• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.354-360
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• 2005

Neuronal damage subsequent to transient cerebral ischemia is a multifactorial process involving several overlapping mechanisms. Gangliosides, sialic acid-conjugated glycosphingolipids, reduce the severity of acute brain damage in vitro. However their in vivo effects on the cerebral cortex damaged by ischemic infarct are unknown. To assess the possible protective role of gangliosides we examined their expression in the cerebral cortex damaged by ischemic infarct in the rat. Ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, and the resulting damage was observed by staining with 2, 3, 5-triphenylterazolium chloride (TTC). High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) showed that gangliosides GM3 and GM1 increased in the damaged cerebral cortex, and immunofluorescence microscopy also revealed a significant change in expression of GM1. In addition, in situ hybridization demonstrated an increase in the mRNA for ganglioside GM3 synthase. These results suggest that gangliosides GM1 and GM3 may be synthesized in vivo to protect the cerebral cortex from ischemic damage.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.265-271
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• 1999

These experiments were performed to investigate the effect of saline, monosodium L-glutamate(MSG), MSG-phenylalanine, and/or phenylalanine on TH-immunoreactivity in arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus and hind limb area of cerebral cortex in rats using the immunohistochemical methods. The result were as follows: 1. TH-immunoreactive neurons in hind limb area of cerebral cortex and arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus were decreased in MSG treated group compared to the saline treated group and also lesions in arcuate nucleus and median eminence of hypothalamus were increased with MSG treatment 2. TH-immunoreactive neurons in median eminence and arcuate nucleus were increased in phenylalanine treated group compared to the saline treated group and also neurons were more increased in lamina V of hind limb area of cerebral cortex with phenylalanine treatment. 3. TH-immunoreactive neurons in median eminence and arcuate nucleus were decreased in MSG-phenylalanine treated group compared to the phenylalanine treated group and increased compared to the MSG treated group. In lamina V of hind limb area of cerebral cortex, TH-immunoreactive neurons were more decreased in MSG-phenylalanine treated group than that of the phenylalanine treated group, and more increased than that of MSG treated group. These experiments indicated that TH-immunoreactive neurons in hypothalamus and cerebral cortex were increased due to the activation of phenylalanine and decreased by suppressing activation of phenylalanine through MSG treatment.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.265-271
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• 2019

The expansion and folding of the cerebral cortex occur during brain development and are critical factors that influence cognitive ability and sensorimotor skills. The disruption of cortical growth and folding may cause neurological disorders, resulting in severe intellectual disability and intractable epilepsy in humans. Therefore, understanding the mechanism that regulates cortical growth and folding will be crucial in deciphering the key steps of brain development and finding new therapeutic targets for the congenital anomalies of the cerebral cortex. This review will start with a brief introduction describing the anatomy of the brain cortex, followed by a description of our understanding of the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of neural progenitors and important genes and molecules that are involved in these processes. Finally, various types of disorders that develop due to malformation of the cerebral cortex will be discussed.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2005

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the time evolution and distribution of cerebral apoptosis using the middle cerebral artery occlusion model in rats. Methods: A total of twenty four male rats - with 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion respectively - were studied. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end labeling(TUNEL) method was used for the observation of the apoptotic cells. The apoptotic ratio was calculated and the distribution of apoptosis was inspected in the pyriform cortex, basal ganglia and middle cerebral artery territory cortex. The rats were divided into three groups(Group I : $2{\sim}4$ hours of occlusion, Group II : $6{\sim}$12 hours of occlusion, Group III : $24{\sim}48$ hours of occlusion). Results: In this study, the proportion of apoptosis increased with the duration of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reached a maximum after about 12 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion. The mean values of the apoptotic ratio were $30.7{\pm}11.3%$ in group I, $60.8{\pm}2.6%$ in group II and $48.7{\pm}0.7%$ in group III. The distribution of apoptosis differed in the pyriform cortex, basal ganglia and middle cerebral artery territory cortex according to the duration of time of the middle cerebral artery occlusion. Conclusion: In the middle cerebral artery occlusion model of the rats, apoptosis is found to increase according to the occlusion time, reaching a peak after 6 hours, and the distribution of apoptosis changed from the pyriform cortex to the basal ganglia and middle cerebral artery territory cortex.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.596-602
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• 2006

This study evaluated neuroprotective effect of Sunghyangjungki-San (SHS) on the focal cerebral ischemia. The rats were induced infarct in cerebral cortex and caudoputamen by using temporal occlussion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO), then water extract of SHS was treated for MCAO rats. Neuroprotective effect was evaluated by neurological score, infarct sizes and total volume, positive neurons against Bax, Caspase-3, HSP-72, and $HIF-1{\alpha}$ in infarct area with immunohistochemistry. The results obtained were as follows: Treatment of SHS improved neurological score of MCAO rats, but there was not a statistical significance. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly infarct sizes in the brain sections of MCAO rats. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly total volume of infarct of MCAO rats. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly Bax positive neurons in penumbra of cerebral cortex of MCAO rats. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly Caspase-3 positive neurons in caudoputamen and penumbra of cerebral cortex of MCAO rats. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly HSP-72 positive neurons in penumbra of cerebral cortex of MCAO rats. Treatment of SHS reduced significantly $IF-1{\alpha}$ positive neurons in penumbra of cerebral cortex of MCAO rats.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.421-434
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• 2013

The brains of adolescents experience rapid changes, which has been studied to prove relatedness between neuroanatomical properties and IQ. But, most previous studies infer the relatedness from purely cross-sectional data. This study not only measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex once, but traced its variability and the relatedness between IQ and this variability, which was presumed to be 75. Healthy adolescents (M=16yr. and 4month) were divided into 5-stage categories based on their intellectual ability and MRI scan was made twice every 6 months to measure the variablity of their cerebral cortex. As a result, a big difference in the variability of the cerebral cortex was shown based on their IQ. Three groups with an IQ of more than 120 showed a decrease in the thickness of the cerebral cortex in 11 brain regions, while two groups with an IQ lower than 120 showed an increase in the cerebral cortex thickness in 5 to 8 regions. It is presumed that the lower the IQ, the slower the maturation of the cerebral cortex.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.13-18
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• 2005

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture(EA) on Choksamni(ST36), a well-known acupuncture site, on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase(NADPH-d), neuropeptide Y(NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) in the cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR). EA on Choksamni was applied using 2Hz electrical biphasic pulses of 10min, 3 times a week for a total of 10 sessions. Thereafter we evaluated changes in NADPH-d-positive neurons histochemically and changes in NPY and VIP-positive neurons immunohistochemically. The optical density of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the Choksamni group was significantly lower in all areas of the cerebral cortex than in the control group. However, the optical density of NPY-positive neurons in the Choksamni group was similar to that of the controls in most areas of the cerebral cortex, with the exception of the primary motor and visual cortices. The optical density of VIP-positive neurons in the Choksamni group was significantly decreased as compared to the control group in most areas of the cerebral cortex, with the exception of the cingulate cortex. The present results demonstrated that EA on Choksamni changes the activity of the NO system, and that stimulation at the same level, causes selective changes within the peptidergic system in the cerebral cortex of SHR.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.488-491
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• 2014

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the prenatal hypoxic effect on the fetal brain development. Methods : We used the guinea pig chronic placental insufficiency model to investigate the effect of hypoxia on fetal brain development. We ligated unilateral uterine artery at 30-32 days of gestation (dg : with term defined as -67 dg). At 50 dg, 60 dg, fetuses were sacrificed and assigned to either the growth-restricted (GR) or control (no ligation) group. After fixation, dissection, and sectioning of cerebral tissue from these animals, immunohistochemistry was performed with NeuN antibody, which is a mature neuronal marker in the cerebral cortex. Results : The number of NeuN-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the cerebral cortex did not differ between the GR and control groups at 50 dg. However, the number of NeuN-IR cells was lesser in GR fetuses than in controls at 60 dg (p<0.05). Conclusion : These findings show that chronic prenatal hypoxia affect the number of neuron in the cerebral cortex of guinea pig fetus at 60 dg. The approach used in this study is helpful for extending our understanding of neurogenesis in the cerebral cortex, and the findings may be useful for elucidating the brain injury caused by prenatal hypoxia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.118-132
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• 2003

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Joksamni(ST36) combination on NAD PH-diaphorase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS), neuropeptide Y(NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rat. Methods: The experimental groups were divided into four groups: Normal, Joksamni(ST36), Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9), and Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11). Needles were inserted into acupoints at the depth of 0.5cm with basic insertion method. Electroacupuncture was done under the condition of 2Hz electrical biphasic pulses with continuous rectangular wave lasting for 0.2ms until the muscles produced visible contractions. Such stimulation was applied continuously for 10 minutes, 1 time every 2 days for 10 sessions of treatments. Thereafter we evaluated changes in NADPH-d positive neurons histochemically and changes in nNOS, NPY and VIP positive neurons immunohistochemically. Results: The optical densities of NADPH-d positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group in all areas of cerebral cortex and Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group in primary somatosensory cortex, visual cortex, auditory cortex, perirhinal cortex were significantly increased as compared to the Joksamni(ST36) group. The optical densities of NADPH-d positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group were significantly decreased as compared to the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group with the exception of primary somatosensory cortex. The optical densities of nNOS positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group in all areas of cerebral cortex and Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group in auditory cortex, perirhinal cortex, insular cortex were significantly increased as compared to the Joksamni(ST36) group. The optical densities of nNOS positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group were significantly decreased in all areas of cerebral cortex as compared to the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group. The optical densities of NPY positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group were significantly decreased in primary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, cingulate cortex as compared to the Joksamni (ST36) and Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) groups. The optical densities of VIP positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group were significantly increased in all areas of cerebral cortex except for cingulate cortex as compared to the Joksamni(ST36) group. The optical densities of VIP positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group were significantly decreased in auditory cortex, cingulate cortex, perirhinal cortex as compared to the Joksamni(ST36) group. The optical densities of VIP positive neurons of the Joksamni(ST36)+Gokji(LI11) group were significantly decreased in all areas of cerebral cortex as compared to the Joksamni(ST36)+Eumneungcheon(SP9) group. Conclusions: The result demonstrated that electroacupuncture on Joksamni(ST36) and its combination change the activities of the NO system and peptidergic system in the cerebral cortex of SHR and that acupoint combination is one of the important parameters for the effects.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.205-222
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• 2004

Objective: To investigate the effects of acupointed Choksamni(ST36), Kokchi(LI11) and Arbitrary acupoint on NADPH-diaphorase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS), neuropeptide Y(NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) in the cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Methods: The experimental groups were divided into four groups: Normal, Choksamni(ST36), Kokchi(LI11), arbitrary group. Needles were inserted into acupoints at the depth of 0.5 cm with basic insertion method. Such stimulation was applied continuously for 10 minutes, every other day, for 10 sessions of treatments. Thereafter we evaluated changes in NADPH-d-positive neurons histochemically and changes in nNOS, NPY and VIP-positive neurons immunohistochemically. Results : The optical densities of NADPH-d-positive neurons of all the Choksamni & Kokchi groups were significantly different in all areas of cerebral cortex as compared to arbitrary group. In motor1, sensory2, cingulate2, insular, peripheral, visual cortex there was a significant difference between Choksamni & Kokchi group. The optical densities of nNOS-positive neurons of Choksamni group were significantly different in all areas except for auditory, visual and pisiform cortex and Kokchi group in all areas except for auditory and pisiform cortex as compared to arbitrary group. And there was a significant difference in cingulate1, cingulate2, ectohinal, visual cortex between Choksamni & Kokchi group. The optical densities of NPY neurons of Choksamni group were significantly different in cingulate2, insular, pisiform cortex and Kokchi group in motor1, motor2, sensory1, cingulate2, ectorhinal cortex as compared to arbitrary group. And there was no significant difference between Choksamni & Kokchi group. The optical densities of VIP neurons of Choksamni group were significantly different in all areas except for motor1, auditory cortex and Kokchi group in sensory1, insular, ectorhinal, perirhinal, visual, pisiform cortex as compared to arbitrary group. And there was a significant difference in cingulate1, cingulate2, retrosplenial, auditory corterx between Choksamni & Kokchi group. Conclusion : Our results demonstrated that acupuncture on Choksamni(ST36) & Kokchi(LI11) changes the control activities of the NO system in the cerebral cortex of SHR and according to areas there were significant difference between two groups. In all cerebral cortex areas there were distributed NPY & VIP and there were no significant difference among Choksamni(ST36), Kokchi(LI11) and arbitrary group.