• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.412-422
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of 12-weeks aerobic exercise and taekwondo exercise on brain wave activation and brain-derived neurotrophic factors in undergraduate male students. Twenty four male subjects participated in this study. They were separated into a Control group(CG; n=8), Aerobic training group (ATG; n=8) and Taekwondo training group(TTG; n=8). ATG and TTG participated in Aerobic exercise training and Taekwondo exercise training for 12 weeks, 50~80 minutes per day, 3 times a week at 60~80% HRR respectively. All data were analyzed by repeated measures two-way ANOVA. As a result, there were no significant differences in the body composition and brain activation in all groups. However BDNF increased significantly after 12 weeks in the aerobic training groups(ATG). It is suggest that 12 weeks of regular Taekwondo exercise training did not statistically affect brain activation and neurotrophic factors in undergraduate students.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 1998

A GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase, has been purified from bovine brain by several chromatographic procedures. The preparation appeared homogeneous on SDS-PAGE. The enzyme is a homodimeric protein with a molecular mass of 120 kDa. The activation of glutamate decarboxylase by ginesenosides from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer has been studied. Preincubation of the enzyme with total ginsenoside, $Rb_2$ and Rc ginsenosides, increased glutamate decarboxylase activities in a dose-dependent manner. There was a reproducible decrease in $K_m$, in addition to a increase in $V_{max}$, in response to increasing concentrations of the Rc ginsenoside fraction. Upon addition of the ginsenoside to the enzyme, a decrease in flurorescence intensity was discernible, together with an increase in emission anisotropy. Judging from the anisotropy values, the ginsenoside is rapidly trapped by the protein matrix. Total ginsenoside was administered to rats and the rat brains were removed for the measurement of the changes of GABA shunt regulating enzyme activities. Among the GABA shunt regulating enzymes, only the glutamate decarboxylase activities were increased after ginsenoside treatment. Therefore, it is suggested that the ginsenosides may elevate the GABA level in brain by activation of glutamate decarboxylase and the enzymatic activation might be due to the conformational change induced by binding of ginsenoside to the enzyme.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.166-176
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• 2002

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of visual activation and quantitative analysis of regional cerebral blood flow. Visual activation was known to increase regional cerebral blood flow in the visual cortex in occipital lobe. We evaluated that change in the distribution of $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ (Hexamethyl propylene amine oxime) to reflect in regional cerebral blood flow. Materials and Methods: The six volunteers were injected with 925 MBq (mean ages: 26.75 years, n=6, 3men, 3women) underwent MRI and $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ SPECT during a rest state with closed eyes and visual stimulated with 8 Hz LED. We delineate the legion of interest and calculated the mean count per voxel in each of the fifteen slices to quantitative analysis. The ROI to whole brain ratio and regional index was calculated pixel to pixel subtraction visual non-activation image from visual activation image and constructed brain map using a statistical parameter map (SPM99). Results: The mean regional cerebral blood flow was increased due to visual stimulation. The increase rate of the mean regional cerebral blood flow which of the activation region in primary visual cortex of occipital lobe was $32.50{\pm}5.67%$. The significant activation sites using a statistical parameter of brain constructed a rendering image and image fusion with SPECT and MRI. Conclusion: Visual activation was revealed significant increase through quantitative analysis in visual cortex. Activation region was certified in Talairach coordinate and primary visual cortex (Ba17),visual association area (Ba18,19) of Brodmann.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.121-130
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• 2020

Objectives: We investigated the differences in cognitive and emotional empathic ability between adolescents and adults, and the differences of the brain activation during cognitive and emotional empathy tasks. Methods: Adolescents (aged 13-15 years, n=14) and adults (aged 19-29 years, n=17) completed a range of empathic ability questionnaires and were scanned functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during both cognitive and emotional empathy task. Differences in empathic ability and brain activation between the groups were analyzed. Results: Both cognitive and emotional empathic ability were significantly lower in the adolescent compared to the adult group. Comparing the adolescent to the adult group showed that brain activation was significantly greater in the right transverse temporal gyrus (BA 41), right insula (BA 13), right superior parietal lobule (BA 7), right precentral gyrus (BA 4), and right thalamus whilst performing emotional empathy tasks. No brain regions showed significantly greater activation in the adolescent compared to the adult group while performing cognitive empathy task. In the adolescent group, scores of the Fantasy Subscale in the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which reflects cognitive empathic ability, negatively correlated with activity of right superior parietal lobule during emotional empathic situations (r=-0.739, p=0.006). Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that adolescents possess lower cognitive and emotional empathic abilities than adults do and require compensatory hyperactivation of the brain regions associated with emotional empathy or embodiment in emotional empathic situation. Compensatory hyperactivation in the emotional empathy-related brain areas among adolescents are likely associated with their lower cognitive empathic ability.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.47-58
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• 2019

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between adolescents and adults, in the perspective-taking ability, as well as the brain activation patterns during the perspective-taking situation. Methods We recruited healthy adolescents aged 13 years to 15 years (n = 20) and adults aged 19 years to 29 years (n = 20). All the subjects were scanned while performing the perspective-taking task, in which an emotional situation was presented in the form of statements comprising first person, as well as third person perspectives. Differences in brain activation between groups were assessed by contrasting neural activity during the tasks. Results In the between-group analysis, while performing the third-person perspective-taking task, the adolescent group showed greater neural activities in the middle frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus as compared to the adult group. Positive correlation was observed between the activity in the frontal areas (Brodmann area 6/9) and the score of scales related to perspective-taking and social cognition in the adolescent group. Conclusions This study suggests that several frontal brain areas of adolescents needs to be overactivated in order to compensate for low perspective-taking ability when they ought to take another person's point of view.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the neural substrates for recognizing facial expressions among alcoholics by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Abstinent inpatient alcoholics (n=18 males) and demographically similar social drinkers (n=16 males) participated in the study. The participants viewed pictures from the Japanese Female Facial Expression Database (JAFFE) and evaluated intensity of facial expressions. the alcoholics had a reduced activation in the limbic areas including amygdala and hippocampus while recognizing the emotional facial expressions compared to the nonalcoholic controls. On the other hand, the alcoholics showed greater brain activations than the controls in the left lingual (BA 19)/fusiform gyrus, the left middle frontal gyrus (BA 8/9/46), and the right superior parietal lobule (BA 7) during the viewing of emotional faces. In sum, specific brain regions were identified that are associated with recognition of facial expressions among alcoholics. The implication of the present study could be used in developing intervention for alcoholism.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.163-168
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• 2008

The dental orthodontic bracket requires good mechanical properties, such as elastic strength and frictional resistance, combined with a high resistance to corrosion. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of TiN and ZrN coating on corrosion resistance of orthodontic brackets using various electrochemical methods. Brackets manufactured by Ormco Co. were used, respectively, for experiment. Ion plating was carried out for coatings of bracket using Ti and Zr coating materials with nitrogen gas. Ion plated surface of each specimen was observed with field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), energy dispersive Xray spectroscopy(EDS) and electrochemical tester. The corrosion potential of the TiN and ZrN coated bracket was comparatively high. The current density of TiN and ZrN coated bracket was smaller than that of non-coated bracket in 0.9% NaCl solution. Pit nucleated at angle of bracket slot.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2012

Contemporary studies illustrate that peripheral injuries activate glial components of the peripheral and central cellular circuitry. The subsequent release of glial stressors or activating signals contributes to neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation. Recent studies document the importance of glia in the development and persistence of neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation as a connecting link, thereby focusing attention on the glial pathology as the general underlying factor in essentially all age-related neurodegenerative diseases. There is wide agreement that excessive glial activation is a key process in nervous system disorders involving the release of strong pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can trigger worsening of multiple disease states. This review will briefly discuss the recent findings that have shed light on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of glia as a connecting link between neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.183-192
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• 2005

This study compared cerebral lateralization index based on the area of neural activation with that based on the intensity of neural activation. For this purpose, 8 right-handed male college students (the mean age - 23.5 years) and 10 right-handed male college students (the mean age - 25.1 years) participated respectively in researches on visuospatial and verbal task brain function. Functional brain images were taken from 3T MRI using the single-shot EPI method. The result of measuring cerebral lateralization index based on the area of neural activation suggested that the right hemisphere is dominant in visuospatial tasks and the left one is in verbal tasks. However, the dominance is not sufficient to locate the exact part of the brain for these tasks. When cerebral lateralization index was computed based on the intensity of neural activation, it was derived that the area of cerebral lateralization closely related to visuospatial tasks is the superior parietal lobe, and the area of cerebral lateralization closely related to verbal tasks is the inferior and middle frontal lobes. Thus, cerebral lateralization index by area based on the intensity of neural activation as proposed by this study can determine the dominance of the cerebrum by area, so is helpful for accurate and quantitative determination of cerebral lateralization.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.57-64
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• 2014

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of brain activity between internet game overusers in adulthood and normal adults in a state of disembodiment. Methods The fMRI images were taken while the internet game overuser group (n = 14) and the control group (n = 15) were asked to perform the task composed of ball-throwing animations. The task reflected on either self-agency about ball-throwing or location of a ball. And each block was shown with either different (changing viewpoint) or same animations (fixed viewpoint). The disembodiment-related condition was the interaction between agency task and changing viewpoint. Results 1) In within-group analyses, the control group exhibited higher brain activation in the left precentral gyrus, the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the left insula. And the overuser group exhibited higher activation in the right cuneus, the left posterior middle occipital gyrus, and the left parahippocampal gyrus. 2) In between-group analyses, the control group exhibited higher activation in the right posterior superior temporal gyrus. And the overuser group exhibited higher activation in the left cuneus, and the left posterior middle occipital area. Conclusions These results show that the disembodiment-related brain activation of internet game overusers in adulthood is different from that of normal adults.