• 생물정신의학
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.38-43
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• 2018

Objectives Dopamine dysregulation has been regarded as one of the core pathologies in patients with schizophrenia. Since dopamine synthesis capacity has found to be inconsistent in patients with schizophrenia, current classification of patients based on clinical symptoms cannot reflect the neurochemical heterogeneity of the disease. Here we performed new subtyping of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) through biotype-based cluster analysis. We specifically suggested basal ganglia structural changes as a biotype, which deeply involves in the dopaminergic circuit. Methods Forty FEP and 40 demographically matched healthy participants underwent 3T T1 MRI. Whole brain parcellation was conducted, and volumes of total 6 regions of basal ganglia have been extracted as features for cluster analysis. We used K-means clustering, and external validation was conducted with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results K-means clustering divided 40 FEP subjects into 2 clusters. Cluster 1 (n = 25) showed substantial volume decrease in 4 regions of basal ganglia compared to Cluster 2 (n = 15). Cluster 1 showed higher positive scales of PANSS compared with Cluster 2 (F = 2.333, p = 0.025). Compared to healthy controls, Cluster 1 showed smaller volumes in 4 regions, whereas Cluster 2 showed larger volumes in 3 regions. Conclusions Two subgroups have been found by cluster analysis, which showed a distinct difference in volume patterns of basal ganglia structures and positive symptom severity. The result possibly reflects the neurobiological heterogeneity of schizophrenia. Thus, the current study supports the importance of paradigm shift toward biotype-based diagnosis, instead of phenotype, for future precision psychiatry.

• 대한조현병학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-22
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• 2017

Objectives : It has been shown that early intervention is crucial for favorable outcome in patients with schizophrenia. However, development of biomarkers for predicting prognosis of psychotic disorder still requires more research. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether baseline mismatch negativity (MMN) predict prognosis in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). Methods : Twenty-four patients with FEP and matched healthy controls (HCs) were examined with MMN at baseline, and their clinical status were re-assessed after 1 year. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed to compare baseline MMN between the two groups. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors predicting prognosis in FEP patients during the follow-up period. Results : MMN amplitudes at baseline were significantly reduced in patients with FEP compared to healthy controls. In the multiple regression analysis, baseline MMN amplitude significantly predicted later improvement of performances on digit span and delayed recall of California Verbal Learning Test. However, baseline MMN did not predicted improvement of clinical symptoms. Conclusion : These results indicate that MMN may be a possible predictor of improvement in cognitive functioning in patients with FEP. Future study with larger sample and longer follow-up period would be needed to confirm the findings of the current study.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.153-155
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• 2001

There had been few reports of arachnoid cyst accompanying psychiatric disturbance and no report treated with low-dose risperidone administration. We report a patient, developed first-transient psychotic episode considered to be provoked by an arachnoid cyst, responsive to risperidone, which was found in the middle cranial fossa as follows. A 57-year-old man was admitted by suddenly developed headache, auditory hallucination, delusion of persecution and, an arachnoid cyst in the anteromedial aspect of middle cranial fossa was found on MRI after admission. The psychotic episode was first to him and he was also negative to other clinical evaluation including endocrine abnormality, his psychotic symtom was suspected to be induced by arachnoid cyst and was well controlled to low-dose risperidone administration. He left hospital free from psychotic symptoms on 14 hospital days.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권9호
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• pp.427-428
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• 2018

Based on the piling reports of disruptions in the thalamus of patients with schizophrenia, the alteration in the thalamo-cortical system has been regarded as the core pathophysiology. As the thalamus is composed of distinctive nuclei with different cytoarchitecture and cortical connections, nuclei specific investigations have been actively conducted in post-mortem studies. In addition, the importance of early changes has been highlighted, which in turn has led to investigations of the thalamo-cortical system using non-invasive neuroimaging methods. From this perspective, the early structural changes in the thalamo-cortical system, such as the thalamo-cortical connection and nuclei specific microstructural changes (which are coherent with findings from post-mortem methods) will be briefly discussed. The main findings, which are the reduced thalamo-prefrontal connection and reduced microstructural complexity in the higher-order nuclei detected in first-episode psychosis patients, suggest the occurrence of early alterations within and between the communication hub of the brain and cortex. These findings suggest not only directions for further studies for unveiling the thalamo-cortical system related pathophysiology, but also the possibility of using the reduced microstructural complexity in the higher order nucleus as a biomarker for schizophrenia.

• 대한조현병학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.66-72
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• 2012

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate whether verbal and spatial working memory functions were impaired not only in patients with schizophrenia but also in people at ultra-high risk for first-episode psychosis. Methods : Twenty-five patients (M 13, F 12) with schizophrenia (SPR), 21 people at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR)(M 10, F 11) and 19 normal controls (NC)(M 10, F 9) were recruited. The working memory was assessed by using the verbal and spatial n-back test. The working memory load increased incrementally from the 0-back to the 3-back condition. Results : SPR performed significantly lower than NC and UHR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. UHR subjects conducted significantly lower than NC and higher in trend-level than SPR in terms of hit rates of verbal and spatial n-back test. These differences were derived from the high working memory load (2-back and 3-back), not from the low working memory load (0-back and 1-back). There was no significant difference between the verbal and spatial n-back test across the three groups. Conclusion : These findings suggest that verbal and spatial working memory dysfunction may be general rather than differential in terms of stimuli modality, and this working memory deficit may be an important trait factor in schizophrenia.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.179-186
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• 2013

Objectives This study is designed to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with early onset schizophrenia to those of adult onset schizophrenia patients in first episode. Methods Authors reviewed medical records of 16 early-onset schizophrenia patients and 22 adult-onset schizophrenia patients who had been admitted in the psychiatric ward and diagnosed as schizophrenia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition (DSM-IV) at Eulji University Hospital during 2004-2008. Socio-demographic data and clinical characteristics such as duration between onset and active phase, number of significant positive and negative symptoms, positive and negative symptom scores of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores, duration from onset to admission, duration of admission, and equivalent dose of antipsychotics were reviewed. These clinical characteristics of early-onset group were compared to those of adult-onset group. Correlation between age of onset and other clinical characteristics was also analyzed. Results Early-onset group showed more insidious onset pattern and had longer duration of hospitalization than adult-onset group. Early onset group also exhibited more negative symptoms, higher negative symptom scores, and higher CGI-S scores than adult-onset group after treatment. However, there were no significant differences in family history of psychosis, positive symptom frequency at discharge and equivalent dose of antipsychotics between two groups. Conclusions This study revealed that patients with early-onset schizophrenia exhibited more insidious onset, more negative symptoms, and more severe symptoms than those with adult-onset schizophrenia after treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.192-217
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• 2001

연구목적：기존 가출청소년 보호시설에 거주하거나 입소하는 청소년에 대한 자아능력과 가출원인에 내재하는 정신병리 조사를 통하여 가출청소년의 특성을 파악하고 다양한 유형으로 분류해냄으로써, 청소년 가출에 대한 예방 대책 수립은 물론, 궁극적으로 가출청소년을 개개인의 다양한 문제에 따라 적합한 보호시설로 의뢰할 수 있도록 보호시설을 다양화하는데 필요한 기초자료의 확보를 목적으로 한다. 방 법：본 연구는 청소년 보호시설에 수용 중인 만 12세에서 21세까지의 남녀 청소년 128명을 대상으로 하였다. 보호시설 전문 상담원의 상담 기록 및 대상자 자신의 기록을 통해 연구대상자의 사회인구학적 특성에 대한 기초설문조사를 실시하였다. 아동행동증상목록표(CBCL), 미네소타 다면적인성검사(MMPI), 벤더-게슈탈트 검사(BGT), 한국웩슬러지능검사(K-WAIS), 간이정신진단검사(SCL-90-R) 등을 실시하여 가출청소년들의 자아능력 평가와 함께 가출의 원인에 기여하는 내재된 정신병리를 조사하였다. 결 과：본 연구대상인 보호시설 가출청소년의 사회인구학적 특징과 임상소견은 다음과 같다. 대상 청소년의 나이는 15세가 가장 많았고, 중기 청소년기에 있는 청소년들이었으며 학교는 중학교 때 중단하고 가정생활은 중간 정도이며, 부모 학력은 고졸인 청소년이 가장 많았다. 가출과 관련된 특징은 첫 가출이 중학교 때 가장 많았고, 가출횟수는 10회 이상이 가장 많았으며 대부분 재가출자였다. 약물을 한 경우는 10%정도였고 술을 한 경우는 80%정도였다. 37%에서 법을 어긴 경험이 있고 돈을 받고 성행위를 한 경우가 약 10%에서 있었다. K-YSR 결과 95명(83%), SCL-90-R 결과 42명(36%), MMPI 결과 70명(69.3%)에서 임상수준을 보였다. 지능검사 결과 22명(22%)에서 정신지체 수준을 보였다. BGT에서 35명(39.4%)이 뇌기능장애 소견을 보였다. 결 론：시설의 가출청소년들은 가출이라는 행동 밑에 다양하고도 심각한 정신건강문제를 지니고 있으며, 그 문제의 종류에 따라 다음과 같이 분류할 수가 있었다. 주의력결핍장애를 포함한 행동장애군, 불안/우울 등의 정서장애군, 신체증상을 호소하는 신체화장애군, 심한 정신병리의 가능성이 있는 정신병위험군 등이다. 따라서 가출청소년에 대한 정신의학적 평가는 매우 중요하며 이에 따른 특성화된 치료적 개입이 필요하다.