• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.328-337
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• 2016

We examined whether wogonin (WO) improved hippocampal neuronal activity, behavioral alterations and cognitive impairment, in rats induced by administration of trimethyltin (TMT), an organotin compound that is neurotoxic to these animals. The ability of WO to improve cognitive efficacy in the TMT-induced neurodegenerative rats was investigated using a passive avoidance test, and the Morris water maze test, and using immunohistochemistry to detect components of the acetylcholinergic system, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) expression. Rats injected with TMT showed impairments in learning and memory and daily administration of WO improved memory function, and reduced aggressive behavior. Administration of WO significantly alleviated the TMT-induced loss of cholinergic immunoreactivity and restored the hippocampal expression levels of BDNF and CREB proteins and their encoding mRNAs to normal levels. These findings suggest that WO might be useful as a new therapy for treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.76-84
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• 2016

Objectives: We evaluated the anti-fatigue effects of Rh2-enriched Korean ginseng (Ginseng Rh2+) using a forced exercise-induced chronic fatigue mouse model. Methods: ICR male mice were subjected to running wheel for 1 h, 5 days/week during 4 weeks, and running velocity was gradually increased. Each running session was followed by oral administration of distilled water, Ginseng Rh2+ (150 or 300 mg/kg), or N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, 100 mg/kg) 1 h later. The exercise tolerance and forced swimming test were performed to evaluate the fatigue condition. Results: Chronic forced exercise reduced the physical activity, as evidenced by the behavioral tests, which were notably ameliorated by Ginseng Rh2+ treatment. Ginseng Rh2+ treatment also attenuated the alterations of energy metabolism and oxidative stress in skeletal muscle tissues and/or sera, including malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate concentration and its related factors (lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, and glucose levels). Conclusion: These findings strongly suggest that Ginseng Rh2+ exerts a potent anti-fatigue effect through modulation of energy metabolism and oxidative response.

• 한국철도학회논문집
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.417-423
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• 2008

교통계획을 수립하는 계획가들은 그동안 출퇴근 교통수단의 전환을 촉진하는 정책적 노력을 지속적으로 추진해왔다. 본 논문은 경부축 고속철도 등장이후 지역간 통행체계의 변화된 통근행태를 분석해보고자 하였다. 연구에 사용된 데이터는 코레일의 2004년$\sim$2008년 간의 자료이다. KTX 정기권 이용자의 등장으로 인해 그동안의 정성적인 추정이 아닌 계량적인 분석을 통해 통근권 변화에 대해서 거리대, 시간대, 운임수준 및 기종점 통행패턴에 대해 분석하였으며, KTX로 인해 통근거리는 길어졌지만 통행시간 감소로 인한 편익을 인식하게 되면서 정기권 이용자의 통근권역이 확장되었음을 나타낸다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.570-576
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• 2014

Studies have demonstrated that electromagnetic waves, as the one of the most important physical factors, may alter cognitive and non-cognitive behaviors, depending on the frequency and energy. Moreover, non-ionizing radiation of low energy waves e.g. very low frequency waves could alter this phenomenon via alterations in neurotransmitters and neurohormones. In this study, short, medium, and long-term exposure to the extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) (1 and 5 Hz radiation) on behavioral, hormonal, and metabolic changes in male Wistar rats (250 g) were studied. In addition, changes in plasma concentrations for two main stress hormones, noradrenaline and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were evaluated. ELF-EMF exposure did not alter body weight, and food and water intake. Plasma glucose level was increased and decreased in the groups which exposed to the 5 and 1Hz wave, respectively. Plasma ACTH concentration increased in both using frequencies, whereas noradrenaline concentration showed overall reduction. At last, numbers of rearing, sniffing, locomotor activity was increased in group receiving 5 Hz wave over the time. In conclusions, these data showed that the effects of 1 and 5 Hz on the hormonal, metabolic and stress-like behaviors may be different. Moreover, the influence of waves on stress system is depending on time of exposure.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.251-260
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• 2015

Propofol is an anesthetic agent that gained wide use because of its fast induction of anesthesia and rapid recovery post-anesthesia. However, previous studies have reported immediate neurodegeneration and long-term impairment in spatial learning and memory from repeated neonatal propofol administration in animals. Yet, none of those studies has explored the sex-specific long-term physical changes and behavioral alterations such as social (sociability and social preference), emotional (anxiety), and other cognitive functions (spatial working, recognition, and avoidance memory) after neonatal propofol treatment. Seven-day-old Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats underwent repeated daily intraperitoneal injections of propofol or normal saline for 7 days. Starting fourth week of age and onwards, rats were subjected to behavior tests including open-field, elevated-plus-maze, Y-maze, 3-chamber social interaction, novel-object-recognition, passive-avoidance, and rotarod. Rats were sacrificed at 9 weeks and hippocampal protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot. Results revealed long-term body weight gain alterations in the growing rats and sex-specific impairments in spatial (female) and recognition (male) learning and memory paradigms. A markedly decreased expression of hippocampal NMDA receptor GluN1 subunit in female- and increased expression of AMPA GluR1 subunit protein expression in male rats were also found. Other aspects of behaviors such as locomotor activity and coordination, anxiety, sociability, social preference and avoidance learning and memory were not generally affected. These results suggest that neonatal repeated propofol administration disrupts normal growth and some aspects of neurodevelopment in rats in a sex-specific manner.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.666-674
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• 2022

Background: Ginsenosides and their metabolites have antidepressant-like effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We previously identified 14-3-3 ζ as one of the target proteins of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), a fully deglycosylated ginsenoside metabolite. Methods: Corticosterone (CORT) was administered repeatedly to induce the depression model, and PPD was given concurrently. The tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swimming test (FST) were used for behavioral evaluation. All mice were sacrificed. Golgi-cox staining, GSK 3β activity assay, and Western blot analysis were performed. In vitro, the kinetic binding analysis with the Biolayer Interferometry (BLI) was used to determine the molecular interactions. Results: TST and FST both revealed that PPD reversed CORT-induced behavioral deficits. PPD also ameliorated the CORT-induced expression alterations of hippocampal Ser9 phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-Ser9 GSK 3β), Ser133 phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-Ser133 CREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Moreover, PPD attenuated the CORT-induced increase in GSK 3β activity and decrease in dendritic spine density in the hippocampus. In vitro, 14-3-3 ζ protein specifically bound to p-Ser9 GSK 3β polypeptide. PPD promoted the binding and subsequently decreased GSK 3β activity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the antidepressant-like effects of PPD on the CORT-induced mouse depression model and indicated a possible target-based mechanism. The combination of PPD with the 14-3-3 ζ protein may promote the binding of 14-3-3 ζ to p-GSK 3β (Ser9) and enhance the inhibition of Ser9 phosphorylation on GSK 3β kinase activity, thereby activating the plasticity-related CREBeBDNF signaling pathway.

• 한국동물번식학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국동물번식학회 2001년도 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.51-51
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• 2001

Cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is a satiety factor that is regulated by leptin. It was reported that the mice intracerebroventricularly injected with CART showed behavioral changes resembled with the typical behavioral alterations found in the mice carrying disorders in the brain serotonergic (5-HT) system. Hence, this study was conducted to find out the relationships between CART and 5-HT. We first examined the mRNA levels of CART after the injections of para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA, 300 mg/kg i.p., single injection or daily for three consecutive days) in the rat brains by in situ hybridization using the mouse CART cDNA probe cloned in our laboratory. Systemic administrations of pCPA, a potent inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, the rate limiting enzyme of 5-HT biosynthesis, acutely depletes the brain 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), which reuptakes terminal 5-HT. Results indicated that the mRNA level of CART significantly decreased in the arcuate nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, and lateral hypothalamic nucleus by three days of daily injection with pCPA with no noticeable change detected 24 hrs after the single injection. The message levels of 5-HTT in DRN decreased in both single and three days of injections. Secondly, to investigate whether CART affect to 5-HT, mouse genomic CART gene, which is consist of 3 exons and 2 introns and mouse neurofilament light (NF-L) chain promoter were cloned. Then, we constructed neuron specific expression vector, which was transfected into HeLa cell using lipid-mediated transfection system. Expression of GFP and CART linked to NF-L-chain promoter in the transfected HeLa cell were detected by using fluorescent microscope and RT-PCR. These results confirmed normal expression of DNA constructs in vitro. Then, to increase brain specific expression of CART in vivo transgenic mice carrying CART gene controlled the deleted NF-L-chain promoter were generated by the DNA microinjection into pronuclei of fertilized embryos. Transgenic mice were detected by Southern blot. Further study is necessary to examine CART expression and 5-HTT in these transgenic mice. Therefore, these results suggest that there maybe a positive molecular correlation between CART and 5-HT in responding to the stimuli.

• 한국약용작물학회지
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.196-202
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• 2014

Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders and has been associated with the neuroendocrine system and alterations in behavior. Schisandra chinensis Baillon is one of major medicinal plants used as a Korea medicine and food sources, and has been processed in the fields of various food products and medicinal herbs. The chronic mild stress (CMS) protocol is widely used to evoke depressive-like behaviors in laboratory mice or rat. The CMS procedure induced some behavioral changes that are compatible with the common expectations, i.e. 'anhedonic' behavior and can affect corticosterone level. The present study, Schisandra chinensis extract administration by daily gavage from the 3 weeks exhibited an antidepressant-like effect on CMS-induced depression in mice. Schisandra chinensis extract administration at dose of 200mg/kg significantly increased the sucrose consumption, and decreased the immobility durations in forced swim test and tail suspension test. Furthermore the corticosterone level decreased than control group. In conclusion, Schisandra chinensis extract showed antidepressant-like effects on sucrose preference test, forced swimming test and tail suspension test based on CMS model.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제2권6호
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• pp.677-685
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• 1998

To investigate the effects of neonatal stress on behavior and neurochemistry, rats were exposed to the footshock stress on postnatal day (PND) 14 or PNDs 14 and 21. Rats were exposed to uncontrollable electric shocks delivered to the floor with a constant current (0.8 mA) for 5 sec period. Daily sessions consisted of 60 trials on a random time schedule with an average of 55 sec. The first exposure to footshocks on PND 14 decreased body weight gain for 1 day. However, the second exposure to footshocks on PND 21 did not affect body weight gain. Exploratory activity was measured by exposing a rat to a novel environment 24 h after experience of footshocks. Similar to the body weight changes, a decreased activity was noted after the first exposure to footshocks, while no changed activity was noted after the second exposure to footshocks. However, the Bmax value of $5-HT_{2A/2C}$ receptors in the cortex decreased by the second exposure to footshocks, but not by the first exposure to footshocks. Moreover, an autoradiographic study revealed that the density of $[^3H]dexamethasone$ binding in hippocampus decreased in rats exposed to footshocks 4 times during PND $14{\sim}20.$ These results suggest that the uncontrollable footshock stress changes 5-hydroxytryptamine and glucocorticoid receptor systems acutely and that the repeated exposure to the same stress may not elicit behavioral alterations by the compensatory activity of young brain although changes in some neurochemistry exist.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.338-343
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• 2007

BOLD T2*-weighted MR images reflects cortical blood flow and oxygenation alterations. fMRI study relies on the detection of localized changes in BOLD signal intensity. Since fMRI measures the very small modulations in BOLD signal intensity that occur during changes in brain activity, it is also very sensitive to small signal intensity variations caused by physiologic noise during the scan. Due to the complexity of movement of various organs associated with heart beat, it is important to reduce cardiac related noise rather than other physiological noise which could be required with relatively simple method. Therefore, a number of methods have been developed for the estimation and reduction of cardiac noise in fMRI study. But, each method has limitation. In this study, we proposed a new estimation method for brain activities influenced by blood pulsation effect using regression analysis with blood pulsation signal and the correspond slice of fMRI. We could find out that the right anterior cingulate cortex and right olfactory cortex and left olfactory cortex were largely influenced by blood pulsation effect for new method. These observed areas are mostly on the structure of anterior cerebral artery in the brain. That is convinced with that our method would be valid and our new method is easier to apply in practice and reduce computational burden than the retrospective method.