• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.78-80
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• 2015

Purpose: Many studies have attempted to elucidate the motor recovery mechanisms of stroke. In the current study, we report on a patient with infarction who showed recovery of an injured corticospinal tract (CST), using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: A 20-year-old male presented with severe paralysis of the left extremities following an infarction in the right corona radiate and basal ganglia. The patient showed good motor recovery as much as being able to manipulate object using his left hand and could walk independently on stairs at 9 months after onset. Results: At 1 month after onset, the right CST showed decreased fiber volume due to the partial injury at the level of the corona radiate, and no (motor evoked potential) MEP was evoked from the right hemisphere. By contrast, the results at 9 months showed increased fiber volume of the right CST and the amplitude of MEP had improved to normal range on TMS. Conclusion: These results suggest that the severely injured right CST and MEP amplitude had been recovered during 9 months. Therefore, this result has important implications for brain plasticity and brain rehabilitation in patients with infarction.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.421-428
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• 2005

The tenn 'Brain plasticity' has been identified that our central nervous system is continuously being adapted and modulated according to environmental needs and demands, and has been used to encompass the multifarious mechanisms related to learning, development, and recovery from damage to the nervous system. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate cortical reorganization in a 26-year-old right-handed hemiparetic patient with traumatic primary motor cortex (M1) injury, using functional MRI (fMRI). The unaffected (left) primary sensori-motor cortex centered on the precentral knob was activated during unaffected (right) hand movements. However, the medial area of the injured M1 was activated during affected (left) hand movements. It seems that the motor function of the affected hand in this patient was reorganized into the medial area of the injured precentral knob. These investigations provide a great useful information and clinical evidences with the specialized clinician in stroke physical therapy about patient's prognosis and therapeutic guidelines.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.152-156
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• 2014

We report on a patient who showed visual recovery following bilateral occipital lobe infarct, as evaluated by follow up functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). A 56-year-old female patient exhibited severe visual impairment since onset of the cerebral infarct in the bilateral occipital lobes. The patient complained that she could not see anything, although the central part of the visual field remained dimly at 1 week after onset. However, her visual function has shown improvement with time. As a result, at 5 weeks after onset, she notified that her visual field and visual acuity had improved. fMRI and DTT were acquired at 1 week and 4 weeks after onset, using a 1.5-T Philips Gyroscan Intera. The fiber number of left optic radiation (OR) increased from 257 (1-week) to 353 (4-week), although the fiber numbers for right OR were similar. No activation in the occipital lobe was observed on 1-week fMRI. By contrast, activation of the visual cortex, including the bilateral primary visual cortex, was observed on 4-week fMRI. We demonstrated visual recovery in this patient in terms of the changes observed on DTT and fMRI. It appears that the recovery of the left OR was attributed more to resolution of local factors, such as peri-infarct edema, than brain plasticity.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.65-75
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• 2019

Sensory substitution involves mapping the characteristics of one sensory modality to the stimuli of another sensory modality. In general, when a person is visually impaired or deaf, they do not actually lose their ability to see or hear completely; however, they only lose their ability to transmit sensory signals from the periphery to the brain. It has been experimentally proven that a person who has lost the ability to retrieve data from the retina can still visualize subjective images by using data transferred from other sensory modalities such as tactile or auditory modalities. This is because vision processing pathways are still intact in most cases. Therefore, sensory substitution uses human perception and the plasticity of the human brain to transmit sensory signals through pathways that have not been lost. In this study, we analyze the characteristics and problems of various devices used for sensory substitution and summarize the recent technological trends in these devices.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.104-109
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• 2004

Objectives:Abnormalities in neurotrophic factors that regulate neuronal development and synaptic plasticity are often implicated as some causes of schizophrenia. In previous studies, researchers reported that brain and serum BDNF levels underwent similar changes during maturation and aging processes in rats. They also found a positive correlation between serum and cortical BDNF levels. In this study, we investigated whether the serum levels of BDNF in Korean schizophrenic patients would be different from those of healthy controls. Methods:Using an ELISA kit, serum BDNF levels were assessed in schizophrenic group(N=49) and control group(N=50). Results:Serum BDNF levels in the schizophrenic group($36.29{\pm}19.78$ng/ml) were significantly higher than those in control group($22.4{\pm}14.4$ng/ml). The BDNF levels did not correlate with duration of treatment, age or daily dose of antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions:This result suggests that schizophrenia is characterized by high serum BDNF levels and supports the hypothesis of neurotrophic factor involvement in psychotic disorder. Serum BDNF level is likely to be one of the possible biological markers for schizophrenia.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 2011

Purpose: Recently, many studies have demonstrated that application of external stimulation can modulate cortical excitability of the human brain. We attempted to observe cortical excitability using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) or functional electrical stimulation (FES). Methods: We recruited two healthy subjects without a history of neurological or psychiatric problems. fMRI scanning was done during? each constant anodal tDCS and FES session, and each session was repeated three times. The tDCS session consisted of three successive phases (resting phase: 60sec dummy cycle: 10sec tDCS phase: 60sec). The FES session involved stimulation of wrist extensor muscles over two successive phase (resting phase: 15sec FES phase: 15sec). Results: The average map of the tDCS and FES analyses showed that the primary sensory-motor cortex area was activated in all subjects. Conclusion: Our findings show that cortical activation can be induced by constant anodal tDCS and FES. They suggest that the above stimuli have the potential for facilitating brain plasticity and modulating neural excitability if applied as specific therapeutic interventions for brain injured patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.398-407
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence and brain wave activity for first-person perspective action observation (1AO) and third-person perspective action observation (3AO) of healthy subjects. Methods: Thirty healthy subjects participated in this study. EEG was simultaneously recorded during the Relax period, the 1AO, and the 3AO, with event-related desynchronization (ERD) and coherence connectivity process calculations for brain wave (alpha, beta and mu) rhythms in relation to the baseline. Results: Participants showed increased coherence in beta wave activity in the frontal and central areas (p<0.05), during the 1AO using right-hand activity. Conversely, the coherence of the alpha wave decreased statistically significantly decreased in the frontocentral and parieto-occipital networks during the observation of the 1AO and the 3AO. The ERD values were larger than 40% for both central regions but were slightly higher for the C4 central region. The high relative power of the alpha wave during 1AO and 3AO was statistically significantly decreased in the frontal, central, parietal, and occipital regions. However, the relative power of the beta wave during 1AO and 3AO was statistically significantly increased in the parietal and occipital regions. Especially during 1AO, the relative power of the beta wave in the C3 area was statistically significantly increased (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that 1AO and 3AO action observations are relevant to modifications of specific brain wave coherence and ERD values. EEG cortical activity during action observation may contribute to neural reorganization and to adaptive neuroplasticity in clinical intervention.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.185-204
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• 2005

This paper demonstrated how application of evolutionary knowledge to developmental perspectives enhances understanding of human ontogeny. Evolutionary Developmental Psychology (EDP) explains human behavior through evolutionary principles and focuses on ontogeny rather than phylogeny. In this paper, the authors review concepts of evolution, adaptations, and the processes of evolution from EDP perspectives. The definition and basic assumptions of EDP are introduced, followed by explanations of how evolution happens in ontogeny by looking at developmental systems approaches, concepts of ontogenetic and deferred adaptations, evolution of childhood, and brain plasticity. Possible pathways of evolution in ontogeny are also discussed. Finally, some research methodology for applying EDP to child development is suggested with specific hypotheses and studies.

• The Journal of Korea CHUNA Manual Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.97-109
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• 2002

Objectives : Electroacupuncture(EA) has been suggested as a treatment for stroke rehabilitation. But whether, how much, by what mechanism and when it is effective has not been answered satisfactorily. Therefore it is important to critically review clinical trials and laboratory researches about EA for stroke rehabilitation. Subjectives : We researched various recent sources of EA for stroke rehabilitation such as medical journals and especially tried to review methodologically best randomized controlled trials(RCTs). Results and Conclusions : 1) EA increases brain plasticity, activity, blood flow and secretion of neuropeptides in CNS. 2) EA is significantly effective at the case that more than half of the neural motor pathway is reserved. 3) The acupoints, frequncy and intensity of EA should be determined by patient-specific symptoms of stroke. 4) More studies is needed for merdian functions for stroke rehabilitation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2009

MicroRNAs control gene expression by inhibiting translation or promoting degradation of their target mRNAs. Since the discovery of the first microRNAs, lin-4 and let-7, in C. elegans, hundreds of microRNAs have been identified as key regulators of cell fate determination, lifespan, and cancer in species ranging from plants to humans. However, while microRNAs have been shown to be particularly abundant in the brain, their role in the development and activity of the nervous system is still largely unknown. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of microRNA function at synapses, the specialized structures required for communication between neurons and their targets. We also propose how these advances might inform the molecular model of memory.