• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.117-135
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• 2008

Objectives: It is known that the vestibular imbalance leads to vestibular symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, vertigo and postural disturbance. Since the non-labyrinthine inputs from the limbs and viscera converge on the vestibular nucleus neurons receiving signal from peripheral vestibular endorgan, acupuncture to the periphery may influence the activities of vestibular nuclear neurons and produce a therapeutic effect on the vestibulacr symptoms. The present study was to examine a modification and characteristics of the static and dynamic activities of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons following electroacupuncture (EA) of GB43' acupoint. Methods: In 54 Sprague-Dawley adult male rats weighing 250${\sim}$300g, spontaneous firing discharges and dynamic responses induced by sinusoidal whole body rotation about vertical axis at 0.2 Hz were observed in MVN of rats during EA of GB43' acupoint, located between the left 4th and 5th toe, which is the territory of sural and peroneal nerves, with 0.2 ms, 40 Hz and 600${\pm}$200 ${\mu}A$. Results: EA of the left GB43' acupoint induced modifications of spontaneous firing rates in 45% of MVN neurons recorded, and the percentage of modified neurons was 44% in type I, 52% in type II and 46% in non-type neurons. The excitatory or inhibitory responses of spontaneous firing discharges were predominant in the ipsilateral MVN neurons during EA. The excitatory response was abolished after EA but the inhibitory response was prolonged after EA in the ipsilateral MVN. The neurons of MVN showing modified spontaneous firing discharges by EA showed lower frequency (${\geq}$10 spikes/sec) of mean spontaneous firing rates than non affected ones. Conclusion: These results suggest that the neuronal activities of MVN neurons were influenced by EA of GB43' acupoint and the effects of EA may be related to the convergence of the peripheral vestibular inputs and ascending somatosensory inputs on MVN.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics B
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• v.31B no.9
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• pp.133-141
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• 1994

Conventional competitive learning algorithms compute the Euclidien distance to determine the winner neuron out of all predetermined output neurons. In such cases, there is a drawback that the performence of the learning algorithm depends on the initial reference(=weight) vectors. In this paper, we propose a new competitive learning algorithm that dynamically generates output neurons. The proposed method generates output neurons by dynamically changing the class thresholds for all output neurons. We compute the similarity between the input vector and the reference vector of each output neuron generated. If the two are similar, the reference vector is adjusted to make it still more like the input vector. Otherwise, the input vector is designated as the reference vector of a new outputneuron. Since the reference vectors of output neurons are dynamically assigned according to input pattern distribution, the proposed method gets around the phenomenon that learning is early determined due to redundant output neurons. Experiments using speech data have shown the proposed method to be superior to existint methods.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.384-384
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• 2000

In adaptive neuro-control, neural networks are used to approximate the unknown plant nonlinearities. Until now, most of the papers in the field of controller design fur nonlinear system using neural networks considers the affine system with fixed number of neurons. This paper considers nonaffne nonlinear systems and dynamic variation of the number of neurons. Control laws and adaptive laws for weights are established so that the whole system is stable in the sense of Lyapunov.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.587-599
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• 2002

Extracellular single unit recordings were made from the ventral posteromedial thalamic (VPM) nociceptive neurons to determine mechanoreceptive field (RF) and response properties. A total of 44 VPM thalamic nociceptive neurons were isolated from rats anesthetized with urethane-chloralose. Based on responses to various mechanical stimuli including touch, pressure and pinch applied to the RF, 32 of 44 neurons were classified as nociceptive specific (NS) neuron. The other 12 neurons, classified as wide dynamic range (WDR), showed a graded response to increasingly intense stimuli, with a maximum discharge to noxious pinch. The VPM nociceptive neurons showed various spontaneous activity ranged from 0-6 Hz. They were located throughout the VPM, and had an contralateral RF including mainly intraoral (and perioral) regions. The RF size was relatively small, and very few neurons had a receptive field involving 3 trigeminal divisions. The NS neurons activated only by pressure and pinch stimuli had high mechanical thresholds compared to WDR neurons activated also by touch stimuli. The VPM nociceptive neurons were tested with suprathershold graded mechanical stimuli. Most of 21 NS and 8 WDR neurons showed a progressive increase in number of spikes as mechanical stimulus intensity was increased. In some neurons, the responses reached a peak before the highest intensity was given. Application of 5 mM $CoCl_2{\;}(10{\;}{\mu}\ell)$ solution to the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis did not produce any significant changes in the spontaneous activity, RF size, mechanical threshold, and response to suprathreshold mechanical stimuli of 9 VPM nociceptive neurons tested. 17 of 33 VPM nociceptive neurons responded to noxious heat as well as noxious mechanical stimuli applied to their RF. Application of the mustard oil, a small-fiber excitant and inflammatory irritant, to the right maxillary first molar tooth pulp induced an immediate but short-lasting neuronal discharges upto approximately 4 min in 16 of 42 VPM nociceptive neurons. These results suggest that VPM thalamic nucleus may contribute to the sensory discriminative aspect of orofacial nociception.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.614-622
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• 1999

Recent studies have implicated that more rostral components of the trigeminal spinal nucleus including subnucleus oralis (Vo) in orofacial nociceptive mechanisms. Since there is only limited electrophysiological evidence, the present study was initiated to characterize the receptive field and response properties of malls nociceptive neurons in chloralose/urethan-anesthetized rats. Single neuronal activity was recorded in right subnucleus oralis, and types of nociceptive neurons classified wide dynamic range (WDR), NS (nociceptive specific) and deep nociceptive (D) and the mechanoreceptive field (RF) and response properties were determined. A total of 34 nociceptive neurons could be subdivided into 17WDR neurons, 12NS neurons and 5D neurons. Vo nociceptive neurons had RF involving maxillary and/or mandibular divisions mainly located in the intraoral and/or perioral regions. Majority of Vo nociceptive neurons showed spontaneous activity less than 1Hz. The NS and D neurons activated only by heavy pressure and/or pinch stimuli had high mechanical thresholds compared to WDR neurons activated also by tactile stimuli. Vo nociceptive neurons showed a progressive increase of response to the graded mechanical stimuli. 39% of Vo nociceptive neurons received C-fiber electrical input as well as A-fiber electrical input from their RF, and 45% of them responded to electrical stimulation of the right maxillary first molar. 41% of Vo nociceptive neurons responded to noxious heat applied to their RF, and 18% of them showed an immediate burst of discharges following MO application to the right maxillary first molar pulp. These results indicate that Vo is involved in the transmission of nociceptive information mainly coming from intraoral or perioral region including tooth pulp.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers A
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.253-258
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• 2000

This paper presents an application of Kohonen neural networks to assess the dynamic security of power systems. The dynamic security assessment(DSA) is an important factor in power system operation, but conventional techniques have not achieved the desired speed and accuracy. The critical clearing time(CCT) is an attribute which provides significant information about the quality of the post-fault system behaviour. The function of Kohonen networks is a mapping of the pre-fault system conditions into the neurons based on the CCTs. The power flow on each line is used as the input data, and an activated output neuron has information of the CCT of each contingency. The trajectory of the activated neurons during load changes can be used in on-line DSA efficiently. The applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated using a 9-bus example.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 1994

The present study was carried out to characterize the functional properties of spinomesencephalic tract (SMT) neurons in the lumbar spinal cord of urethane anesthetized rats. Extracellular single unit recordings were made from neurons antidromically activated by stimulation of the midbrain area, including the deep layers of superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray and midbrain reticular formation. Recording sites were located in laminae I-VII of spinal cord segments of L2-L5. Receptive field properties and responses to calibrated mechanical stimulation were studied in 78 SMT cells. Mean conduction velocity of SMT neurons was $19.1{\pm}1.04\;m/sec$. SMT units were classified according to their response profiles into four groups: wide dynamic range (58%), deep/tap (23%), high threshold (9%) and low threshold (3%). A simple excitatory receptive field was found for most SMT neurons recorded in superficial dorsal horn (SDH). Large complex inhibitory and/or excitatory receptive fields were found for cells in lateral reticulated area which usually showed long after-discharge. Most of SMT cells received inputs from $A{\delta}$ and C afferent fiber types. These results suggest that sensory neurons in the rat SMT may have different functional roles according to their location in the spinal cord in integrating and processing sensory inputs including noxious mechanical stimuli.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 1993

Electrical or chemical stimulation of many areas in the brainstem modulates activity of dorsal horn neurons (DHN). This is known to be mediated by a population of bulbospinal neurons. Yet, little is known about responses of DHNs to stimulation of the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM). Thus, the purpose of the present study is to see if there is any change in activity of DHNs when CVLM is stimulated electrically. Thirty-one DHNs were recorded from dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Fourteen DHNs (45%) were classified as wide dynamic range neurons and 9 (19%) were high threshold cells, and 4 (13%) and 4 (13%) were deep and low threshold neurons, respectively. Among 31 neurons tested for responses to stimulation of CVLM, 21 DHNs (68%) were inhibited by the electrical stimulation of CVLM ($200{\mu}A,\;100{\mu}s$ duration, 100 Hz), and 9 cells (39%) did not show any change in neuronal activity. One neuron was excited by the stimulation. The electrical stimulation of CVLM not only inhibited spontaneous activity of DHNs but also inhibited evoked responses of DHNs to somatic stimulation in the receptive field. These data suggest that CVLM is one of the pain-modulatory areas that control transmission of ascending information of noxious input to the brain from the spinal cord.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.165-181
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• 2024

The slow and regular pacemaking activity of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons requires proper spatial organization of the excitable elements between the soma and dendritic compartments, but the somatodendritic organization is not clear. Here, we show that the dynamic interaction between the soma and multiple proximal dendritic compartments (PDCs) generates the slow pacemaking activity in DA neurons. In multipolar DA neurons, spontaneous action potentials (sAPs) consistently originate from the axon-bearing dendrite. However, when the axon initial segment was disabled, sAPs emerge randomly from various primary PDCs, indicating that multiple PDCs drive pacemaking. Ca²⁺ measurements and local stimulation/perturbation experiments suggest that the soma serves as a stably-oscillating inertial compartment, while multiple PDCs exhibit stochastic fluctuations and high excitability. Despite the stochastic and excitable nature of PDCs, their activities are balanced by the large centrally-connected inertial soma, resulting in the slow synchronized pacemaking rhythm. Furthermore, our electrophysiological experiments indicate that the soma and PDCs, with distinct characteristics, play different roles in glutamate-induced burst-pause firing patterns. Excitable PDCs mediate excitatory burst responses to glutamate, while the large inertial soma determines inhibitory pause responses to glutamate. Therefore, we could conclude that this somatodendritic organization serves as a common foundation for both pacemaker activity and evoked firing patterns in midbrain DA neurons.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.27-42
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• 2009

Objectives : The vestibular system detects head movement and serve to regulate and maintain the equilibrium and orientation of the body. It is known that the vestibular imbalance leads to vestibular symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, vertigo and postural disturbance. The objectives of the present study were to examine a modification of the dynamic activities of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons following electroacupuncture (EA) of GB43 (Hyepgye). Methods : In Sprague-Dawley rats weighing $250{\sim}300g$, dynamic responses induced by sinusoidal whole body rotation about vertical axis at 0.2 Hz were observed in MVN of rats during EA of GB43 (Hyepgye) with 0.2 ms, 40 Hz and $600{\pm}200{\mu}A$. Also, expression of cFos protein was observed 2 hours after EA for 30 mins. Results : In dynamic response of vestibular neuron, the excitatory or inhibitory responses of gain were predominant in the ipsilateral MVN neurons during EA but not predominant in the contralateral MVN. Most neurons showing decreased gain were classified to inhibitory responses of spontaneous firing discharge during EA and ones showing increased gain were classified to excitatory response of spontaneous firing discharge during EA. Also, EA of the left GB43 (Hyepgye) for 30 mins produced the expression of cFos protein in MVN, inferior olive (IO) and solitary tract nuclei (SOL). Spatial expressions of cFos protein were predominant in the contralateral MVN, ipsilateral IO and bilateral SOL. Conclusion : These results suggest that the excitability of MVN neurons was influenced by EA of GB43 (Hyepgye) and EA may be related to the convergence on MVN.