• Title/Summary/Keyword: Fear conditioning

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Effect of Saenggitang on Learning and Memory Ability in Mice

  • Han Yun-Jeong;Chang Gyu-Tae;Kim Jang-Hyun
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.51-60
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    • 2004
  • Objective : The effect Saenggitang (GT), which has been used for amnesia, in Oriental Medicine, on memory and learning ability, was investigated. Methods : Hot water extracts (HWE) of SGT were used for the studies. In passive avoidance performances (step through test), active avoidance performances (lever press test), Motor activity, pentobarbital-induced sleep, 20 and 50 mg/100g of SGT-HWE ameliorated the memory retrieval deficit induced by 40% ethanol. Results : The SGT-HWE did not affect the ambulatory activity of normal mice in normal condition. 20 and 50 mg/100g of SGT-HWE enhanced contextual fear memory, but not cued fear memory in a fear conditioning task, which requires the activation of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartase) receptor. SGT-HWE did not affect the motor activity measured by the titling type ambulometer test performed immediately and 24 hr after the administration. SGT-HWE prolonged the sleeping time induced by 50 mg/kg pentobarbital in mice and decreased SMA (spontaneous motor activity) in active avoidance performances (lever press test). Conclusion : These results indicate that the SGT-HWE have an improving effect on the memory retrieval disability induced by ethanol and may act as a stimulating factor for activating the NMDA receptor. and the SGT-HWE has a tranquilizing and anti-anxiety action.

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Cypress Essential Oil Improves Scopolamine-induced Learning and Memory Deficit in C57BL/6 mice (사이프러스 에센셜 오일의 흡입이 전임상 실험동물의 손상된 학습능력과 기억력에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Gil-Yong;Lee, Chan;Baek, Jeong-In;Bae, Keunyoung;Park, Chan-Ik;Jang, Jung-Hee
    • The Korea Journal of Herbology
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    • v.35 no.5
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    • pp.33-39
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    • 2020
  • Objectives : Increasing evidence supports the biological and pharmacological activities of essential oils on the central nervous system such as pain, anxiety, attention, arousal, relaxation, sedation and learning and memory. The purpose of present work is to investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanism of cypress essential oil (CEO) against scopolamine (SCO)-induced cognitive impairments in C57BL/6 mice. Methods : A series of behavior tests such as Morris water maze, passive avoidance, and fear conditioning tests were conducted to monitor learning and memory functions. Immunoblotting and RT-PCR were also performed in the hippocampal tissue to determine the underlying mechanism of CEO. Results : SCO induced cognitive impairments as assessed by decreased step-through latency in passive avoidance test, relatively low freezing time in fear conditioning test, and increased time spent to find the hidden platform in Morris water maze test. Conversely, CEO inhalation significantly reversed the SCO-induced cognitive impairments in C57BL/6 mice comparable to control levels. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of memory enhancing effect of CEO we have examined the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. CEO effectively elevated the protein as well as mRNA expression of BDNF via activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Conclusions : Our findings suggest that CEO inhalation effectively restored the SCO-impaired cognitive functions in C56BL/6 mice. This learning and memory enhancing effect of CEO was partly mediated by up-regulation of BDNF via activation of CREB.

Tetramethylpyrazine reverses anxiety-like behaviors in a rat model of post-traumatic stress disorder

  • Lee, Bombi;Shim, Insop;Lee, Hyejung;Hahm, Dae-Hyun
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.22 no.5
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    • pp.525-538
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    • 2018
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma-induced psychiatric disorder characterized by impaired fear extermination, hyperarousal, and anxiety that may involve the release of monoamines in the fear circuit. The reported pharmacological properties of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) include anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic, and neuropsychiatric activities. However, the anxiolytic-like effects of TMP and its mechanism of action in PTSD are unclear. This study measured several anxiety-related behavioral responses to examine the effects of TMP on symptoms of anxiety in rats after single prolonged stress (SPS) exposure by reversing the serotonin (5-HT) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. Rats were given TMP (10, 20, or 40 mg/kg, i.p.) for 14 days after SPS exposure. Administration of TMP significantly reduced grooming behavior, increased the time spent and number of visits to the open arm in the elevated plus maze test, and significantly increased the number of central zone crossings in the open field test. TMP administration significantly reduced the freezing response to contextual fear conditioning and significantly restored the neurochemical abnormalities and the SPS-induced decrease in 5-HT tissue levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. The increased 5-HT concentration during TMP treatment might be partially attribute to the tryptophan and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid mRNA level expression in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD. These findings support a role for reducing the altered serotonergic transmission in rats with PTSD. TMP simultaneously attenuated the HPA axis dysfunction. Therefore, TMP may be useful for developing an agent for treating psychiatric disorders, such those observed in patients with PTSD.

Korean Red Ginseng prevents posttraumatic stress disorder-triggered depression-like behaviors in rats via activation of the serotonergic system

  • Lee, Bombi;Sur, Bongjun;Lee, Hyejung;Oh, Seikwan
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.44 no.4
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    • pp.644-654
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    • 2020
  • Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental disorder induced by traumatic stress and often accompanied by depression and/or anxiety, may involve an imbalance in the neurotransmitters associated with the fear response. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has long been used as a traditional medicine and is known to be involved in a variety of pharmacological activities. We used the open field test and forced swimming test to examine the effects of KRG on the depression-like response of rats after exposure to single prolonged stress (SPS), leading to activation of the serotonergic system. Methods: Male rats received KRG (30, 50, and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) once daily for 14 days after exposure to SPS. Results: Daily KRG administration significantly improved depression-like behaviors in the forced swimming test, increased the number of lines crossed and time spent in the central zone in the open field test, and decreased freezing behavior in contextual and cued fear conditioning. KRG treatment attenuated SPS-induced decreases in serotonin (5-HT) tissue concentrations in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. The increased 5-HT concentration during KRG treatment may be partially attributable to the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid/5-HT ratio in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD. These effects may be caused by the activation of hippocampal genes encoding tryptophan hydroxylase-1 and 2 mRNA levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that KRG has an antidepressant effect in rats subjected to SPS and may represent an effective use of traditional medicine for the treatment of PTSD.

Gene repressive mechanisms in the mouse brain involved in memory formation

  • Yu, Nam-Kyung;Kaang, Bong-Kiun
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.49 no.4
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    • pp.199-200
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    • 2016
  • Gene regulation in the brain is essential for long-term plasticity and memory formation. Despite this established notion, the quantitative translational map in the brain during memory formation has not been reported. To systematically probe the changes in protein synthesis during memory formation, our recent study exploited ribosome profiling using the mouse hippocampal tissues at multiple time points after a learning event. Analysis of the resulting database revealed novel types of gene regulation after learning. First, the translation of a group of genes was rapidly suppressed without change in mRNA levels. At later time points, the expression of another group of genes was downregulated through reduction in mRNA levels. This reduction was predicted to be downstream of inhibition of ESR1 (Estrogen Receptor 1) signaling. Overexpressing Nrsn1, one of the genes whose translation was suppressed, or activating ESR1 by injecting an agonist interfered with memory formation, suggesting the functional importance of these findings. Moreover, the translation of genes encoding the translational machineries was found to be suppressed, among other genes in the mouse hippocampus. Together, this unbiased approach has revealed previously unidentified characteristics of gene regulation in the brain and highlighted the importance of repressive controls.

The Experience of Nursing Staff on the Dementia Patients′ Aggressive Behavior (간호제공자들의 치매노인 공격행동 경험에 대한 연구)

  • 오진주
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.293-306
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    • 2000
  • Providing care to the dementia elderly with behavioral problem is a major issue in nursing homes today. This study was aimed to explore the nursing staffs′ response to aggressive dementia patients, and the effect that the aggressive behavior had on Nsgstaff. The interviews used a semi-structured questionnaire are were carried out from May to July, 1999. The subjects were 23 nursing personnel working in the nursing homes for dementia elderly. The result are as follows; 1. The types of aggressive behavior cited by the subjects was "physical", "linguistic", and "sexual". 2. The factors that caused the behavior were "symptoms of disease", "under- conditioning", "context of nursing care", "unsatisfied need", "relationship to other patients", "change of outer environment", and "invasion of one′s own privacy". 3. The response of the subjects were "unhappiness", "stress", "anger", "exaggeration", "anxiety", and "fear". 4. The management strategies listed by nursing personnel used to alleviate aggressive behavior were "ignorance" "patience" "leaving the area" "soothing sounds" "verbal punishment" "restriction and isolation" and "various management skill appliance" "adaptation". 5. The effect that aggressive behavior and were "disturbance of relationship to elderly" "decline in the amount and quality of nursing care" "interruption of task performance" "job exhaustion" "desire to leave the job" "physical impact" "stress on the cognition of others" "anxiety about health and one own future" "interference to family life′. The findings of this study will be useful in understanding the difficulties of nursing personnel when confronting the aggressive behavior of dementia partients. It also is useful as basic data in preparing efficient intervention program for these difficulties.

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A Study of Dance Movement Training on the Wellness of young Women (율동적 동작 훈련이 젊은 여성의 Wellness에 미치는 영향)

  • ;Lou Heber
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.538-548
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    • 1995
  • Exercises are achievement oriented, the process is frequently perceived as hard and difficult Participants drop out from exercise programs in the middle of the training period. Dance movement, which is the deliberate and systematic use of movement, is enjoyable during the movement and provides opportunities for persons to express them-selves. Regular long term dance movement may in-duce a training effect with a decreased drop out rate. Dance movement could be one way to attain wellness, however, there have been few studies to evaluate both physiological and psychological aspects of dance movement. This study focused on evaluating the effects of dance movement training on body weight, resting blood pressure and heart rate, limb circumference and strength, stress response and subjective feelings. This quasi-experimental study was designed as a nonequivalent control group pre test -post test study. Ten healthy fe-male subjects, aged between 19 and 31 years volunteered for an eight week dance movement program. Ten healthy female subjects, between 19 and 21 years of age paticipated as controls. None of the subjects had performed regular physical activity for six months prior to the study. Dance movement was created with reference to Heber's movement guide. The Dance movement program consisted of approximately 30 minutes of dance, three days per week, for eight weeks. During each 30 minute work out, there were approximately 5 minutes of warm-up dancing, 20 minutes of conditioning dance and 5 minutes of cool-down dancing. The intensity for the conditioning phase was at between 60% and 65% of age-adjusted maximum heart rates. Body weight, resting blood pressure and heart rate, circumference of mid upper arm, mid thigh and mid calf, muscle strength of upper and lower limb, physical and psychological response to stress were measured prior to, and following the experimental treatment. Body weight was measured by digital weight scale(Kyung In Corp., Korea). Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured by sphygmomanometer, Resting heart rate was measured for one minute in a relaxed sitting position using the radial artery. Circumference of mid upper arm, mid thigh and mid calf was determined by tape measure. Muscle strength of the upper extremities was measured by a grip dynamometer (Takei Corp. No.1857, Japan) and that of the extremities was measured by the length of time the leg could be held at 45° Physical and psychological responses to stress were measured using the Symptoms of Stress (SOS)Scale. Paticipants in the dance movement were interviewed by the facilitator following the eight weeks, and their thematic responses about the dance movement were recorded. Following the eight week dance movement train-ing, body weight decreased significantly, circumference of mid thigh and mid calf increased. The length of time leg - raising could be held tended to increase following the dance movement training. Resting systolic and resting heart rate showed a tendency to decrease. Total mean score of stress response tended to de-crease, and mean score of habitual patterns, do-pression, anxiety / fear, anger and cognitive disorganization decreased remarkably following the eight week dance movement. Thematic responses about the dance movement were positive following the training.

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Effect of Xingyo-tang on Learning and Memory Performances in Mice

  • Kim, Ki-Bong;Chang, Gyu-Tae;Kim, Jang-Hyun
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.254-261
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    • 2005
  • The effects on memory and learning ability of the Korean herbal medicine, Xingyo-tang(XGT, 神交湯), which consists of Ginseng Radix(人蔘) 4 g, Liriopis Tuber(麥門冬) 40 g, Morindae Officinalis Radix(巴戟天) 40 g, Biotae Semen(柏子仁) 20 g, Dioscoreae Rhizoma(山藥) 40 g, Euryales Semen(?實) 20 g, Scrophulariae Radix(玄蔘) 40 g, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix(丹蔘) 12 g, Poria(茯神) 12 g, Cuscutae Semen(免絲子) 40 g, was investigated. The effects of XGT on learning and memory performance were examined in normal or memory impaired mice by using avoidance tests, Pentobarbital -induced sleep test, fear conditioning task, novel object recognition task, and water maze task. Hot water extract from XGT was used for the studies. Learning ability and memory are based on modifications of synaptic strength among neurons that are simultaneously active. Enhanced synaptic coincidence detection leads to better learning and memory. The XGT-treated (30 mg/100 g and 60 mg/100 g, p.o.) mice exhibit superior ability in learning and memorizing when performing various behavioral tasks. XGT did not affect the passive avoidance responses of normal mice in the step through and step down tests, the conditioned and unconditioned avoidance responses of normal mice in the shuttle box, lever press performance tests, and the ambulatory activity of normal mice in normal condition. In contrast, XGT produced ameliorating effects on the memory retrieval impairment induced by ethanol. XGT also improved the memory consolidation disability induced by electric convulsive shock (ECS). XGT extended the sleeping time induced by pentobarbital dose-dependently, suggesting its transquilizing or antianxiety action. These results suggest that XGT has an improving effect on the impaired learning through the effects on memory registration and retrieval.

Noise Phobia-Induced Relative Polycythemia in a Dog (개에서 소리공포증에 의해 발생한 상대적 적혈구증가증 증례)

  • Kang, Min-Hee;Park, Hee-Myung
    • Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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    • v.29 no.6
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    • pp.494-497
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    • 2012
  • A 6-year-old castrated male Miniature Pinscher dog was referred due to shaking, panting and inappropriate elimination during thunderstorms. The dog had noise phobia after a car accident two years ago. The intensity of the fear of noise, especially with thunderstorms, worsened during the past 3 months (thunderstorm season). Physical examination revealed hyperthermia, tachypnea (panting), mild tachycardia, and an elevated systolic blood pressure. Laboratory examination revealed mild polycythemia with a lower oxygen pressure and saturation. Based on the history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, the dog was diagnosed as a noise phobia concurrent with relative polycythemia. Treatment was initiated with behavior modification with desensitization, counter-conditioning, and medication. Music therapy was also used and appeared to be beneficial. Clinical signs including polycythemia are improved. This case indicates that relative polycythemia can be occurred by chronic mental stress, such as noise phobia in a dog.

Therapeutic Potential of Jeongjihwan for the Prevention and Treatment of Amnesia (정지환(定志丸)의 기억 및 인지기능 향상에 대한 효능 연구)

  • Jung, Tae-Young;Jeong, Won-Choon;Park, Jong-Hyun
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.37-47
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    • 2011
  • This study was aimed to investigate the memory enhancing effect of Jeongjihwan against scopolamine-induced amnesia in C57BL/6 mice. To determine the effect of Jeongjihwan on the memory and cognitive function, we have injected scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) into C57BL/6 mice 30 min before beginning of behavior tests. We have conducted Y-maze, Morris water-maze, passive avoidance and fear conditioning tests to compare learning and memory functions. Scopolamine-induced behavior changes of memory impairment were significantly restored by oral administration of Jeongjihwan (100 or 200 mg/kg/day). To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the memory enhancing effect of Jeongjihwan, we have examined the antioxidant defense system and neurotrophic factors. Jeongjihwan treatment attenuated intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species and up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of antioxidant enzymes as assessed by RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Jeongjihwan also increased protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) compared with those in the scopolamine-treated group. Furthermore, as an upstream regulator, the activation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) via phosphorylation was assessed by Western blot analysis. Jeongjihwan elevated the phosphorylation of CREB (p-CREB), which seemed to be mediated partly by extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B/Akt. These findings suggest that Jeongjihwan may have preventive and therapeutic potential in the management of amnesia.