• 대한약리학회지
• /
• 제18권1호
• /
• pp.17-22
• /
• 1982

Zizyphus seed(Zizyphus vulgaris Lamark var. Spinosus Bunge) has long been used as hypnotics and sedatives in oriental medicine, and it is reported that the Zizyphus seed elicited a variety of pharmacologic actions besides CNS depression. Present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of Zizyphus seed on the central nervous system and on the blood pressure. The effect of Zizyphus seed on the central nervous system was measured by the influence of thiopental sleeping time and by inhibition of chemical convulsion (strychnine and pentylenetetrazol induced). Blood pressure changes by Zizyphus extract and its mode of action were investigated. The ground Zizyphus seed was extracted with hexane and methanol, consecutively and the supernatants were discarded. The precipitate was re-extracted with distilled water and the supernatant was evaporated to a dark-brownish sticky liquid, which was used as Zizyphus seed extract in this study after dissolving in saline prior to experiment. The results are as follows. 1) Zizyphus seed extract caused marked prolongation of the thiopental sleeping time in mice. 2) The chemical convulsion by strychnine and pentylenetetrazol, and the mortality by them in chicks were not affected by pretreatment of Zizyphus seed extract. 3) Zizyphus seed extract produced transient fall of blood pressure in the cat, and this hypotentive effect was blocked partially by atropine but not affected by bilateral vagotomy and/or hexamethonium, nor propranolol and, chlorpheniramine and/or cimetidine. With the above results, it may be suggested that the water extract of Zizyphus seeds contains components producing CNS depression and hypotension. Furthermore it is felt that the cholinergic effect, but not the adrenergic or histaminergic, is partly responsible for the hypotensive effect of Zizyphus seed extract.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.45-49
• /
• 2005

Respiration in Antheraea mylitta was studied using constant pressure respirometer. Oxygen uptake in different stages of life showed that moth has highest rate of oxygen uptake as compared to larva and pupa. At each stage significant sexual differentiation was observed. Depression in the rate of oxygen uptake in diapausing pupa was found to be higher in male ($65.75\%$) than female ($60.65\%$) as compared to non-diapausing counterparts. During diapause lowest oxygen uptake was recorded in the month of February, and were in the order of February < January < December < March < November < April < May < June in male, and, February < January < December < March < April < November < May < June in female. Significant sexual differentiation in oxygen uptake was recorded throughout the period of diapause (November to June) where female pupae registered lower rate of oxygen uptake than that of male. Oxygen uptake in female pupae declined upto $28.89\%$ in non-diapausing and $18.29\%$ in diapausing broods over male. Highest respiratory quotient value was recorded in the moth of November (0.68 in male and 0.70 in female) and, the lowest in the month of March in male (0.54) and May in female (0.55). Percentage loss in pupa weight always remained at a significantly higher level in male (except in February and March). The lowest oxygen uptake rate and weight loss in the month of February shows that the pupae were at peak of their dormancy during this month.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• 제44권4호
• /
• pp.644-654
• /
• 2020

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental disorder induced by traumatic stress and often accompanied by depression and/or anxiety, may involve an imbalance in the neurotransmitters associated with the fear response. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has long been used as a traditional medicine and is known to be involved in a variety of pharmacological activities. We used the open field test and forced swimming test to examine the effects of KRG on the depression-like response of rats after exposure to single prolonged stress (SPS), leading to activation of the serotonergic system. Methods: Male rats received KRG (30, 50, and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) once daily for 14 days after exposure to SPS. Results: Daily KRG administration significantly improved depression-like behaviors in the forced swimming test, increased the number of lines crossed and time spent in the central zone in the open field test, and decreased freezing behavior in contextual and cued fear conditioning. KRG treatment attenuated SPS-induced decreases in serotonin (5-HT) tissue concentrations in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. The increased 5-HT concentration during KRG treatment may be partially attributable to the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid/5-HT ratio in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD. These effects may be caused by the activation of hippocampal genes encoding tryptophan hydroxylase-1 and 2 mRNA levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that KRG has an antidepressant effect in rats subjected to SPS and may represent an effective use of traditional medicine for the treatment of PTSD.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제22권3호
• /
• pp.422-430
• /
• 2012

Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated restraint stress in rodents produces increases in depression and anxiety-like behaviors and alters the expression of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the hypothalamus. The current study focused on the impact of Bupleurum falcatum (BF) extract administration on repeated restraint stress-induced behavioral responses using the forced swimming test (FST) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Immunohistochemical examinations of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in rat brain were also conducted. Male rats received daily doses of 20, 50, or 100 mg/kg (i.p.) BF extract for 15 days, 30 min prior to restraint stress (4 h/day). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in response to repeated restraint stress was confirmed base on serum corticosterone levels and CRF expression in the hypothalamus. Animals that were pre-treated with BF extract displayed significantly reduced immobility in the FST and increased open-arm exploration in the EPM test in comparison with controls. BF also blocked the increase in TH expression in the locus coeruleus of treated rats that experienced restraint stress. Together, these results demonstrate that BF extract administration prior to restraint stress significantly reduces depression and anxiety-like behaviors, possibly through central adrenergic mechanisms, and they suggest a role for BF extract in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.

• 융합정보논문지
• /
• 제8권3호
• /
• pp.161-168
• /
• 2018

본 연구는 내현적 자기애가 정서인식 명확성과 정서표현 양가성을 매개로 우울에 미치는 영향을 검증하였다. 이를 위해 중부권에 거주하고 있는 대학생 343명을 대상으로 내현적 자기애 척도(CNS), 우울척도(BDI), 특질-상위 기분 척도(TMMS), 정서표현 양가성 척도(AEQ-K)를 사용하여 설문을 실시하였다. 연구 결과, 첫째, 내현적 자기애는 정서인식 명확성과 부적 상관을, 정서표현 양가성, 우울과는 정적 상관을 보였다. 둘째, 내현적 자기애가 우울에 영향을 미치는 과정에서 정서인식 명확성과 정서표현 양가성이 이를 완전매개 하였다. 셋째, 내현적 자기애가 우울에 미치는 영향에서 정서인식 명확성과 정서표현 양가성의 간접효과는 유의미하였다. 이러한 연구 결과는 내현적 자기애 성향을 가지고 있는 대학생이 우울해 하는데 있어 정서인식 명확성과 정서표현 양가성이 영향을 미치는 변인임을 시사한다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 내현적 자기애성향의 대학생을 위한 효율적인 상담 개입방법과 연구의 시사점과 제한점, 추후연구를 위한 제언들에 대해 논의하였다.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
• /
• 제27권2호
• /
• pp.103-117
• /
• 2016

Objectives The purpose of this study was to introduce Chinese Taoist Cognitive Psychotherapy (CTCP), a psychotherapy based on Oriental culture, and review related research to understand its efficacy.Methods Relevant articles were searched from CNKI, WANFANG, Pubmed, EMBASE, AMED and CENTRAL.Results Thirty-seven studies were selected based on our inclusion criteria, which included 31 RCTs. The overall risk of bias of the RCTs was unclear or high. In the total relevant studies, the target diseases were most commonly depression and anxiety disorder. Generally, CTCP combined with Western medicine was significantly more effective than prescribing medicine alone.Conclusions CTCP can be useful for several psychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety disorder; however, more high-quality clinical trials are needed to confirm its efficacy.

• 생물정신의학
• /
• 제7권2호
• /
• pp.131-139
• /
• 2000

Even the pharmacotherapy is more effective than placebo for the treatment of depression, the outcome of pharmacoltherapy remains unsatisfactory for many patients. Apart from side effects, there are two major limitations of antidepressant therapy. One is the delayed onset of improvement and another is partial response. In order to address these clinical dilemmas, many psychiatrists more commonly employ add-on therapy. In past, the practice of using multiple drugs to enhance treatment response was called polypharamcy, and was disparaged as poor clinical practice. However, with improved understanding of how drugs affects the central nervous system and increased communication in journals and on computer networks about the relative merits of specific combinations, the scientific basis for the combining drugs is being defined. Indeed, the use of multiple medications as a stratege to enhance response has become both acceptable and widespread now a days. It is now referred to more positively as add-on therapy, co-medication, combination therapy, or drug augmentation. Thus, as the methods of practical strategies for treatment of depression, switching classes antidepressant drugs, combination therapy, augmentation strategies and brief treatment algorithm will be presented with items of considerations. However, when combination of drugs being tried, knowledges about the action of mechanism, pharamcokinetics, and pharmacodynamics are essential to cope with the possible adversive reactions and to get the appropriate responses for the treatment of depressive symptoms.

• 생물정신의학
• /
• 제23권2호
• /
• pp.37-40
• /
• 2016

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a major public health problem. It is estimated that about 30% of patients with major depressive disorder do not show substantial clinical improvement to somatic or psychosocial treatment. Most of studies for TRD have focused on the subjects already known as TRD. Patients with unipolar depressive episodes that do not respond satisfactorily to numerous sequential treatment regimens were included in the TRD studies. Such post hoc experimental design can be regarded only as consequences of having TRD, rather than as causal risk factors for it. Although informative, data derived from such studies often do not allow a distinction to be made between cause and effect. So, we should shift paradigm toward examining the risk for developing TRD in untreated depressed patients. To deal with this problem, untreated depressed patients should be enrolled in the study to identify biological markers for treatment resistance. The peripheral or central biological markers should be explored before starting treatment. Subsequent systematic administration of treatments with appropriate monitoring in the subjects can determine the risk for developing treatment resistance in untreated individuals. Such information could give a cue to improve the initial diagnosis and provide more effective treatment for TRD.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제7권6호
• /
• pp.303-306
• /
• 2003

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), classified into three groups (group I, II, III), play a critical role in modulation of synaptic transmission at central and peripheral synapses. In the present study, extracellular field potential recording techniques were used to investigate effects of mGluR agonists on excitatory synaptic transmission at thalamic input synapses onto the lateral amygdala. The non-selective mGluR agonist t-ACPD ($100{\mu}M$) produced reversible, short-term depression, but the group III mGluR agonist L-AP4 ($50{\mu}M$) did not have any significant effects on amygdala synaptic transmission, suggesting that group I and/or II mGluRs are involved in the modulation by t-ACPD. The group I mGluR agonist DHPG ($100{\mu}M$) produced reversible inhibition as did t-ACPD. Unexpectedly, the group II mGluR agonist LCCG-1 ($10{\mu}M$) induced long-term as well as short-term depression. Thus, our data suggest that activation of group I or II mGluRs produces short-term, reversible depression of excitatory synaptic transmission at thalamic input synapses onto the lateral amygdala. Considering the long-term effect upon activation of group II mGluRs, lack of long-term effects upon activation of group I and II mGluRs may indicate a possible cross-talk among different groups of mGluRs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제26권4호
• /
• pp.358-367
• /
• 2018

Most organisms have adapted to a circadian rhythm that follows a roughly 24-hour cycle, which is modulated by both internal (clock-related genes) and external (environment) factors. In such organisms, the central nervous system (CNS) is influenced by the circadian rhythm of individual cells. Furthermore, the period circadian clock 2 (Per2) gene is an important component of the circadian clock, which modulates the circadian rhythm. Per2 is mainly expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus as well as other brain areas, including the midbrain and forebrain. This indicates that Per2 may affect various neurobiological activities such as sleeping, depression, and addiction. In this review, we focus on the neurobiological functions of Per2, which could help to better understand its roles in the CNS.