• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.74-82
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• 2019

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate clinical and neuropsychological factors associated with treatment response and adverse events of atomoxetine in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Korea. Methods: Children with ADHD were recruited at the Department of Psychiatry of Asan Medical Center from April 2015 to April 2018. Diagnoses of ADHD and comorbid psychiatric disorders were confirmed with the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version. The subjects were subsequently treated with atomoxetine for 12 weeks and illness severity was scored using the ADHD Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale (CGI-S) and/or Improvement scale (CGI-I), at pre- and post-treatment. They also completed the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA), while their caregivers completed the Korean Personality Rating Scale for Children (KPRC) at pre- and post-treatment. Independent t-test, Fisher's exact test, ${\chi}^2$ test, mixed between-within analysis of variance and correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: Sixty-five children with ADHD (mean age: $7.9{\pm}1.4years$, 57 boys) were enrolled, of which, 33 (50.8%) were treatment responders. Scores on the social dysfunction subscale of the KPRC (p=0.021) and commission errors on the visual ATA (p=0.036) at baseline were higher in treatment non-responders than in responders; however, the statistical significances disappeared after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Mood changes were also observed in 13 subjects (20.0%), and three of them discontinued atomoxetine due to this. Additionally, atomoxetine-emergent mood change was observed more frequently in girls (p=0.006), while the intelligence quotient (p=0.040) was higher in those subjects with mood changes than in those without. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that clinical and neuropsychological factors could be associated with treatment response or adverse events of atomoxetine in children with ADHD. Further long-term studies with larger samples are needed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.78-86
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• 2015

Objectives Although ginseng has been reported to protect neuronal cells and improve various cognitive functions, relationship between ginseng supplementation and response inhibition, one of the important cognitive domains has not been explored. In addition, effects of ginseng on in vivo human brain have not been investigated using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The purpose of the current study is to investigate changes in intrusion errors and white matter microstructure after Korean Red Ginseng supplementation using standardized neuropsychological tests and DTI. Methods Fifty-one healthy participants were randomly allocated to the Korean Red Ginseng (n = 26) or placebo (n = 25) groups for 8 weeks. The California Verbal Learning Test was used to assess the number of intrusion errors. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was measured with the Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. The fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured from the brain DTI data. Results After the 8-week intervention, Korean Red Ginseng supplementation significantly reduced intrusion errors after adjusting age, sex, IQ, and baseline score of the intrusion errors (p for interaction = 0.005). Change in FA values in the left anterior corona radiata was greater in the Korean Red Ginseng group compared to the placebo group (t = 4.29, p = 0.04). Conclusions Korean Red Ginseng supplementation may be efficacious for improving response inhibition and white matter microstructure integrity in the prefrontal cortex.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.132-140
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• 2017

Objectives: Very early-onset schizophrenia (VEOS) is a type of psychosis having a low frequency, insidious onset, and devastating clinical outcome. In this study, the demographic features, information on medication, clinical outcomes, and intellectual capability of patients diagnosed with VEOS in a hospital were analyzed to provide therapeutic strategies for this type of schizophrenia. Methods: Using the electronic medical records of the National Center for Mental Health, 69 patients with VEOS were identified based on the DSM-5 criteria of schizophrenia. The data were summarized and analyzed according to the demographic characteristics, medications used, intellectual strength measured by the full intelligence quotient (FIQ) score, and current clinical status measured by the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and various combinations of these parameters. Results: The screened study group contained similar numbers of males and females. The younger the onset of psychosis, the lower the frequency. The study population included a significantly higher proportion of births in the winter season than that of the general population. The 3 most frequently used antipsychotic medications were risperidone and its derivatives, clozapine and olanzapine. Valproic acid and divalproex sodium were the most commonly added drugs for outcome augmentation. 53.5% of the study population had received benzodiazepines and/or hypnotics. The average FIQ of the study population was 69.4, which is quite low compared to previous Korean studies with similar populations. There was a weak negative correlation between FIQ and CGI-S, but it was not statistically significant. The average CGI-S score was 4.2, which meant that the patients were moderately ill. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that patients with VEOS showed more frequent intellectual deficits at baseline and poorer outcomes than the control group. Risperidone, clozapine, valproic acid and their combinations were the most preferred medications for the treatment of psychosis. Benzodiazepines were quite commonly added for various reasons.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.546-550
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• 2008

In this untreated classic phenylketonuria (PKU) case, mental retardation is severe; however, there have been individuals- like the mother of this case- who have escaped mental retardation and all the other potential sequelae of phenylketonuria, despite having high blood phenylalanine levels, and very poor dietary control. It appears that they have nearly normal brain phenylalanine levels despite high blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels. A number of studies have now demonstrated considerable variability in blood vs. brain phenylalanine levels in phenylketonuria patients. Outcome of phenylketonuria appears to be related to brain phenylalanine levels. We report a case of "undiagnosed" maternal phenylketonuria syndrome. A female infant had low birth weight (2,400 g) with microcephaly. We examined her family and discovered that her mother was an undiagnosed phenylketonuria patient with a borderline intelligence quotient (IQ). The infant's sister, six years old, was diagnosed with phenylketonuria at the age of four years was mentally retarded and had received an operation for cleft lip and palate. the sister had also had a low birth weight (2,300 g). Her sister and mother were compound heterozygotes (mother: R243Q/Y325X; sister: Y325X/P407S). The infant and father were heterozygous carriers (baby: R243Q/ -; father: P407S/ - ).

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2015

Objectives : Repetitive and stereotyped behaviors are core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of our study was to investigate the frequency of motor stereotypes in ASD children and their clinical features. Methods : Among 171 ASD children (age range, 3-15), the ASD group with motor stereotypes was defined according to two items in the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R). We compared the clinical features, behavior problems and severity of other domains in the K-ADI-R and executive functions between the ASD group with motor stereotypes and the ASD group without motor stereotypes. Results : Ninety (52.6%) of 171 ASD children had motor stereotypes. The ASD group with motor stereotypes had a lower intelligence quotient score (62.23 vs. 84.94, p<.001) compared to the ASD group without motor stereotypes. The ASD group with motor stereotypes had more impairments in the social interaction domain [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.11, p=.001] and communication domain (AOR 1.15, p=.008). Thought problems and lethargy were more frequent in the ASD group with motor stereotypes than the ASD group without motor stereotypes (AOR 2.059, p=.034 ; adjusted OR 1.045, p=.046). However, no significant differences in executive function were observed between the ASD group with motor stereotypes and the ASD group without motor stereotypes. Conclusion : The ASD group with motor stereotypes showed more impairment in social interaction and communication domains, which are core symptoms of autism. Motor stereotypes may indicate greater severity of ASD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.219-230
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was designed to compare the demographic data, clinical characteristics, developmental delay, and psychological tests between childhood-onset and adolescent-onset schizophrenic in-patients. Methods Medical records of the 17 childhood-onset (very early onset) Schizophrenia and 16 adolescent-onset (early onset) Schizophrenia in-patients were reviewed. Sex, age, psychiatric past history, prodromal symptoms and period, subtype, co-morbid disease, developmental delay, prescribed drug and dosage, treatment response, intelligence quotient (IQ), and Rorschach test were evaluated. Results : The mean admission age of childhood-onset (very early onset) group and adolescent-onset (early onset) group were 12.69$({\pm}2.34)$ and 15.13$({\pm}1.04)$ years. The mean onset age of childhood-onset(very early onset) group and adolescent-onset (early onset) group were 10.79$({\pm}1.95)$ and 14.46$({\pm}0.82)$ years. The mean prodromal period of childhood-onset (very early onset) group and adolescent-onset (early onset) group were 15.94$({\pm}12.33)$ and 8.06$({\pm}6.10)$ month. The time to remission period of childhood-onset (very early onset) group and adolescent-onset (early onset) group were 50.58$({\pm}24.67)$ and 30.06$({\pm}18.04)$ days. Longer time to remission period in childhood-osnet (very early onset) group was associated with earlier age of onset. The mean of total IQ, performance IQ, verbal IQ were at an average level. Discussion : Childhood-onset (very early onset) group and adolescent-onset (early onset) group Schizophrenia had different clinical and psychological features including prodromal period, and IQ subtests.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1976

1. In order to increase our physical power through raising the amount of Hb to normal level and thus enrich our national power, it is earnestly required to improve the general eating habits in the direction of taking enough animal protein (nutrition food) that is required to form Hb and adequate administrative procedures of the nursery school are to be taken at the same time. 2. The genetic amentia's development of skeleton is generally under the normal level. And so their physical condition should be inferior to the standard growth rate of the same age. But the fact is that their physical growth is almost the same as the same age with only few exceptions. Besides, considering the fact that their amount of Hb is less than that of the normal level, I think we can conclude that the majority of the amentia in the nursery school were malnutrition during their prenatal period or during their infancy. We need continuous statistical study concerning many amentia that is scattered all part of our country, to make our amentia's hereditary transmission and the expression clear. And so the Intelligence Quotient of the amentia are from 26 to 80, we consider to need nourishing meal in ordinary times to make more efficient development of intellectual faculties. 3. As to the relation between blood type and disease, there are much debates going on in many countries. To get more apodictic results, however, continuous study is desired to be made in the future.