• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.319-328
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• 2024

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA₁) plays a critical role in brain injury following a transient brain ischemic stroke. However, its role in permanent brain ischemic stroke remains unknown. To address this, we investigated whether LPA₁ could contribute to brain injury of mice challenged by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). A selective LPA₁ antagonist (AM152) was used as a pharmacological tool for this investigation. When AM152 was given to pMCAO-challenged mice one hour after occlusion, pMCAO-induced brain damage such as brain infarction, functional neurological deficits, apoptosis, and blood-brain barrier disruption was significantly attenuated. Histological analyses demonstrated that AM152 administration attenuated microglial activation and proliferation in injured brain after pMCAO challenge. AM152 administration also attenuated abnormal neuroinflammatory responses by decreasing expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines while increasing expression levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the injured brain. As underlying effector pathways, NF-κB, MAPKs (ERK1/2, p38, and JNKs), and PI3K/Akt were found to be involved in LPA₁-dependent pathogenesis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that LPA₁ can contribute to brain injury by permanent ischemic stroke, along with relevant pathogenic events in an injured brain.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.40-46
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• 2015

Neuroglial cells are fundamental for brain homeostasis and defense to intrinsic or extrinsic changes. Loss of their function and over-reactivity to stimuli contribute to the aging of brain. Alzheimer's disease (AD) could be caused by more dramatic response in neuroglia associated with various chemokines and cytokines. Neuroglia of the AD brain shares some phenotypes with aging neuroglia. In addition, neuroglial activation and neuroinflammation are commonly showed in neurodegeneration. Thus neuroglia would be a promising target for therapeutics of AD.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.318-322
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to examine differences between 20s and 40s in visuospatial performance and brain activation areas using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Eight male college students in their twenties ($21.5{\pm}2.3$ years old) and six male adults in their forties ($45.7{\pm}2.6$ years old) who were graduated from college participated in the study. A visuospatial task was presented while brain images were acquired by a 3T fMRI system. Compared to the 20s the 40s showed lower visuospatial performance. There were more activations observed at the parietal and superior frontal areas at 20s compared to 40s. There were more activations observed at the middle frontal and occipital areas at 40s compared to 20s. The results of this study show that the lowering of visuospatial performance with aging was correlated to the decrease of activation area at the parietal lobe and the change of activation area at the frontal lobe.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.73-79
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• 2009

Purpose: Recently, neurostimulation studies involving manipulation of cortical excitability of the human brain have been increasingly attempted. We investigated whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the underlying cerebral cortex, directly induces cortical activation during fMRI scanning. Methods: We recently recruited five healthy subjects without a neurological or psychiatric history and who were right-handed, as verified by the modified Edinburg Handedness Inventory. fMRI was done while constant anodal tDCS was delivered to the underlying SM1 area?? immediately after the pre-stimulation for eighteen minutes. Results: Group analysis yielded an averaged map that showed that the SM1 area and the superior parietal cortex in the ipsilateral hemisphere were activated. The voxel size and peak intensity were, respectively, 82 and 5.22 in the SM1, and 85 and 5.77 in the superior parietal cortex. Conclusion: Cortical activation can be induced by constant anodal tDCS of the underlying motor cortex. This suggests that tDCS may be an effective therapeutic device for enhancing? physical motor function by modulating neural excitability of the motor cortex.

• 한국과학교육학회지
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.647-667
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• 2010

이 연구의 목적은 과학 교수-학습프로그램을 평가하기 위한 두뇌기반 분석틀을 개발하는 것이다. 분석틀의 개발을 위해, 이 연구는 과학 교수-학습과 관련된 선행연구들로부터 교수-학습 프로그램의 분석항목을 3가지로 범주화 하였다: 인지, 동기, 감성. 첫 번째로, 각 항목에 관련된 두뇌활성 영역을 파악하기위하여 과학수업과 관련된 두뇌 기능에 대한 93편의 뇌과학 문헌들을 분석하였다. 두 번째로, 두뇌의 해부학적 영역별로 범주화된 연구결과를 바탕으로 과학 교수-학습프로그램 분석을 위한 분석틀을 제작하였다. 분석틀의 제작은 R & D 방법을 따랐다. 그 결과, 두뇌활성 결과들은 대뇌 피질, 보상계, 변연계의 세 영역으로 범주화되어 나타났다. 이를 바탕으로 개발된 두뇌기반 과학 교수-학습 프로그램 분석틀인 'CORE Brain Map'은 양측 배외측전전두피질, 양측 복외측 전전두피질, 양측 안와전두피질, 전대상이랑, 양측 두정피질, 양측 측두피질, 양측 후두피질, 양측 해마, 양측 편도체, 양측 측좌핵, 양측 선조체 그리고 중뇌영역으로 구성된다. 두뇌기반 과학 교수-학습프로그램 분석틀은 다양한 과학 교수-학습프로그램의 분석 및 진단에 활용 가능할 것으로 전망된다.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.260-265
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the quantitative effectiveness of region of interest (ROI) setting in MR-DTI analysis with and without fMRI activation results. Methods: Ten right-handed normal volunteers participated in this study. DTI and fMRI datasets for each subject were obtained using a 1.5T MRI system. For neural fiber tracking, ROIs were drawn using two methods: The drawing points were located in the fMRI activation areas or areas randomly selected by users. In this study, the neural fiber tract targeted the corticospinal tract (CST) Quantitative analyses were performed and compared. The pixel numbers passing through the fiber tract in the individual brain volume were counted. The ratios between the ROI pixel numbers and the extracted fiber pixel numbers, and the ratios between the fiber pixel numbers and the whole-brain pixel numbers were also calculated. Results: According to our results, extracted CST fiber tract in which the ROI was drawn with fMRI activation areas showed higher distribution than drawing the ROI by users' hands. In addition, the quantitatively measured values represented higher pixel distribution: The counted average pixel numbers were 4553.8 and 1943.3. The average ratios of the ROI areas were 33.87 and 22.52. The average percentages of the individual whole-brain volume numbers were 2.06 and 0.87. Conclusion: Results of this study appear to indicate that use of this method can allow for more objectives and significant for study of the recovery of neural fiber mechanisms and brain rehabilitation.

• 인지과학
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2006

본 연구에서는 지향성을 탐지하는 과제를 하는 동안 활성화되는 뇌 영역을 검토하기 위하여 기능적 자기공명영상 기법을 이용하였다. 마음이론의 기본적 기제로 알려진 지향성 탐지에 관여하는 뇌의 활성화 영역이 사전 지시가 주어지는가에 따라 다른지를 알아보는 것이 연구의 주된 목적이었다. 과제에 대한 사전 지시가 주어진 경우에는 좌반구에서는 구부와 상측두회가 활성화되었고 우반구에서는 하후두회, 변연상회, 하두정소엽, 시상의 내배측핵, 설전소엽이 활성화되었다. 사전 지시가 주어지지 않았던 경우에는 우반구의 하두정소엽과 상두정소엽만이 활성화되었다. 두 경우에 공통적인 영역으로 하두정소엽이 관찰되었다. 이런 결과는 사전 지시가 지향성 탐지 관련 뇌 영역들을 더 분명하게 활성화시켰음을 시사한다. 지향성 탐지 기제의 자발적 작동과 참가자의 특성에 대한 추후 연구의 필요성을 논의하였다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.21-28
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• 2013

Microglia play a role in maintaining and resolving brain tissue homeostasis. In pathological conditions, microglia release pro-inflammatory cytokines and cytotoxic factors, which aggravate the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Autophagy pathway might be involved in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cytotoxic factors in microglia, though details of the mechanism remain largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the role of the autophagy pathway in activated BV2 microglia cells. In BV2 cells, rapamycin treatment activated the formation of anti-LC3-labeled autophagosomes, whereas the ATG5 depletion using siRNA-ATG5 prevented the formation of LC3-labeled autophagosomes, indicating that BV2 cells exhibit an active classical autophagy system. When treated with LPS, BV2 cells expressed an increase of anti-LC3-labeled dots. The levels of LC3-labeled dots were not suppressed, instead tended to be enhanced, by the inhibition of the autophagy pathway with siRNA-ATG5 or wortmannin, suggesting that LPS-induced LC3-labeled dots in nature were distinct from the typical autophagosomes. The levels of LPS-induced expression of iNOS and IL6 were suppressed by treatment with rapamycin, and conversely, their expressions were enhanced by siRNA-ATG5 treatment. Moreover, the activation of the autophagy pathway using rapamycin inhibited cell death of LPS-stimulated microglia. These results suggest that although microglia possess a typical autophagy pathway, the glial cells express a non-typical autophagy pathway in response to LPS, and the activation of the autophagy pathway suppresses the expression of iNOS and IL6, and the cell death of LPS-stimulated microglia.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.299-305
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• 2012

Endochondral bone formation is the process by which mesenchymal cells condense to become chondrocytes, which ultimately form new bone. The process of chondrogenic differentiation and hypertrophy is critical for bone formation and as such is regulated by many factors. In this study, we aimed to indentify novel factors that regulate chondrogenesis. We investigated the possible role of isopsoralen in induction of chondrogenic differentiation in clonal mouse chondrogenic ATDC5 cells. Isopsoralen treatment stimulated the accumulation of cartilage nodules in a dose-dependent manner. Further, ATDC5 cells treated with isopsoralen were stained more intensely with Alcian blue than control cells, suggesting that isopsoralen increases the synthesis of matrix proteoglycans. Similarly, isopsoralen markedly induced the activation of alkaline phosphatase activity compared with control cells. Isopsoralen enhanced the expressions of chondrogenic marker genes such as collagen II, collagen X, OCN, Smad4 and Sox9 in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, isopsoralen induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 MAP kinase, but not that of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Isopsoralen significantly enhanced the protein expression of BMP-2 in a time-dependent manner. PD98059 and SB 203580, inhibitors of ERK and p38 MAPK, respectively, decreased the number of stained cells treated with isopsoralen. Taken together, these results suggest that isopsoralen mediates a chondromodulating effect by BMP-2 or MAPK signaling pathways, and is therefore a possible therapeutic agent for bone growth disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.721-733
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• 2007

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of the functional lateralization of the brain variables related to the sex, the scientific attitude and the scientific exploration skills. The science instruction is divided in each type of the lecturing class with the experiment class. As for the degree of SMR brainwave activation in each stage are presented while accumulating the brain waves from the right, left and the whole brain waves are analyzed during the science learning activities. It is therefore reasonable to consider the science instruction types and brain lateralization to enhance the science learning effectiveness. Sensorimotor rhythm brainwave as the low Beta is represented well to show the thought process. Category quantification scores and objective scores are calculated to show the visual positioning map for the relationships of the categories by homogeneity analysis.