• Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.936-942
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• 2017

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive based programs on cognitive functions in elderly people. Methods. The participants included a group of 9 elderly people in Changwon, from the period of May 2016 to July 2016. The test tools used were MMES-K. SADL. and GDS. The statistics used was the 20.0 version. Results. According to the results of this study, the MMSE, GDS mean scores improved after implentation of the program, but no significant improvement was shown with SADL. The MMSE of the correlation coefficient was 0.785, and the GDS of the correlation coefficient was 0.916. Both of these scores were significant in their correlation. Conclusion. In conclusion, cognitive based programs were effective among mildly cognitive-impaired elderly people, and that suitable programs must be developed on a case by case basis.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.405-419
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• 2018

This study of the Wholeness Program relevant to dementia behavior and verification of buffering effects. For the purpose of this, among those who were attending Day Care Centers belonging to Seniors Welfare Center of M1 and M2 located in Seoul. Among those who met all these requirements, 40 senior citizens were finally selected. After carrying out a preliminary test to the selected subjects, 20 elderly of Seniors Welfare Center of M1 were randomly placed as an experimental group, while other 20 people of Seniors Welfare Center of M2, as a control group. The Wholeness Program relevant to dementia behavior was carried out from March 14 to May 30 of 2016, for 12 weeks, twice a week. As for the measurement tool, this study depended on the Korean version of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE-K), the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) and the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-K). While the elderly were participating in the Wholeness Program relevant to dementia behavior, they were measured two times in total, before and after the participation in dementia behavior. Based on SPSS-PC (version 21.0), firstly, independent t-test was carried out to understand the homogeneity between the experimental group and the control group. Secondly, matched-pair t-test was carried out between preliminary test and post-test to inquire into the effects of MMSE-K, K-MBI and GDS-K. Thirdly, ANOVA was conducted to confirm the variation (change amount) between preliminary test and post-test. According to the survey results, the Wholeness Program relevant to dementia behavior of the elderly shows overall effects in all spheres of changes of cognitive ability (MMSE-K), changes of physical capacity (K-MBI) and changes of depression level (GDS-K).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.267-275
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• 2020

Objectives: The causes of dementia have been reported in various ways, but there has been little research on the interrelationship between heavy metals and dementia, and the results also show little consistency. Therefore, it is imperative to compare the levels of heavy metal exposure between the dementia-suffering group and a control group to confirm the correlation between the level of heavy metal exposure and the likelihood of dementia. Methods: In order to assess the dementia level of the elderly, the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were applied. To analyze the concentration of heavy metals in the blood, blood was collected from the veins of study subjects and measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: There was a statistically significant correlation between lead and manganese concentrations in the blood and the MMSE and GDS. It was found that there was a statistically significant correlation between cadmium concentration in the blood and the GDS, but the MMSE was less relevant. It was found that the blood mercury concentration and the MMSE and GDS were less relevant. The lead concentration in the blood was 0.95±0.74 ㎍/dL in the dementia patient group and 0.33±0.22 ㎍/dL in the normal group, while cadmium was 0.69±0.37 ㎍/L in the dementia group and 0.18±0.10 ㎍/L in the normal group. Mercury was 0.81±0.31 ㎍/L in the dementia group and 1.16±0.80 ㎍/L in the normal group. Manganese was 6.83±2.01 ㎍/L in the dementia group and 4.78±1.59 ㎍/L in the normal group. All of these show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: As the concentration of lead, cadmium and manganese in the blood increases, the MMSE scores and GDS scores were found to worsen, and it was confirmed that there is a correlation between heavy metal exposure and cognitive degradation.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.99-116
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Needle-Embedding Therapy on dementia patients. Methods : We recruited 3 dementia patients who have been experiencing memory disorder and orientation disorder. The patients had been evaluated with Mini-Mental State Examination-K (MMSE-K), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). The patients were treated with herbal medication (Sunghyangjunggi-san) and acupuncture. After 15 days, the patients were added to Needle-Embedding Therapy. We measured MMSE-K, GDS and CDR for every 15 days. The effects of additional Needle-Embedding Therapy were compared with the effects of acupuncture and herbal medicine. Results : After Needle-Embedding Therapy was added, Patients' memory and orientation have been improved and the score of MMSE-K ascended. The grade of GDS and CDR were maintained or decreased. Conclusions : This study suggests that Needle-Embedding Therapy is significantly effective on Dementia patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.106-118
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) management program on traditional Korean medicine in a public health center. Methods: In order to examine the effect of the MCI management program, we investigated MCI patients who participated in the program. MCI patients were treated with Jodeung-san (JDS) or Dangguijagyag-san (DGJYS) for 6 weeks. Mini Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS), Geriatric Quality of Life-Dementia (GQOL-D), Geriatric Depression Scale in Korea (GDS-K), and biochemical examination of blood were conducted at intervals of 6 weeks. A satisfaction survey was collected after this program. Results: MMSE-DS mean score increased significantly, by 4.09 (p=0.000) in the JDS group and by 4.15 (p=0.000) in the DGJYS group. GQOL-D mean score also increased significantly, by 5.90 (p=0.000) in the JDS group and by 5.07 (p=0.000) in the DGJYS group. GDS-K mean score decreased significantly, by 10.63 (p=0.000) in the JDS group and by 9.69 (p=0.000) in the DGJYS group. MMSE-DS, GDS-K and GQOL-D scores were not significantly different between the JDS and DGJYS groups. All of the participants were satisfied with the program, and 90% of the participants expressed a high intention to participate in the program again. Conclusions: Both Jodeung-san and Dangguijagyag-san treatment showed improvement on cognitive function, depression and quality of life in this program. Additional studies with more subjects will be required to prove credibility and validity more clearly.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.402-411
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• 2011

1. Objectives: This study is about three vascular dementia patients with disorientation, memory impairment and cognitive disorder. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Sasang constitutional treatment and suggested using the Mini Mental Status Examination - Korea (MMSE-K), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). 2. Methods: These three patients were treated by Sasang constitutional herbal medications based on "Donguisusebowon". Acupuncture and west medications were limited as much as possible. We evaluated the symptoms through the Mini Mental Status Examination - Korea (MMSE-K), GDS (Global Deterioration Scale). 3. Results and Conclusions: Disorientation, memory impairment and cognitive disorder that were these three patients chief complaints were improved. This case study shows that Sasang constitutional herbal medications are an effective treatment for vascular dementia patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 2016

Objectives : This study analyzed the differences of body mass index(BMI) in Korean patients with Alzheimer's diseases(AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI), and healthy controls to verify whether low BMI is associated with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, this study also sought to examine any association between BMI and Mini Mental State Examination-Korean version(MMSE-K), Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR), and Global Deterioration Scale(GDS). Methods : A total of 257 subjects were included in the study. History taking, mental status examination, physical examination and neurocognitive function test were carried out for the diagnosis of AD and MCI. The subjects' demographic data and presence of diseases were also surveyed. The overall cognitive function and severity of diseases were assessed using MMSE-K, GDS, and CDR. Results : The order of BMI was found to be healthy controls>MCI>AD, with statistically significant differences among the groups. The order of MMSE-K scores was similar, with healthy controls>MCI>AD in statistically significant differences. The healthy controls had the lowest CDR and GDS scores, and AD patients had the highest scores. There was a significant positive correlation between BMI and MMSE scores(r=0.238, p=0.000). BMI was negatively correlated with CDR(r=-0.174, p=0.008) as well as with GDS(r=-0.233, p= 0.000). Conclusions : Measuring BMI of patients with AD or MCI is expected to be meaningful in that BMI could be a clinical indicator of AD. We expect this to be beneficial for the diagnosis, prevention, and therapeutic approach of AD and also expect large-scale, long-term longitudinal studies to follow.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2018

Background: Brain volume is associated with dementia and depression in the elderly. An easy way to predict relative brain volume is to measure head circumference. In this study, we investigated the relationship between head circumference and cognition as well as depression in a non-demented elderly community. Methods: Baseline and follow-up surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2010. At baseline, community residents aged 65 years or over (n=382) within a rural area of South Korea were screened for dementia and symptoms of depression and were followed using the same screening battery after 3 years (n=279). Data from anthropometric measurements (head circumference, height, and body weight), demographics, and blood tests were gathered. Neuropsychological tests, including the Korean version of mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE), clinical dementia rating (CDR) including the CDR-sum of boxes, the Korean version of instrumental activities of daily living, and geriatric depression scale (GDS), were performed. None of the 279 subjects followed were demented. Results: Baseline performance on the K-MMSE and GDS was poorer for participants with smaller head circumferences. Follow-up performance on the MMSE was also poorer for participants with smaller head circumferences. Interestingly, participants with smaller head circumference showed worse GDS scores at baseline but on follow-up examination, participants with larger head circumference showed rapid worsening than those with smaller head circumference with marginal significance by ANOVA test. In regression coefficient analysis, GDS decline showed significant difference. Conclusion: Head circumference was not associated with cognitive change but was associated with symptoms of depression in non-demented community residents.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2014

Objectives : Mild cognitive impairment(MCI) and dementia of Alzheimer's type(AD) are characterized by progressive decline of cognitive abilities and a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms like depression. Among various diagnostic tools of AD, many studies showed that elevated levels of serum total homocysteine are associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. We investigated whether elevated homocysteine concentrations are associated with depressive symptoms in MCI and AD. Methods : A total of 86 patients diagnosed with MCI or AD participated. Total serum homocysteine levels in fasting blood samples were measured. We examined cognitive symptoms by MMSE-KC, Global Deterioration Scale(GDS), Clinical dementia rating(CDR) and depressive symptoms by Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale(K-GDS). Results : The total serum homocysteine levels were significantly higher in MCI with depression than in MCI without depression. There was no significant difference in the mean homocysteine levels between AD patients with depression and AD patients without depression. The total homocysteine levels showed a negative correlation with MMSE-KC and a positive correlation with CDR, GDS. Conclusions : These findings suggest that elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor for the decline of cognitive function and depression. We found a significant relationship between elevated serum homocysteine level and depressive symptoms in MCI. But our study had several limitations, thus more research is needed to confirm this finding.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2023

Background: As social problems due to the acceleration of the aging era and the increase in the elderly population are becoming serious, virtual reality (VR)-based healthcare is emerging as an approach for preventing and managing health issues. Objects: This study used validity and reliability analyses to examine the clinical efficacy that is, the clinical value and usability of a novel VR cognitive evaluation system index that we developed. Methods: We developed a VR cognitive evaluation system based on motion recognition analysis evaluation for individuals aged 65 to 85. After conducting the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Exam (K-MMSE) cognitive evaluation, the evaluation score was verified through correlation analysis in the VR cognitive evaluation system. To verify the construct validity of the two groups, the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) grades were categorized into a normal cognitive group (GDS grade 1) and a cognitive impairment group (GDS grades 2 and 3). The data were measured twice to determine the reliability between the two measurements and assess the stability and clinical value of the evaluation system. Results: Our evaluation system had a high correlation of 0.85 with the widely used K-MMSE cognitive evaluation. The system had strong criterion-related validity at the 95% confidence interval. Compared to the average score of GDS grade 1 in the VR cognitive evaluation system, the average score of GDS grades 2 and 3 in the VR cognitive evaluation system was statistically significantly lower while also having strong construct validity at the 95% confidence interval. To measure the reliability of the VR cognitive evaluation system, tests-retests were conducted using the intraclass correlation coefficient (3,1), which equaled 0.923 and was statistically significant. Conclusion: The VR cognitive evaluation system we developed is a valid and reliable clinical tool to distinguish between normal cognitive status and mild cognitive impairment.