• Journal of Digital Contents Society
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.1051-1060
• /
• 2018

This study aims to propose instituting the serious games of language-based cognitive enhancement for the BIF children. The program consists of 4 cognitive areas (perception, attention, working memory, knowledge inference) in 4 language dimensions (phoneme, word, sentence, discourse). 16 games of 4 areas/2 dimensions with 3 difficulty levels were implemented in a mobile station and pilot-tested to children including BIFs. The results from the pilot tests supported for the validity and effectiveness of our games: Children's game performance correlated with their IQ scores (overall and sub-areas) revealing significant differences between the groups. The stroop scores in pre-and-post training hinted the increase of children's cognitive control.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.561-571
• /
• 2023

Background: Escalating evidence shows that ginseng possesses an antiaging potential with cognitive enhancing activity. As mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) is cultivated without agricultural chemicals, MCG has emerged as a popular herb medicine. However, little is known about the MCG-mediated pharmacological mechanism on brain aging. Methods: As we demonstrated that glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is important for enhancing memory function in the animal model of aging, we investigated the role of MCG as a GPx inducer using GPx-1 (a major type of GPx) knockout (KO) mice. We assessed whether MCG modulates redox and cholinergic parameters, and memory function in aged GPx-1 knockout KOmice. Results: Redox burden of aged GPx-1 KO mice was more evident than that of aged wild-type (WT) mice. Alteration of Nrf2 DNA binding activity appeared to be more evident than that of NFκB DNA binding activity in aged GPx-1 KO mice. Alteration in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was more evident than that in acetylcholine esterase activity. MCG significantly attenuated reductions in Nrf2 system and ChAT level. MCG significantly enhanced the co-localization of Nrf2-immunoreactivity and ChAT-immunoreactivity in the same cell population. Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol significantly counteracted MCG-mediated up-regulation in ChAT level and ChAT inhibition (by k252a) significantly reduced ERK phosphorylation by MCG, suggesting that MCG might require signal cascade of Nrf2/ChAT/ERK to enhance cognition. Conclusion: GPx-1 depletion might be a prerequisite for cognitive impairment in aged animals. MCG-mediated cognition enhancement might be associated with the activations of Nrf2, ChAT, and ERK signaling cascade.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.298-303
• /
• 2018

Background: Panax ginseng is one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs worldwide for a variety of therapeutic properties including neurocognitive effects. Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the most abundant active chemical constituents of this herb with known neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and cognition improving effects. Methods: We investigated the effects of Rg1 on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key brain region involved in cognition, information processing, working memory, and decision making. In this study, the effects of systemic administration of Rg1 (1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, or 10 mg/kg) on (1) spontaneous firing of the medial prefrontal cortical neurons and (2) long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal-medial prefrontal cortical (HP-mPFC) pathway were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Results: The spontaneous neuronal activity of approximately 50% the recorded pyramidal cells in the mPFC was suppressed by Rg1. In addition, Rg1 attenuated LTP in the HP-mPFC pathway. These effects were not dose-dependent. Conclusion: This report suggests that acute treatment of Rg1 impairs LTP in the HP-mPFC pathway, perhaps by suppressing the firing of a subset of mPFC neurons that may contribute to the neurocognitive effects of Rg1.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.81-94
• /
• 2021

Objective : Response time plays a prominent part in research on cognitive ability and the aging effect. This study aimed to identify the impact of cognitive ability on information processing by conducting cognitive response time (CRT) using a computer program. Methods : This study was conducted in 30 normal elderly (NE) and 30 elderly with amnestic MCI (aMCI), aged 65-79 years old living in Daegu and Gyeongbuk. The results were analyzed using the statistical analysis program R 4.0.2 (University of Auckland, New Zealand). Results : In the three sub-areas of CRT, the total response time showed a significant difference depending on group or age, and the error rate showed a significant difference depending on age or group in some sub-areas. In the aMCI group, the performance of CRT significantly correlated with that of the overall cognition and memory test. Conclusion : Information processing depending on aging or cognitive ability and the differential performance of processing speed could be observed through CRT. The performance of this test was found to be significantly correlated with that of the overall cognition and memory test. Therefore, CRT could be used meaningfully as a simplified tool to predict the initial cognitive disorder of the elderly in the community.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.571-598
• /
• 2015

This study aimed to assess the spatial cognition strategies and roles taken by students in the process of solving spatial tasks. For the analysis, this study developed two spatial tests based on the mental rotation test, which were taken by 63 students in their final year in elementary schools. The results of this study showed that in terms of the method of approaching the tasks, students took the comprehensive approach and the partial approach. When solving the tasks, the students were shown to use the imagery thinking or analytic thinking method. In terms of perspective, the students rotated the object or change their perspectives. A comparison of the methods used by the students revealed that when approaching the tasks, the group of students who chose the partial approach had higher scores. In terms of solving the tasks the analytic thinking method, and in terms of perspective, changing perspectives were shown to be more effective. Such effective methods were used more frequently in discrimination tasks than in recognition tasks, and in more complicated items, than in less complicated items. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that the partial, analytic approach and the change of perspectives are useful strategies in solving tasks which require high cognitive effort.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.8-17
• /
• 2000

Estrogen can influence on the expression of behaviors not associated directly with reproduction, including learning and memory. Recently estrogen has received considerable attention for its effects on neuroprotection and neural circuits in brain areas associated with cognition. Although estrogen replacement therapy may be helpful to postmenopausal women, it also results in a number of harmful side effects. Ginseng also has steroidal qualities and contains several ginsenoside components which have similar backbone structure to estrogen. The objectives of this experiment were 1) to examine the effects of estrogen and 2) to investigate the effects of ginsenosides as estrogenic agent on learning and memory using the Morris water maze, a traditional experimental task for spatial memory. In the experiments designed here, ovariectomized mice were implanted subcutaneously with Sila, itic capsules containing 17${\beta}$-estradiol (100∼250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$), panaxadiol (PD) and panaxatriol (PT) saponins (15∼100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$) diluted with sesame oil. In the first set of experiment, the effects of estradiol on learning and memory during the Morris water maze was examined. When estradiol was delivered via Silastic capsules following training improved spatial memory performance in ovariectomized female mice. In the second set of experiment, three different PD and PT saponin concentrations were delivered via Silastic implants to ovariectomized female mice and their effects were compared with estrogenic effects. Results of three separate experiments demonstrated that estradiol, PD and PT administrated by Silastic implants for 2 weeks prior to water maze training significantly improved spatial memory performance compared to ovariectomized (OVX) mice, as indicated by lower escape latency over trial. The positive effect of estradiol suggests that estrogen can affect performance on learning and memory. In addition, the positive effect of PD and PT saponins suggest that ginsenosides have an estrogen-like effects in mediating learning and memory related behavior action.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.11 no.10
• /
• pp.3680-3689
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study is to inquire into the changes to the emotional intelligence of young children by giving them pleasure and memory through the program of ecological experience. A survey was made on 40 young children in two classes out of 5-year-old children's classes in nurseries located at Chungcheong-do. They were divided into the experiment group and control group to consist of 20 persons, respectively. For young children of the experiment group, the experiment was conducted while observing and experiencing through the division of the group into 5 persons on fixed days according to the program of ecological experience. Analysis showed that the program of ecological experience in the experiment group relatively higher effect of increase for the emotional intelligence of young children, and the use of self emotion, the cognition and consideration of other's emotion, the cognition and expression of self emotion, the regulation and impulse control of emotion, the relationship with teacher and the relationship with peer by sub-factors than that in the control group. In other words, close relationships with nature and inquiry instruction of ecological experience have provided the attitude-based formation living together with the understanding of natural world and eco-friendly attitude, the cognition of ecological crisis and social cooperation that couldn't feel in indoor education. Consequently, the program of ecological experience should prove useful for the emotional intelligence of young children.

• Journal of Science Education
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.167-185
• /
• 2012

This study aimed at finding points of improvement in teaching expertise by analyzing the question patterns that appeared during teaching demonstrations which applied science teaching models prepared by a pre-service biology teacher. The question analysis frame for analyzing question types were categorized largely into the question types of Category 1 (questions in cognitive domain, questions with research function, questions in affective domain), Category 2 (repeated questions, questions for narrowing the range, practice questions), and Category 3 (questions on student activity progress, memory questions, and thinking questions). The results of analyzing question patterns from five different science teaching models revealed a high frequency of questions in the fields of cognition and memory. For the circular learning model, questions from the cognitive field appeared the most often, while, student activity progressive questions in particular were used mostly in the 'preliminary concept introduction stage' of the circular learning model and the 'secondary exploratory stage', in which experiments were conducted, and displayed the characteristics of these stages. The discovery learning model combined the courses of observation, measurement, classification and generalization, but, during teaching demonstrations, memory questions turned up the most, while the portion of inquisitive function questions was low. There were many questions from the inquisitive learning model, and, compared to other learning models, many exploratory function questions turned up during the 'experiment planning stage' and 'experiment stage'. Definitional questions and thought questions for the STS learning model turned up more than other learning models. During the change of concept learning model, the five concepts of students were stimulated and the modification of scientific concepts was very much aided by using many memory questions.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.29-38
• /
• 2012

Introduction : This study reviews the main areas of cognitive rehabilitation including executive dysfunction, memory dysfunction, perceptual dysfunction, attention deficit, and dysfunctions in activities of daily living in order to apply to the adaptation of occupational therapy. Body : Cognition programs based on the virtual reality are being used not only to evaluate but to train the overall components of human's cognition. Because the cognitive program is concentrating on the real environment, it is known to bring a remarkable transitional effect to the actual environment, compared to the basic computer-based evaluation and training. Applying virtual reality to the rehabilitation program can develop and advance the high technology and can result in a major effect on the innovative treatment technology. Conclusions : In this process, virtual reality is expected to be researched more in the near future. Particularly in the cognitive realm, it is imperative for researchers to pay attention to the improved transitional effect of the virtual reality toward the actual environment, rather than the already existing method of evaluations. Therefore, application of the virtual reality for the cognitive training should be researched for various types of subjects in the diverse aspects of congnitive function. Application of the virtual reality in the cognitive function has its unlimited potential, thus the rehabilitation program integrated with not only evaluation but training and education is expected extensively in the future.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.224-230
• /
• 2011

In order to develop silk peptide (SP) preparations possessing cognition-enhancing effect, several candidates were screened through in vitro assays, and their effectiveness was investigated in facilitated brain aging model rats. Incubation of brain acetyl-cholinesterase with SP-PN (1-1,000 ${\mu}g/ml$) led to inhibition of the enzyme activity up to 35%, in contrast to a negligible effect of SP-NN. The expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) mRNA of neural stem cells expressing ChAT gene (F3.ChAT) was increased by 24-hour treatment with 10 and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ SP-NN (1.35 and 2.20 folds) and SP-PN (2.40 and 1.34 folds). Four-week subcutaneous injections with D-galactose (150 mg/kg) increased activated hippocampal astrocytes to 1.7 folds (a marker of brain injury and aging), decreased acetylcholine concentration in cerebrospinal fluid by 45-50%, and thereby impaired learning and memory function in passive avoidance and water-maze performances. Oral treatment with SP preparations (50 or 300 mg/kg) for 5 weeks from 1 week prior to D-galactose injection exerted recovering activities on acetylcholine depletion and brain injury/aging as well as cognitive deficit induced by D-galactose. The results indicate that SP preparations restore cognitive functions of facilitated brain aging model rats by increasing the release of acetylcholine, in addition to neuroprotective activity.