• 생물정신의학
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.97-103
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• 2013

Objectives We aimed to identify the neuroimaging marker for prediction of the use of atypical antipsychotics (AAP) in dementia patients. Methods From April 2010 to March 2013, 31 patients who were diagnosed as dementia at the psychiatric department of Soonchunhyang University Hospital, completed the brain magnetic resonance imaging scan and cognitive test for dementia. Ten patients were treated with AAP for the improvement of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and the other 21patients were not. Using T1 weighted and Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images of brain, areas of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) have been segmented and measured. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied for assessment of association between AAP use and the GM/WM ratio, the WMH/whole brain (GM + WM + CSF) ratio. Results There was a significant association between AAP use and the GM/WM ratio (odds ratio, OR = 1.18, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.01-1.38, p = 0.037), while there was no association between AAP use and the WMH/whole brain ratio (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.27-2.48, p = 0.73). Conclusions The GM/WM ratio could be a biological marker for the prediction of AAP use and BPSD in patients with dementia. It was more likely to increase as dementia progress since atrophy of WM was more prominent than that of GM over aging.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.161-170
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• 2004

분자영상은 살아있는 개체의 몸 속에서 일어나는 생물학적 반응이나 특정한 표적분자를 비관혈적이며 반복적으로 영상화하는 기술이다. 이를 위해서는 두 가지 기본 요소가 요구되는 바 하나는 관심 생물현상에 의해 농도나 분광특성이 변하는 분자영상용 추적자이며 다른 하나는 이런 추적자를 모니터링하는 장비이다. 분자 핵의학 영상기술은 이제 신경과학분야에서도 활발히 적용되고 있으며 신경관련 기초연구나 뇌질환 관련 신약개발에 이미 중요한 역할을 하고 있다. 최근에는 살아있는 개체에서 약제 투여가 뇌에 미치는 약물학적, 생리적 영향을 조사하는 데에도 이용되고 있다. 다가오는 미래에는 각종 뇌질환에서 특이적 표적을 공략하는 새로운 분자치료가 개발되어 뇌질환 치료에 혁명적인 변화를 가져올 것으로 예상되고 있다. 그 예로, 파킨슨씨 병과 같은 퇴행성 신경질환에 줄기세포를 이용한 자가수선, 신경보호, 약물분비 치료, 성장인자와의 병행치료 등이 개발되고, 유전자 치료도 이용될 것으로 보인다. 신경 분자 핵의학 영상은 이와 같은 새로운 뇌질환 치료기술의 개발에 있어서 뇌 안에서 일어나는 분자수준의 변화를 실시간으로 모니터링함으로써 관련연구에 크게 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

• 감성과학
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.445-456
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• 2013

This study addresses the relationship between individual differences regarding self-concept, measured by Self Concept Clarity (SCC) scale and Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal and relationships (RISC) scale, and diverse affective consequences after choice behavior. We hypothesized that lower self-concept clarity and higher relational interdependence would be related to increased susceptibility to choice context-for example, how a choice set is constructed based on one's initial preference. We examined how variations in a choice set can produce different affective consequences after making choices, and investigated the underlying neural mechanism using fMRI. In this experiment, participants first rated their preferences for art posters, and made a series of choices from a presented set. After the choice task, they completed post-choice measures including preferences for the chosen posters, as well as measures of their self-concept clarity and relational interdependence. Our behavioral results demonstrated that when participants faced more conflicting choice context, self-concept clarity was related to more positive affective consequences after choice, whereas relational interdependence was correlated with a lower second-rated attractiveness of the chosen option. The neuroimaging analysis of choice-making revealed that self-concept clarity and the degree of their relational interdependence served as modulators in shaping how one perceives and experiences the same decision-making process. These results have theoretical and practical importance in that it is one of the first studies investigating the influence of the individual differences regarding self-concept on value-based decision making process among diverse choice set contexts.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.152-158
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• 2002

Background & Purpose:Neuropsychological disorders after traumatic brain injury(TBI) are poorly correlated with structural lesions detected by structural neuroimaging techniques such as computed tomography(CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). It is well known that patients with TBI have cognitive and behavioral disorders even in the absence of structural lesions of the brain. This study investigated whether there are abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) in TBI patients without structural abnormality on MRI, using technetium 99m ethyl cysteinate dimer(Tc-99m-ECD) single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) scans. Materials and Methods:Twenty-eight TBI patients without structural abnormality on MRI(mild, n=13/moderate, n=9/severe, n=6) and fifteen normal controls were scanned by SPECT. A voxel-based analysis using statistical parametric mapping(SPM) was performed to compare the patients with the normal controls. Results:rCBF was reduced in the right uncus and the right lateral orbitofrontal gyrus in the TBI patients. However, no increase of rCBF was noted in the patients in comparison to the normal controls. Conclusions:These results suggest that the TBI patients, even in the absence of structural lesion of the brain, may have dysfunction of the brain, particularly of the orbitofrontal and anterior pole of the temporal cortex. They also suggest that SPECT can be a useful method to identify brain dysfunctions in combination with structural brain imaging and neuropsychological tests.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Purpose: Several morphometric studies have been performed to investigate brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf people. But no report exists concerning structural brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf adolescents. We evaluated the regional volume changes in gray matter (GM) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in congenitally deaf adolescents. Materials and Methods: A VBM8 methodology was applied to the T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of eight congenitally deaf adolescents (mean age, 15.6 years) and nine adolescents with normal hearing. All MRI scans were normalized to a template and then segmented, modulated, and smoothed. Smoothed GM data were tested statistically using analysis of covariance (controlled for age, gender, and intracranial cavity volume). Results: The mean values of age, gender, total volumes of GM, and total intracranial volume did not differ between the two groups. In the auditory centers, the left anterior Heschl's gyrus and both inferior colliculi showed decreased regional GM volume in the congenitally deaf adolescents. The GM volumes of the lingual gyri, nuclei accumbens, and left posterior thalamic reticular nucleus in the midbrain were also decreased. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that early deprivation of auditory stimulation in congenitally deaf adolescents might have caused significant underdevelopment of the auditory cortex (left Heschl's gyrus), subcortical auditory structures (inferior colliculi), auditory gain controllers (nucleus accumbens and thalamic reticular nucleus), and multisensory integration areas (inferior colliculi and lingual gyri). These defects might be related to the absence of general auditory perception, the auditory gating system of thalamocortical transmission, and failure in the maturation of the auditory-to-limbic connection and the auditorysomatosensory-visual interconnection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제53권12호
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• pp.994-999
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• 2010

Purpose: Mitochondrial dysfunction can present with various symptoms depending on the organ it has affected. This research tried to analyze the ophthalmologic symptoms and ophthalmologic examination (OE) results in patients with mitochondrial disease (MD). Methods: Seventy-four patients diagnosed with mitochondrial respiratory chain complex defect with biochemical enzyme assay were included in the study. They were divided into 2 groups based on the OE results by funduscopy and were analyzed on the basis of their clinical features, biochemical test results, morphological analysis, and neuroimaging findings. Results: Thirty-seven (50%) of the 74 MD patients developed ophthalmologic symptoms. Abnormal findings were observed in 36 (48.6%) patients during an OE, and 16 (21.6%) of them had no ocular symptoms. Significantly higher rates of prematurity, clinical history of epilepsy or frequent apnea events, abnormal light microscopic findings in muscle pathology, diffuse cerebral atrophy in magnetic resonance imaging, and brainstem hyperintensity and lactate peaks in magnetic resonance spectroscopy were noted in the group with abnormal OE results. Conclusion: Although the ophthalmologic symptoms are not very remarkable in MD patients, an OE is required. When the risk factors mentioned above are observed, a more active approach should be taken in the OE because a higher frequency of ocular involvement can be expected.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.335-341
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• 2013

Balamuthia mandrillaris is one of the 4 amebas in fresh water and soil that cause diseases in humans. Granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE), caused by B. mandrillaris, is a rare but life-threatening condition. A 4-year-old, previously healthy, Thai girl presented with progressive headache and ataxia for over a month. Neuroimaging studies showed an infiltrative mass at the right cerebellar hemisphere mimicking a malignant cerebellar tumor. The pathological finding after total mass removal revealed severe necrotizing inflammation, with presence of scattered amebic trophozoites. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from lumbar puncture showed evidence of non-specific inflammation without identifiable organisms. A combination of pentamidine, sulfasalazine, fluconazole, and clarithromycin had been initiated promptly before PCR confirmed the diagnosis of Balamuthia amebic encephalitis (BAE). The patient showed initial improvement after the surgery and combined medical treatment, but gradually deteriorated and died of multiple organ failure within 46 days upon admission despite early diagnosis and treatment. In addition to the case, 10 survivors of BAE reported in the PubMed database were briefly reviewed in an attempt to identify the possible factors leading to survival of the patients diagnosed with this rare disease.

• 한국영재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국영재학회 2003년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.137-138
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• 2003

Understanding how and why people differ is a fundamental, if distant, goal of research efforts to bridge psychological and biological levels of analysis. General fluid intelligence (gF) is a major dimension of individual differences and refers to reasoning and novel problemsolving ability. A conceptual integration of evidence from cognitive (behavioral) and anatomical studies suggeststhat gF should covary with both task performance and neural activity in specific brain systems when specific cognitive demands are present, with the neural activity mediating the relation between gF and performance. Direct investigation of this possibility will be a critical step toward a mechanistic model of human intelligence. In turn, a mechanistic model might suggest ways to enhance gF through targeted behavioral or neurobiological intervent ions, We formed two different groups as subjects based on their scholarly attainments. Each group consists of 20 volunteers(aged 16-17 years, right-handed males) from the National Gifted School and a local high school respectively. To test whether individual differences in general intelligence are mediated at a neural level, we first assessed intellectual characteristics in 40 subjects using standard intelligence tests (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) administered outside of the MR scanner. We then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRl) to measure task-related brain activity as participants performed three different kinds of computerized reasoning tasks that were intended to activate the relevant neural systems. To examine the difference of neural activity according to discrepancy in general intelligence, we compared the brain activity of both extreme groups (each, n=10) of the participants based on the standard intelligence test scores. In contrast to the common expectation, there was no significant difference of brain region involved in high-g tasks between both groups. Random effect analysis exhibited that lateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate and parietal cortex are associated with gF. Despite very different task contents in the three high-g-low-g contrasts, recruitment of multiple regions is markedly similar in each case, However, on the task with high 9F correlations, the Prodigy group, (intelligence rank: >99%) showed higher task-related neural activity in several brain regions. These results suggest that the relationship between gF and brain activity should be stronger under high-g conditions than low-g conditions.

• 재활치료과학
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.11-23
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• 2017

편측 공간무시는 주로 우측 대뇌반구의 병변으로 인한 뇌졸중 이후 발생하는 신경학적 질환으로, 병변 반대 측 신체와 공간에 대한 처리 기능과 주의집중에 문제가 발생한다. 기능적 신경이미지 연구에서 편측 공간무시는 큰 수준의 중대뇌 동맥, 페리실비안 연결망, 주의집중 연결망의 손상과 연관성이 있다고 보고하였다. 편측 공간무시는 부정적인 예후와 관련이 있기 때문에 정확한 진단과 중재를 위해 편측 공간무시의 유형과 이론 그리고 전통적 평가와 기능적 평가를 포함한 임상적 평가가 고려되어야 한다. 편측 공간무시의 치료는 하향식 접근방법과 상향식 접근방법으로 구분하며, 두 접근방법을 결합하는 형태가 가장 효과적일 수 있다. 편측 공간무시의 모든 최신 중재방법 중에서 프리즘 적응이 가장 적절한 중재법으로 연구되고 있으나, 편측 공간무시의 유형과 병변 위치 등을 고려하여 환자에게 적절한 중재를 적용하는 것이 중요하다.

• 대한불안의학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.7-13
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• 2005

Anxiety is one of the basic emotions which human experiences across different cultures in the world and it can be observed in mammals. Our understanding of the neurobiology of this emotion has made some advances, even though it has not been completed, with the development and advance in the investigation method including neuroimaging, neurochemical, and genetic approaches. In this article, the neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis of anxiety is reviewed. The amygdaloid complex has been known to playa key role in processing of anxiety or fear. It has extensive afferent and/or efferent connections with cortical and subcortical structures. The mesial temporal structures including hippocampus appear to be involved in acquisition of anxiety and related behaviors. The prefrontal cortical structures appear to play important roles in conscious awareness of anxiety and in modulating anxiety and related behavior. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is known to playa critical role in unconditioned fear response. The central noradrenergic system and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis are known to play important roles in modulating and expressing anxiety-related responses. Anxiety has been gathering attentions from many investigators and numerous preclinical and clinical investigations of anxiety and anxiety disorders have been done. In particular, neural plasticity in critical period and the psychobiological factors related to resilience to extreme stress and anxiety are important issues in this field.