of ANS function to assess the changes of emotional and physiological states of human body. We measured HRV Signal of World Cup group(281 male subjects: $29.8{\pm}5.6yr$., 187 female subjects: $29.0{\pm}5.4yr$.) in two stadiums at least an hour before the game during '2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan' event. We also measured control group's(331 male subjects: $30.9{\pm}4.7 yr$., 344 female subjects: $30.2{\pm}5.2 yr$.) in the health promotion centers in two university hospitals at least a month before and after the world cup event period. Considering physiological differences between males and females, the data analysis was applied to 'male group' and 'female group' separately. As a result, some tendency was observed that is different from what we have known as the stress reaction. In general, all parameter values except that of mean heart rate tend to decrease under stressed condition. However, under eustressed condition, both heart rate and standard deviation of the Normal to Normal intervals(SDNN) were higher then those of normal condition(p<0.05). Especially, in case of female group, contrary to distressed condition, every frequency-domain powers showed tile higher value(p<0.05, p<0.001). Considering that decrease of HRV indicates the loss of one's health, the increase of SDNN and frequency parameters means that homeostasis control mechanism of ANS is functioning positively. Accordingly, induction of eustress from international sports event may affect positively to the people's health.