• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.42 no.4 s.304
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• pp.95-102
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• 2005

In this paper, we propose a user friendly object-based image retrieval system using the interaction between cortex and hippocampus. Most existing ways of queries in content-based image retrieval rely on query by example or query by sketch. But these methods of queries are not adequate to needs of people's various queries because they are not easy for people to use and restrict. We propose a method of automatic color object extraction using CSB tree map(Color and Spatial based Binary をn map). Extracted objects were transformed to bit stream representing information such as color, size and location by region labelling algorithm and they are learned by the hippocampal neural network using the interplay between cortex and hippocampus. The cells of exciting at peculiar features in brain generate the special sign when people recognize some patterns. The existing neural networks treat each attribute of features evenly. Proposed hippocampal neural network makes an adaptive fast content-based image retrieval system using excitatory learning method that forwards important features to long-term memories and inhibitory teaming method that forwards unimportant features to short-term memories controlled by impression.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2013

The elderly population continues to increase in Korea and there has been a growing interest in understanding normal aging. In response to this public interest, the present paper reviewed human aging research focusing on recently published neuroimaging studies. For the first half of the paper, I reviewed the effects of aging on the brain and cognition. In normal aging, structural changes in the brain include atrophy and volume reduction in the prefrontal and temporal cortices. Functional changes are exhibited in the form of overactivation of the brain. Moreover, age-related cognitive decline is particularly observed in inhibition and memory, which are also associated with the age-related structural changes in the brain. For the second half of the paper, I introduced physical exercise studies showing that exercise played a protective role in the age-related neurocognitive decline. More specifically, engaging in physical exercise (particularly, aerobic exercise) for a relatively long period of time (e. g., > 6 mon.) protected older adults from volume loss in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, and induced better inhibition and memory. These exercise-induced benefits appear to be associated with changes in neuronal levels, indicating that the aging brain is still plastic and this plasticity can be enhanced by physical exercise.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1631-1636
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• 2008

Rhei Rhizoma (RR; 大黃) consists of the underground parts (rhizome and root) of Rheum officinale Baill. and Rheum palmatum L. (Polygonaceae), and is widely used in Southeast Asian folk medicine to alleviate liver and kidney damages. In this study, we investigated into the efficacy and mechanism of RR water extract in supporting neuronal survival in a hypoxia model of cultured rat hippocampal neurons. RR exhibited no cytotoxicity up to 10 ${\mu}g$/ml and exhibited neurosupportive effects at 2.5 ${\mu}g$/ml in normoxia. When RR was added to the culture media on 10 days in vitro (DIV10) and given a hypoxic shock (2% $O_2$/5% $CO_2$, 3 hr, $37^{\circ}C$) on DIV13, RR exhibited neuroprotective effects on 5 days post-shock. $H_2DCF$ stainings indicated that RR effectively prevents ROS production in both normoxia and hypoxia. JC-1 stainings showed that RR prevents dissipation of MMP in hypoxia. These results indicate that RR protects neurons by suppressing ROS production and MMP loss.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.148-152
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• 2001

This study investigated the role of excitatory amino acid systems in the initiation of organophosphate-induced seizures and brain damages in rats through quantitative in vivo microdialysis. Microdialysates were collected from the hippocampus of rat brain, treated with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP; 2.67 mg/kg, s.c.) alone, and/or atropine sulfate (15 mg/kg, i.m.) and procyclidine (30 mg/kg, i.m.). The protective effects of atropine, a muscarinic blocker, and/or procyclidine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate and cholinergic antagonist, against DFP were examined. DFP treatment increased the levels of aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu) significantly in the hippocampal persuate with the induction of seizures. Treatment of procyclidine could effectively block the increase of Asp and Glu levels. Atropine treatment showed no significant anticonvulsive effects against DFP-induced seizures. The increases of Asp and Glu levels by DFP were also completely blocked through the combined treatment of atropine and procyclidine. Histopathological findings on the hippocampus confirmed the above results. More effective protection was observed through the treatments of procyclidine alone or of both procyclidine and atropine than atropine alone against DFP-induced brain damage. Procyclidine was shown to be effective in DFP-induced seizures.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.677-685
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• 2006

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate whether exogenous thyroxine($T_4$) treatment to alcohol-fed dams would ameliorate the detrimental effects of alcohol on the postnatal development of neuropeptide-Y(NPY)-containing neurons of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the offspring. Methods : Time-pregnant rats were divided into three groups. An alcohol-fed group A received 35 calories of liquid alcohol diet daily from gestation day 6; control group B was fed a liquid diet in which dextrin replaced alcohol isocalorically; and alcohol＋$T_4$ group C received 35 calories of liquid alcohol diet and exogenous thyroxine subcutaneously. The features of the growth and maturation of rat brain tissue were observed at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 postnatal days via immunohistochemistry. Results : Group C showed prominent NPY immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex compared to group A and B at P7. In group C, NPY-containing neurons were widely distributed in the all layers of cerebral cortex after P14. Also, numerical decreases of NPY-containing neuron were not found according to increasing age in group C. A decrease of NPY-containing neurons, however, was clearly observed in group A compared to group C at P28. In the hippocampus, similar patterns appeared in groups B and C after P7. Especially, in groups B and C, NPY-containing fibers formed plexus in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus at P14. Conclusion : These results suggest that the increase of NPY synthesis caused by maternal administration of exogenous thyroxine may convalesce fetal alcohol effects, one of the effects of the dysthyroid state following maternal alcohol abuse.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.447-450
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• 2003

To clerify the cytotoxicity of reactive oxygen species in cultured hippocampal neurons of neonatal mouse, toxic effect was measured by MTT assay after cultured cells were incubated for 3 hours in the media containing 1～40 μM concentrations of H₂O₂. In addition, the protective effect of vitamin E was determined in these cultrures. Cell viability was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner after exposure of 10 μM H₂O₂ to cultured mouse hippocampal neurons for 5 hours. In the protective effect of vitamin E, vitamin E prevented the H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity in these cultures. From these results, it suggests that H₂O₂ has toxic effect in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons and vitamin E has protective effect on the cytotoxicity induced by H₂O₂.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.250-257
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• 2023

Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter distributed in the central nervous system of mammals. However, high concentrations of glutamate are known to cause neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke by causing nerve cell death. In this study, the antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effect of subtropical natural products were analyzed. Among 11 subtropical plant extracts mainly tested, Sallacca wallichiana extract (SE) showed the greatest free radical scavenging activity. Then, we confirmed through WST-1 assay that SE protected HT22 cells against glutamate-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effects of SE against glutamate-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells were also confirmed by flow cytometry analysis using Annexin V/PI double staining. We also confirmed using H₂DCF-DA single staining that SE inhibits glutamate-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species. And we were confirmed through that SE inhibited glutamate-induced phosphorylation of Mitogen-activated Protein kinases. Consequently, our results propose that SE may contribute to the development of therapeutics to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.323-334
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• 1996

Male Mongolian gerbils $(60{\sim}80g)$ were given DL-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO; 250mg/kg, ip) and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG; 50 mg/k, ip), respectively, 1 h prior to transient (7 min) occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (OBC7) and a daily dose of one of them for 6 days after recirculation, and the polyamine contents, activities of ornithine and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases (ODC and SAM-DC), and light microscopic findings of the hippocampus were evaluated. The hippocampal putrescine (PT) levels of the control gerbils treated with saline (STGr), markedly increased after OBC7, showing a peak level at 24 h after recirculation. The peak PT level was reduced in DFMO treated gerbils (DTCr) and in MGBG treated gerbils (MTGr). And 7 days after recirculation, the PT level of DTGr was decreased to about 75% of the PT level in the sham operated group (nonTGr) and to about 55% of the STGr level, respectively. The hippocampal spermidine (SD) level of STGr tended to decline, showing the lowest value at 8 h after recirculation. But the spermidine (SD) level of DTGr was somewhat higher at 8 h after OBC7 than those of STGr and MTGr The hippocampal spermine (SM) levels of all the experimental groups were little changed for 7 days after OBC. OBC7 markedly increased the hippocampal ODC activity. reaching a maximum (about 3 times higher than preischemic level) at 8 h and rapidly recovered to the control value by 24 h in STGr gerbils, and the OBC7-induced increase of ODC activity was significantly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. Whereas OBC7 induced a rapid decrease of the hippocampal SAMDC activity follwed by gradual recovery to the preischemic level, and the decrease of the SAMDC activity was slightly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. 7 Days after OBC7 the histological finding of the hippocampal complex stained with cresyl violet showed an extensive delayed neuronal damage in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus, sparing the CA3 region. And the neuronal death was aggevated by DFMO but significantly attenuated by MGBG. The immunochemical reactivity of hippocampus to anti-GFAP antibody was significantly increased in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus 7 days after OBC7, but was little changed in the CA3. And the increase of the anti-GFAP immunoreactivity was moderately enhanced by DFMO and significantly suppressed by MGBG. These results suggest that the polyamine metabolism may play a modulatory role in the ischemic brain damage.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.835-845
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• 2008

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of FS for the modulation of ROS and MMP in a hypoxic model of cultured rat cortical cells. Methods : For the effect of FS on the viability, FS was added to culture media (neurobasal supplemented with B27) and cell viability was measured by LDH assay. To investigate the effects of FS on ROS generation and MMP preservation, cells grown in FS-containing media were given a hypoxic shock(2% $O_2/5%$ $CO_2$, $37^{\circ}C$, 3 hrs) on DIV 10, stained with $H_2DCF-DA$(10 nM) and JC-1, respectively, and observed by fluorescent microscope. Results : 1. FS has a protective effect of cortical cells in both normoxia and hypoxia. 2. FS reduced the generation of ROS and this reduction was especially significant at 3 days after hypoxia. 3. FS was effective for the maintenance of MMP in hypoxia, and this efficacy was especially significant at 3 days after hypoxia. Conclusions : Taken together, these results indicate that FS attenuates ROS generation and MMP dissipation, which eventually protects from neuronal cell death in hypoxia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1532-1540
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• 2013

T-box transcription factor 2 (Tbr2) is a member of the T-box family of transcription factors and it plays an important role in brain development, progenitor cell proliferation, and the modulation of differentiation and function in immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells. This study aims to elucidate the involvement of Tbr2 in the pathophysiological events following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in mice. Status epilepticus resulted in prominent neuronal cell death in discrete brain regions, such as CA3, the hilus, and the piriform cortex. Interestingly, when the immunoreactivity of Tbr2 was examined two days after status epilepticus, it was transiently increased in CA3 and in the piriform cortex. Tbr2-positive cells in CA3 and the piriform cortex were double-labeled with CD11b, a marker of microglia and a subset of white blood cells, such as monocytes, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer cells. Moreover, the double-labeled cells with Tbr2 and CD11b showed amoeboid morphology, and this data indicates that Tbr2-expressing cells may be reactive microglia or infiltrating white blood cells. Furthermore, clustered Tbr2-positive cells were observed in the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1)-positive blood vessels near the CA3 area, which suggests that Tbr2-positive cells may be infiltrating the white blood cells. Based on this data, this study is the first to indicate the involvement of Tbr2 in neuropathophysiology in status epilepticus.