• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.51-58
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• 2022

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between executive function and gait evaluations for the elderly, and validate the obstacle gait evaluation as a cognitive impairment test tool. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional design. 79 people aged 65 years or older were selected as subjects. The Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC) to evaluate overall cognitive function and the Trail Making Test (TMT) A, B to measure executive function were performed. The 4-meter walking speed test and the walking speed test while crossing over an obstacle were carried out to evaluate gait. The Spearman's correlation was used to measure the correlation between cognition and gait speed. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between the 4 m gait speed and executive function( TMT-A (p = .056), TMT-B (p = .115)). However, there was a significant correlation between the 4 m gait speed and MMSE-KC (r = .277, p < .05). There was also a significant correlation between walking speed while crossing over an obstacle and all tests (MMSE-KC (r = .382, p < .01). TMT-A (r = -.327, p < .01), TMT-B (r = -.283, p < .05)). CONCLUSION: It was found that the gait speed while crossing over an obstacle was correlated with all cognitive function tests. Therefore, we suggest the use of the gait speed test while crossing over an obstacle rather than the simple gait test to diagnose cognitive decline.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a cognitive training program on neurocognitive task performance and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients who had a stroke. Methods: The research design for this study was a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. Patients were assigned to the experimental (n=21) or control group (n=21). The experimental group received a 4-week cognitive training program and usual care (i.e., rehabilitation service), while the control was received usual care only. Cognitive function was measured with a standardized neurocognitive test battery and ADL was assessed at baseline and one and two months after completion of the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine changes in cognitive function and ADL over 2 months. Results: The interaction of group and time was significant indicating that the experimental group showed improvement in attention, visuospatial function, verbal memory, and executive function compared to the control group which had a sustained or gradual decrease in test performance. A significant group by time interaction in instrumental ADL was also found between the experimental group with gradual improvement and the control group showing no noticeable change. Conclusion: Findings show that the cognitive training program developed in this study is beneficial in restoring cognitive function and improving ADL in patients following a stroke. Further study is needed to investigate the long-term relationship between cognitive training participation and cognitive improvement and effective functioning in daily living.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.27 no.4A
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• pp.310-315
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• 2002

The Bark Coherence Function (BCF) defies a coherence function within perceptual domain as a new cognition module, robust to linear distortions due to the analog interface of digital mobile system. Our previous experiments have shown the superiority of BCF over current measures. In this paper, a new BCF suitable for VoIP is developed. The unproved BCF is based on the wavelet series expansion that provides good frequency resolution while keeping good time locality. The proposed Wavelet based Bark Coherence function (WBCF) is robust to variable delay often observed in packet-based telephony such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). We also show that the refinement of time synchronization after signal decomposition can improve the performance of the WBCF. The regression analysis was performed with VoIP speech data. The correlation coefficients and the standard error of estimates computed using the WBCF showed noticeable improvement over the Perceptual Speech Quality Measure (PSQM) that is recommended by ITU-T.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 2020

Purpose : The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the Computer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Program (CoTras) on the cognitive function and daily living activities of elderly and adult stroke patients. Methods : Twenty stroke patients were divided into two groups comprising 10 elderly stroke patients and 10 adult stroke patients. The CoTras was applied as the intervention for 30 minutes at a time, three times a week, for nine weeks (i.e., a total of 27 times), to both groups. The Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination was used to assess cognitive function, and the Functional Independence Measure was utilized to evaluate daily living activities, prior to, during, and after the intervention. Results : The CoTras was demonstrated to have a statistically significant and positive effect on the cognitive function and daily living activities of stroke patients. However, the effect of the program on the restoration of weight-shifting capacity, as a component of the daily living activities of stroke patients, was without statistical significance. The program had a greater influence on improving the cognitive function and daily living activities of elderly stroke patients than adult stroke patients. Conclusion : This study makes a meaningful contribution to the literature on the topic as the intervention was demonstrated to lead to a more significant recovery of cognitive function and daily living activities in elderly stroke patients, compared to adult patients. Therefore, it is proposed that the CoTras should be used as a clinical intervention for elderly stroke patients. Future studies that evaluate the application of the CoTras, along with other occupation-based intervention programs, are warranted.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.162-168
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• 2007

Objectives : This prospective population-based cohort study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of cognitive impairment and the degree of cognitive function change through a 5-year follow-up. Methods : The baseline and follow-up surveys were conducted in 1998 and 2003, respectively, Among 176 subjects who had normal cognitive function in the baseline study, 136 were followed up for 5 years. The cognitive function was investigated using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Stata. Results : Of the 136 subjects analyzed, 25 (18.4%) were cognitively impaired. Old age and low social support in the baseline survey were risk factors for cognitive impairment after 5 years. In the generalized estimating equation for 128 subjects except severe cognitive impairment about the contributing factors of cognitive function change, the interval of 5 years decreased MMSE-K score by 1.02 and the cognitive function was adversely affected with increasing age, decreasing education and decreasing social support. Conclusions : Although the study population was small, it was considered that the study results can be used to develop a community-based prevention system for cognitive impairment.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the differences in the reciprocal causal relationship between cognitive function and depressive symptoms depending on whether older adults lived with others or alone. Methods: We used panel data retrieved from the sixth (Time 1) and seventh (Time 2) waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). The study sample included 2,638 older adults living with others and 628 older adults living alone. We conducted cross-lagged panel analyses (CLPA) to identify the bidirectional causal relationship between cognitive function and depressive symptoms in the groups of older adults living with others and those living alone. Results: In the group of older adults living with others, cognitive function and depressive symptoms showed significant reciprocal relationships. In the group of older adults living alone, although the CLPA confirmed that higher levels of depressive symptoms at Time 1 influenced lower levels of cognitive function at Time 2, cognitive function at Time 1 was not associated with depressive symptoms at Time 2. Conclusion: The results suggest that the strategies for preventing cognitive decline and depressive symptoms should be developed according to whether the older adults live alone. Moreover, further studies should identify factors influencing depressive symptoms among older adults living alone, which will ultimately enable the management of depressive symptoms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.106-113
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• 2022

Objectives: Previous studies have found that the oral health of seniors can affect their physical nutrition and quality of life (QoL). Additionally, poor oral health can lead to the development of dementia, which is associated with decreased cognitive function. This study aimed to examine the impact of geriatric oral health (GOH) on the QoL of Korean seniors and the mediating effects of cognitive function. Methods: We used data from the seventh Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging conducted in 2018. In total, 4049 seniors were included in our study. We analyzed the impact of GOH on QoL according to 5 mediating domains of cognitive function and control variables. To examine each path of mediating effects, bootstrapping with 5000 iterations was performed with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Our findings revealed that good GOH had a positive effect on the QoL of seniors. Also, better GOH corresponded to a higher degree of cognitive function within all 5 domains: orientation, memory registration, attention/calculation, memory recall, and language and visuospatial ability. In addition, 3 domains of the 5 domains (attention/calculation, memory recall, and language and visuospatial ability) had significant mediating effects on the relationship between GOH and QoL. Conclusions: This study suggests that adequate management of GOH is crucial for promoting a better QoL and a high degree of cognitive function among seniors. To prevent cognitive impairment, such as dementia, future studies should take a more targeted approach by examining data according to each cognitive domain and various socio-demographic factors.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.419-434
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• 2013

Objectives: The object of this study is to observe the cognition and motor function recovery effects of Joojakwhan (JJW), a traditional Korean poly-herbal formula for treating various neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia, for the mildly stroke rats, with 60 minutes of reperfusion transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Methods: In the present study, 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg of JJW were orally administered, once per day for 10 continuous days 2 hours after the tMCAO. The body weight changes, infarct sizes under 2% 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) stain, sensorimotor functions and cognitive motor behavior tests were serially monitored with cerebral caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-immunoreactivities and histopathological changes. The effects of tMCAO on sensorimotor functions were evaluated by using of limb placing and body-swing tests, and the cognitive motor behaviors were also observed with water maze tests. Results: From the results of tMCAO, with marked decreases of body weights, disorders of sensorimotor functions increases the limb placing test scores, and decrease the numbers and percentages of body swings to the ipsilateral sides. The cognitive motor behaviors increases the distances and time to reach the escape platform which included the inhibitions of the decreases with repeated trials that were observed with focal cerebral cortex infarct volumes. In addition, the marked increases of the atrophy, numbers of degeneration, caspase-3- and PARP-immunoreactive cells around peri-infarct ipsilateral cerebral cortex were also observed in tMCAO controls when compared with the sham control rats, respectively. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study suggest that oral administrations of JJW indicate obvious cognitions and motor function recoveries of the rats with tMCAO, mild strokes, which are mediated by neuro-protective effects through known antioxidant effects of components.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.41-54
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• 2017

Physical activity has positive effects on cognitive functions by aging. However, it is rare to find research that have scientifically investigated the effects on the affective-cognitive function. Thus, this study aims to brain-scientifically research its effects of physical activity on the affective-cognitive function of adults in adolescence and senescence. As subjects of this study, a total of 60 males adults in D region were selected, and then equally divided into four groups of young exercise group(25~35y/o), young non-exercise group(26~35y/o), old exercise group(60~70y/o), and old non-exercise group(60~70y/o). As experiment tools, the EEG measuring equipment and International Affective Picture System(IAPS) were used. The experiment of this study used an affective-cognitive task where subjects pressed a button depending on emotional valence(positive, neutral, negative) shown in the pictures. During the task, EEG measured eight areas(Fp1, Fp2, Fz, C3, C4, Cz, T3, T4) out of brain areas in accordance with the international 10-20 electrode system, EEG was measured. For statistical analysis, a three-way ANOVA on $4(group){\times}3(stimulus){\times}8(area)$ was conducted. The results showed main effects of group in both reaction time and accuracy, and also in the latency of P3. And there was an interaction between group and stimulus the amplitude of P3. In conclusion, Physical activity has positive effects on the affective-cognitive function of people in adolescence and senescence.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.520-530
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the effects of music therapy on cognitive function, agitation, anxiety and depression in the elderly with dementia. Method: A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google scholar and PsycINFO, for the period 2010 to 2019. In the meta-analysis, the standardized mean difference (Hedges' g) and 95% confidence interval were calculated as summary measure, and the random effect model and inverse variance method were applied using the RevMan 5.4 program. A total of 13 studies were included; all were determined to be acceptable, based on the Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Results: The effect size (Hedges' g) was 0.31 (95% CI: -0.02, 0.65) for cognition and -0.03 (95% CI: -0.17, 0.11) for agitation behavior as the primary outcomes, and 0.61 (95% CI: -1.17, -0.05) for anxiety and -0.44(95% CI: -0.88, 0.00) for depression as the secondary outcomes. Subgroup analysis by type of music intervention revealed that combined music therapy has a significantly increasing beneficial effect on cognition of dementia patients (g=0.45[95% CI: 0.03, 0.87]). Conclusion: Music therapy was determined to exert beneficial effects in reducing anxiety and depression, and combined music therapy demonstrated improved cognitive functions in elderly patients with dementia.