• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 1999

Objectives : "Alexithymia" mean literally "no word for mood(or emotion)". It is not only a marked constriction in emotional functioning but a deficit in their cognitive processing. We designed this study to investigate the level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors of patients with somatoform disorder and with diabetes mellitus. Methods : The subjects were consisted of patients with somatoform disorder(N=20), patients with diabetes mellitus(N=20), and normal control(N=20). The level of alexithymia, psychopathology and personality factors were assessed by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale(TAS), the Symptom Checklist 90-Revision(SCL 90-R), and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire(16-PF). And we compared demographic characteristics, psychopathology and personality factors among three groups, and assessed the relationship between alexithymia and psychopathology, and between alexithymia and personality factors. Results : The results were as follows. 1) Patients with somatoform disorder showed significantly higher TAS scores compared to patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group. 2) Patients With somatoform disorder showed significantly higher scores of somatization, anxiety scales than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal control group, and showed significantly higher scores of obsessive-compulsive, depression, phobic anxiety, psychoticism scales than the normal control group by the SCL-90-R. 3) The normal control group showed high intelligence scores only as compared to patients with somatoform disorder by the 16-PF. 4) A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. 5) All three groups did not shown any correlation between TAS and 16-PF. Conclusion : Patients with somatoform disorder showed higher TAS scores and more multiple psychopathology than patients with diabetes mellitus and the normal controls. A significant relationship was found between TAS scores and psychopathology in patients with somatoform disorder. We suggest that the therapeutic approach to patients with somatoform disorder to express emotions and manage psychopathology, and that the treatment methods of patients with diabetes mellitus aims to improve firstly physical conditions are more helpful.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 1997

Enuresis is repeated involuntary or intentional voiding of urine into bed or clothes over age 5. Though it would be a self-remitting disorder, it could be serious problem in emotional and socio-adaptational aspects. The author reviewed the enuretic patients of Child & Adolescence psychiatric section in Chungnam National University Hospital during past 3 years. 46(4.9%) of 936 patients were diagnosed as enuresis in DSM-Ⅳ. The author evaluated their comorbidity by the data of diagnostic review made in two psychiatrists, and emotional aspects(self-concept, anxiety, depression) through the self-rating scales (Piers-Harris children’ self concept scales, RCMAS, state-trait anxiety inventory for children, child’s depresson inventory). Thirty(65.2%) of the 46 enuretic patients had additional diagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder, mental retardation, encopresis, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, autism, somatoform disorder, tic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorder, etc. Sixteen enuretic patients had at least one comorbid disorder. Eleven patients had two, and three patients had more than three. Fourteen of 46 enuretic patients were evaluated through self-rating scales of self-concept, anxiety and depression. But we couldn’t obtain meaningful results. Maybe it was due to the small sample size(N＝14) and the influence of the comorbid disorders. Finally, it was an impressive evidence that there exist many comorbid disorders in enuresis(esp. attention deifict/hyperactive disorder). In emotional aspects, the author thought that further evaluation should be needed for more meaningful results.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.953-959
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• 2015

Optogenetics is the combination of optical and molecular strategies to control designated molecular and cellular activities in living tissues and cells using genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins. It involves the use of light to rapidly gate the membrane channels that allows for ion movement. Optogenetics began with the placing of light-sensitive proteins from green algae inside specific types of brain cells. The cells can then be turned on or off with pulses of blue and yellow light. Using the naturally occurring algal protein Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a rapidly gated light-sensitive cation channel, the number and frequency of action potentials can be controlled. The ChR2 provides a way to manipulate a single type of neuron while affecting no others, an unprecedented specificity. This technology allows the use of light to alter neural processing at the level of single spikes and synaptic events, yielding a widely applicable tool for neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. An improbable combination of green algae, lasers, gene therapy and fiber optics made it possible to map neural circuits deep inside the brain with a precision that has never been possible before. This will help identify the causes of disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, sleep disorder, and autism. Optogenetics could improve upon existing implanted devices that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other ailments with pulses of electricity. An optogenetics device could hit more specific subsets of brain cells than those devices can. Applications of optogenetic tools in nonneuronal cells are on the rise.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.239-250
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• 2005

Objective : The purpose of this study was obtaining data on the efficacy and safety of risperidone in child and adolescent psychiatric patients. Method : Thirty one children and adolescents (males n=18, females n=13, age ranged from 5.4 to 17.3 years) treated with risperidone were selected among child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients of Seoul National University Hospital from January, 2001 to June, 2002, and charts for them were reviewed retrospectively. Results : The primary psychiatric disorders treated with risperidone were schizophrenia and other psychosis, bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, Tourette's disorder, autism spectrum disorders, mixed receptive and expressive language disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. twelve of these had comorbid mental retardation. Primary target symptoms of risperidone were psychotic symptoms (n=13 or $41.9\%$), behavioral symptoms (n=10 or $32.3\%$) including aggression, impulsivity, hyperactivity, stereotypy nonresponsive to other psychiatric treatments, and chronic and severe tics (n=8, $25.8\%$). The efficacy of risperidone was measured by clinical global improvement (CGI) for target symptoms, $67.7\%$ of subjects showed moderate or marked improvements and its therapeutic effect appeared to be maintained during at least 7.5 months. Mean daily dosage of risperidone was $0.05{\pm}0.01mg/kg$, the group with psychotic symptoms had significantly higher mean daily dosage (0.07mg/kg) compared with other two groups (0.04mg/kg) with behavioral symptoms or tics. A variety of adverse events were reported in this study : weight gain (n=23) most commonly reported, extrapyramidal symptoms (n=15), autonomic symptoms (n=6), sedation (n=5) and symptoms related to hyperprolactinemia (n=2) etc. Although there was no drug change related to the adverse events of risperidone, and $90\%$ of subjects at their last visits were maintained on it, thus its tolerability appeared good. Conclusions Results suggest that risperidone may be relatively safe and effective drug in managing a wide variety of child and adolescent psychopathologies such as psychotic symptoms, behavioral symptoms including aggression, impulsivity, hyperactivity and stereotypy nonresponsive to other psychiatric treatments, and chronic and severe tics. Controlled and long-term studies of efficacy and safety of risperidone treatment for children and adolescents are recommended in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.92-100
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• 1997

Objective：The objective of this study is to examine the clinical characteristics and behavioral comorbidity of patients with Tourette’s disorder. Method：Subjects consisted of 157 patients with Tourette’ disorder diagnosed by DSM-IIIR, who were examined and diagnosed from Jan. 1988 to May 1994 at the Tourette’s Clinic of Yonsei University Medical Center. Characteristics and behavioral comorbidity of Patients were assessed by a semi-structured interview schedule. Behavioral problems like hyperactivity, obsession-compulsion, self destructiveness, enuresis, sleep problem were assessed by global clinical impression. Results：The mean age of patients was 14.49(${\pm}7.99$) years. Patients consisted of 138 males (87.9%) and 19 females(12.1%). The sex ratio was 7：1, showing a male preponderance. The number of right-handers was 133(84.7%), and the number of non-right handers was 24(15.3%). Mean age of onset was 8.85(${\pm}4.56$) years, ranging from 2-to-16 years. More than half of the patients had their age of onset at 6-10 years. Bimodal peak in age of onset was observed；the first peak was around 6 and the second peak was around 10 years. There was no sex difference in bimodal age of onset. The most common initial symptom was eye blinking. More than 55% of patients reported eye blinking as their first symptom. The second common initial symptom was head turning and the third was vocal tic. The most common symptoms that patients reported on their first visit since onset were eye blinking(82.2%), head turning or nodding(57.9%), shoulder shrugging(52.7%) and forearm movement(32.6%). Of 157 cases, 101(64.3%) patients showed downward progression of symptoms, and 25(15.9%) showed upward progression of symptoms. Nineteen fathers(12%) of patients had a past history of obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD). Seventeen fathers(10.6%) had a history of tic disorder. SSevenmothers(4.5%) had OCD, 4 mothers (2.5%) had tic disorder. One hundred and eighteen patients(75.1%) had comorbid hyperactivity, 95 patients(60.5%) had obsession, 55 patiens(35.0%) had self destructiveness, 46 patients(29.3%) had impulsivity, and 35 patients(22.3%) had enuresis. Age of onset had a significant positive correlation with age, duration, and the global severity of obsession；and a negative correlation with the severity of hyperactivity. Hyperactivity had a significant positive correlation with impulsivity, obsession-compulsion, enuresis, and self destructiveness. Obsession-compulsion had a significant positive correlation with hyperactivity, sleep problems, and self destructiveness. Conclusion：These data suggest that clinical characteristcs and behavioral comorbidity of patients with Tourette’ disorder in this study are similar to previous research findings in Korea and other contries. The younger the age of onset was, the more severe hyperactivity was, and the less severe obsession-compulsion was. And severity of hyperactivity had a positive correlation with the severity of obsession-compulsion, impulsivity, enuresis, and self destructiveness.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.31-45
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• 2000

Objectives : The present study was performed to reveal differences between female and male cases of alopecia in their alopecia related variables such as patterns of hair loss, psychiatric characteristics, associate illnesses, and methods of treatment, and to use them as basic materials for proper management and early prevention of the alopecia prone cases. Methods : In order to analysis the gender difference in hair losses, the subjects were divided into two subgroups as the 51 cases of female alopecia and the 42 cases of male alopecia, who had visited to the department of psychiatry consulted from the department of dermatology, Yongsan hopital, ChungAng University, Seoul, Korea, from January 1998 to December 1998. In data analysis, the subjects were statistically assesed by chi-squre test and analysis of varaiance, through SPSS-$PC^+$ 9.0V. Results : 1) Female subjects were more likely showed lower socio-economical level including lower eonomical level, lower educational level, or lower occupational level in their parent's job, were more likely to have larger number of siblings and to have many sisters comparison to the male cases. 2) Female subjects were more likely visited to the department of dermatology, more history of alopecia in their female family members, lesser history of alopecia in their male family members, more loss of hairs in vertex or frontal region of scalp, lesser loss of hairs in occipital region, and lesser nail changes in comparison to the male cases. 3) Female subjects were more suffered from intra-familial conflicts and economical changes, or their introverted personality makeup, lesser likely suffered from changes of business and health changes, and showed lesser conflicts related with poorer adaptaion in their job life. 4) Female subjects were more likely diagnosed as depression or conversion disorders, more frequently complaint anxiety symptoms or depressive symptoms, higher level of anxiety index, lesser complaint somatization or obsessive compulsive symptoms, and lesser diagnosed as anxiety disorder in comparison to the male cases. 5) Female subjects were more likely tended to show personality makeup such as the introverted, the lie, the repressed, or the feminine trends than the male cases. 6) Female subjects were more significantly treated by antianxiety drug such as etizolam and dermatological therapies include tretinoin, and lesser treated by clotiazepam and prednicarbonate in comparison to the male cases. Conclusion : From the facts that The most important factors in developing hair loss in the female subjects in comparison to the male cases seems to be closely correlated with the serious psychopathology such as the presence of mental disorders including depression, the presence of complaining anxiety or depressive symptomatology, the presence of stressful life events such as intrafamilial life changes, and the presence of personality makeup such as the introverted, the lie, the repressed, or the feminine trends, the authors confirmed that dermatologists act as the primary care physician are in a unique position to recognize psychiatric comorbidity and execute meaningful intervention for female patients with the alopecia with psychiatrists.