• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.114-133
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• 2003

Objective : The meridian theory in oriental medicine explains that Sp9(Yinlingquan) has been considered very important for gynecological disorders, spleen and stomach disorders, and water metabolic disorders. Functional MRI is the best method of showing the evidences of the effect of the Electro-acupuncture treatment through scientific methods. On this supposition, Electro-acupuncture stimulation on Sp9(Yinlingquan) was carried out on six healthy volunteers, using the gradient echo sequence with the 3.0T whole-body MRI system(ISOL). Methods : Electro-acupuncture stimulation on Sp9(Yinlingquan), the experiment was carried out on six healthy volunteers, using the gradient echo sequence with the 3.0T whole-body MRI system(ISOL). After the needle insertion on right Sp9(Yinlingquan), 2Hz of electric stimulation was given for 30 seconds, repeated five times, with 30 seconds' intervals. The Image analysis including motion correction, talairach transformation, and smoothing was done using SPM99. Results : The electro-acupuncture stimulation on Sp9(Yinlingquan) activates Brodmann Area 13, 19, 22, 39, 40, 47 which may be the central pathways of the electro-acupuncture stimulation on Sp9(Yinlingquan). We also hypothesize that those brain areas may be directly or indirectly related with the mechanism of the effect of electro-acupuncture stimulation on Sp9(Yinlingquan).

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.112-115
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• 2005

Objective: Thalamic lesioning and deep brain stimulation(DBS) have proved to be beneficial to the treatment of essential tremor(ET). The authors compared the effects and complications of two modalities. Methods: A total of 34 patients with ET were treated with ventral intermediate(Vim) nucleus thalamotomy or Vim DBS from May 1999 to May 2003. The procedure of lesioning or stimulation were performed as usual manner with or without microelectrode recording. Postoperatively, utilizing the various combinations of frequency, voltage and pulse width optimized the stimulation. The degree of improvements of tremor and the occurrence of the complications were evaluated postoperatively and at follow-up. Results: There were 38 procedures, including 27 with Vim thalamotomy and 11 with DBS, in 34 patients. Of the thalamotomy group, left Vim lesioning is 25 and right one is 2. Follow-up duration ranged from 12 to 57 months. In the thalamotomy group, the rate of overall good outcome was 88.9% but 12 patients (44.4%) showed permanent adverse effects. In the cases of stimulation, the rate of overall good outcome was 90.9% and two patients had acceptable dysarthria. Conclusion: Both Vim thalamotomy and Vim DBS were effective for the treatment of ET, although perioperative adverse effects tended to be higher in patients who had thalamotomy. In cases of DBS, adjustments of stimulation parameters enabled an acceptable position to be achieved with tremor control and unwanted effects.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.42-62
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• 2011

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the effect of acupuncture at HT8 on brain activity in perimenopausal women using fMRI. Methods: 15 healthy perimenopausal women volunteered in the study. No stimulation, sham stimulation, duration of acupuncture treatment on HT8, and rotation of acupuncture treatment on HT8 were randomly given for 6 minutes, with 20 seconds' intervals. Results: 1. In comparison with sham stimulation(Sham-B) and duration of acupucture (S1-B, S1-Sham, S2-S1), the areas of fMRI signal activation areas were just like cases including no stimulation. But the areas of vision were activated in S1-Sham. 2. In comparison with duration of acupuncture(S1-B, S1-Sham, S2-S1) and rotation of acupuncture(S2-B, S2-Sham, S2-S1), the areas of vision were activated in duration of acupuncture, and Supplementary motor area(SMA) were especially activated in rotation of acupuncture. Conclusions: After using fMRI and analysing effect of acupuncture treatment at HT8, we could confirm that fMRI signal activation areas by acupuncture treatment at HT8 were different from areas by sham stimulation. And according to acupuncture stimulation methods with duration and rotation, etc, we could confirm the specific reactions of series, and could get useful basic data for research of acupuncture from now on.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 1982

Using electronic cochlear implant system, we studied in cats the difference in the response of the brain stem evoked response (BER) during the stimulation with the acoustic signals and the electric signals. These brain stem electric responses were analyzed using the integral pulse frequency modulation method of the auditory nervous system. Animal experimental results and the analysis show that the carrier wave hasimprored the frequency specificity. of the electronic auditory prosthesis.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.99-107
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyze the change of visual stimulus of users to the space through the experiment of EEG and the satisfaction of users depends on the lighting. To do that, the results measured with EEG experiment focusing on Beta ${\beta}$ were compared to each other to figure out difference in the changes of the activation of human brain on lighting's situation as the lighting off and on in the same space. The difference in the results was verified according to the characteristic of users which classified with 4 types of the spatial sensitivities. The results of this study are as following. Firstly, the spacial sensitivity of user is to communicate well with the different senses with stimulus through interaction among the elements. At this time, the brain plays a major role in build the spacial sensitivity of users as the place to make form. Secondly, there are the differences in the activation of brain depends on lighting situation even in the same space. The stimulus into the brain became generally stronger in images with lighting on than off. Especially, the response in the occipital lobe which connected with the visual center turn out strongly in the image of 'modern natural'. Because the visual stimulus interact well with the bright color, the reflectional texture and the rough texture painted the dark color. Thirdly, the satisfaction of users changed with lighting in the space. But we could know that the satisfaction of users isn't be related to the visual stimulus through the results of this study. Finally, there isn't the difference in the activation degree of brain according to the characteristic which are preference of users into 4 types of the spatial sensitivity through the results came from ANCOVA(analysis of covariance) with SPSS Program 22.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.89-101
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• 2016

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe, noninvasive and useful technique for exploring brain function. Especially, for the study of cognition, the technique can modulate a cognitive performance if the targeted area is engaged, because TMS has an effect on cortical network. The effect of TMS can vary depending on the frequency, intensity, and timing of stimulation. In this paper, we review the studies with TMS targeting various regions for evaluation of cognitive function. Cognitive functions, such as attention, working memory, semantic decision, discrimination and social cognition can be improved or deteriorated according to TMS stimulation protocols. Furthermore, potential therapeutic applications of TMS, including therapy in a variety of illness and research into cortical localization, are discussed.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2022

Noninvasive stimulation of the nervous system for treating chronic neuropathic pain has received attention because of its tolerability and relative efficacy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a representative method of noninvasive brain stimulation. Evidence-based guidelines on therapeutic use of rTMS have been proposed recently for several neurological diseases. These guidelines recommend treating neuropathic pain by applying high-frequency (≥ 5 Hz) rTMS to the primary motor cortex contralateral to the painful side. This review summarizes the mechanisms and guidelines of rTMS for treating neuropathic pain, and proposes directions for future research.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 2009

Purpose : This study was performed not only to compare the brain activation regions associated with sexual arousal induced by visual stimulation and SP6 acupuncture, but also to evaluate its differential neuro-anatomical mechanism in healthy women using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla (T). Subjects and methods : A total of 21 healthy right-handed female volunteers (mean age 22 years, range 19 to 32) underwent fMRI on a 3T MR scanner. The stimulation paradigm for sexual arousal consisted of two alternating periods of rest and activation. It began with a 1-minute rest period, 3 minutes of stimulation with either of an erotic video film or SP6 acupuncture, followed by 1-minute rest. In addition, a comparative study on the brain activation patterns between an acupoint and a shampoint nearby GB37 was performed. The fMRI data were obtained from 20 slices parallel to the AC-PC line on an axial plane, giving a total of 2,000 images. The mean activation maps were constructed and analyzed by using the statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) software. Results : As comparison with the shampoint, the acupoint showed 5 times and 2 times higher activities in the neocortex and limbic system, respectively. Note that brain activation in response to stimulation with the shampoint was not observed in the regions including the HTHL in the diencephalon, GLO and AMYG in the basal ganglia, and SMG in the parietal lobe. In the comparative study of visual stimulation vs. SP6 acupuncture, the mean activation ratio of stimulus was not significantly different to each other in both the neocortex and the limbic system (p < 0.05). The mean activities induced by both stimuli were not significantly different in the neocortex, whereas the acupunctural stimulation showed higher activity in the limbic system (p < 0.05). Conclusions : This study compared the differential brain activation patterns and the neural mechanisms for sexual arousal, which were induced by visual stimulation and SP6 acupuncture by using 3T fMRI. These findings will be useful to understand the theory of traditional acupuncture and acupoint channel in scientific point of view.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 1993

Electrical or chemical stimulation of many areas in the brainstem modulates activity of dorsal horn neurons (DHN). This is known to be mediated by a population of bulbospinal neurons. Yet, little is known about responses of DHNs to stimulation of the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM). Thus, the purpose of the present study is to see if there is any change in activity of DHNs when CVLM is stimulated electrically. Thirty-one DHNs were recorded from dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Fourteen DHNs (45%) were classified as wide dynamic range neurons and 9 (19%) were high threshold cells, and 4 (13%) and 4 (13%) were deep and low threshold neurons, respectively. Among 31 neurons tested for responses to stimulation of CVLM, 21 DHNs (68%) were inhibited by the electrical stimulation of CVLM ($200{\mu}A,\;100{\mu}s$ duration, 100 Hz), and 9 cells (39%) did not show any change in neuronal activity. One neuron was excited by the stimulation. The electrical stimulation of CVLM not only inhibited spontaneous activity of DHNs but also inhibited evoked responses of DHNs to somatic stimulation in the receptive field. These data suggest that CVLM is one of the pain-modulatory areas that control transmission of ascending information of noxious input to the brain from the spinal cord.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.195-219
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• 2015

Acupuncture therapy has been proved to be effective for diverse diseases, symptoms, and conditions in numerous clinical trials. The growing popularity of acupuncture therapy has triggered the development of modern acupuncture-like stimulation devices (ASDs), which are equivalent or superior to manual acupuncture with respect to safety, decreased risk of infection, and facilitation of clinical trials. Here, we aim to summarize the research on modern ASDs, with a focus on featured devices undergoing active research and their effectiveness and target symptoms, along with annual publication rates. We searched the popular electronic databases Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, and analyzed English-language studies on humans. Thereby, a total of 728 studies were identified, of which 195 studies met our inclusion criteria. Electrical stimulators were found to be the earliest and most widely studied devices (133 articles), followed by laser (44 articles), magnetic (16 articles), and ultrasound (2 articles) stimulators. A total of 114 studies used randomized controlled trials, and 109 studies reported therapeutic benefits. The majority of the studies (32%) focused on analgesia and pain-relief effects, followed by effects on brain activity (16%). All types of the reviewed ASDs were associated with increasing annual publication trends; specifically, the annual growth in publications regarding noninvasive stimulation methods was more rapid than that regarding invasive methods. Based on this observation, we anticipate that the noninvasive or minimally invasive ASDs will become more popular in acupuncture therapy.