• Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.13-26
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• 2018

Objective : The aim of the study was to investigate the application of nonpharmacological cognitive interventions in patients with dementia. Methods : We searched published studies in KISS, PubMed, and Sciencedirect databases from January 2013 to December 2017. The main keywords used were "Dementia" AND "Cognitive stimulation OR Cognitive rehabilitation OR Cognitive training" and a total of ten studies were selected for analysis from 753 searched articles. Results : Seven of the ten selected studies showed significant improvements in cognitive function after intervention, whereas three studies showed no improvement in cognitive function; however, activation of brain waves, improvement in the relationship between care givers and patients, improvement in the quality of life of care givers, and improvements in visual motor skills were shown. Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE) was used as the assessment tool for identifying the effects of the cognitive function improvement, and in four studies the quality of life of dementia patients was measured as an intervention effect. The main subject of the cognitive intervention is patients with mild to moderate dementia. Conclusion : The results of this study can be used as a basis for the selection of intervention methods, as well as their duration and assessment, according to the characteristics of dementia patients.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.127-143
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to compare with the effects of driving simulator and Dynavision training after stroke through the test of cognitive ability and driving performance. Methods : Twenty-one stroke patients were randomly classified to the driving simulator training group (N=11) and Dynavision training group (N=10), and were carried out respectively training for 15 times. The driving performances was measured by the driving simulator test, and cognitive-perceptive abilities was measured by the DriveABLE Cognitive Assessment Tool, Trail Making Test-A, Trail Making Test-B and Mini Mental State Examination-K. Results : The driving simulator training group showed significant changes in all cognitive tests and most of driving performances. The Dynavision training group also showed significant changes in all cognitive tests except for Trail Making Test-A and some driving performances. The significant differences on both groups were found regarding the estimated degree of results on the on-road evaluation, the number of off road accidents and collisions. In addition, the causal influence of the two training methods on these variables was analyzed to be more than 20%. Conclusion : The driving simulator and Dynavision training were found to be effective intervention in the driving rehabilitation after stroke. In particular, it was confirmed that the driving simulator is an effective training to improve overall driving ability of stroke patients. In addition, the difference in training effect between the two training methods was found to be more than 20%.

• Journal of Society of Occupational Therapy for the Aged and Dementia
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of reminiscence therapy using mind map to improve cognitive function, depression index, quality of life for old woman with dementia. Method : The study were 14 patients who were diagnosed with a woman suspected of dementia. They were randomly assigned to Study group(N=7) and control group(N=7). All patients received only to Study groups. reminiscence therapy using mind map was composed to 10 sessions, 40 minutes per sessions, 2 times a week, for 5 weeks. For result analysis, descriptive statistic, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used. The evaluation tools were Mini-Mental State Examination Korean Version (MMSE-K), Korean Version of Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), Korean Version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Result : There was a significant difference in cognitive function, depression index, and quality of life in the within group after intervention, and there was a significant difference in cognitive function in the between group comparison. Conclusion : According to the results of study, an easing effect was confirmed regarding reminiscence therapy using mind map for an old woman with dementia. using reminiscence therapy using mind map when applied to the improvement of cognitive function, depression index, quality of life.

• Journal of Society of Occupational Therapy for the Aged and Dementia
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2018

Objective : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a group occupational therapy program on the depression and quality of life of the elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI). Method : The elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment were selected based on the Mini Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening(MMSE-DS). The group occupatinal therapy program consisted of various cognitive domains and was performed 12 times for 6 weeks. The Geriatric Depression Scale(SGDS-K) and Quality of Life(QOL) were used to assess depression and quality of life of the subjects before and after the intervention. Result : The elderly with MCI improved significantly on the SGDS-K and QOL after the intervention program(p<0.05). Particularly, in some items of the QOL, there was a statistically significant difference, but the results of the SGDS-K and QOL did not show any correlation(p>0.05). Conclusion : In the case of the elderly with MCI, the QOL scale and the depressive symptom test were statistically significant when the group occupational therapy program was applied for 6 weeks.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.351-359
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• 2019

Neurocognitive testing commonly uses the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) to evaluate the overall cognitive function of patients at outpatient clinics, but the MMSE has recently been extensively used in the SNSB II (Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II) for making diagnoses. We retrospectively investigated the results of routine neurocognitive tests and the results of the blood tests of 120 elderly patients who had been referred to a South Central Medical Center from 2017 to 2018 and who had been examined at a public health center. These subjects' space-time capability was high on the sub-region of the global deterioration scale (GDS). GDS showed a significant increase as the Na decreased on the electrolyte analysis. The subjects' concentration, their language-based orientation for space and time, their memory, and their scores for the frontal lobe function on GDS showed statistically significant reductions (P<0.001) For the normal and abnormal groups according to the ALT and creatinine levels, the frontal/execute function areas showed statistically significant differences (P<0.001) as well as negative correlation between GDS and ALT (P<0.01). In conclusion, this study provides basic information to develop test items that are important for patient screening and diagnosis, and several routine blood chemistry factors provide basic information for diagnosing and assessing the status and progress of cognitively impaired patients.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.85-90
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of individual board game program (IBGP) on cognitive function and depression level in 7 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment(MCI). We used the mini-mental state examination korean version (MMSE-K), montreal cognitive assessment korean version (MoCA-K), and korean form of geriatric depression scale(KGDS). The results showed significant differences in MMSE-K before, after, and follow-up(p<0.05), and there were differences of orientation for time, place, and object and attention in before, after, and follow-up(p<0.05). MoCA-K showed differences in before, after, and follow-up assessments(p<0.01), and showed differences in visual construction skill, orientation, and short-term memory(p<0.05). Finally, there was a difference in depression level before, after, and follow-up of KGDS(p<0.01). Therefore, IBGP for the elderly can help improve the cognitive function, and based on this, it is expected that an advanced IBGP will be applied to improve orientation for time and place in the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Society of Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.9-18
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• 2018

The research has sought to examine the effect of cognition training using smart device application games on the cognition function of traumatic brain injury patients. The research was conducted to the seventeen traumatic brain injury patients with slight symptoms who were treated with occupational therapy. The patients were divided into the two groups, nine for the experimental group and eight for the control group. The experimental group was assigned to conduct cognition training using smart device application games and traditional cognition training for fifteen minutes each, and the control group has conducted the traditional cognition training for 30 minutes. All arbitrations were conducted for 30 minutes a day, five times a week and for four weeks. To assess the cognitive function, Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) and visual memory 1 and 2 of Motor-free Visual Perception Test-3 (MVPT-3) were measured before and after the intervention. In the comparison of the change between the two groups, the experimental groups showed a significant improvement in the visual memory of Motor-free Visual Perception Test-3 and remembrance section of the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (p<.05). The result of this research has confirmed that the cognition training using the smart device application game can make the positive change to the visual memory of the traumatic brain injury patients more than the traditional cognition training.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.306-314
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• 2022

Background: Due to the rapid aging of the South Korean population, neurological diseases such as dementia are increasing. Many studies have reported that the incidence of dementia is associated with environmental factors along with age. Objectives: This study analyzed the association between cognitive function and ten heavy metals in the body: arsenic, aluminum, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, zinc, and lead. Methods: From 2018 to 2019, a total of 120 participants who suffered from cognitive impairment were recruited for this study. Blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Demographic information was obtained through face-to-face questionnaires completed by a trained investigator. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Korean version of the Boston Name Waiting Test. The associations between cognitive function scores and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The average age of the 120 participants was 72.7 years, and 69.2% were female. The mean of the MMSE-K and K-BNT scores were 22.9 and 37.9, respectively. The geometric mean of aluminum (Al) was 8.42 ㎍/L. MMSE-K was associated with iron (Fe), but the significance was removed in the logistic regression based on 24 points. K-BNT was significantly associated with aluminum and the odds ratio for K-BNT above 38 decreased by 45% as the aluminum concentration increased. Conclusions: The association between aluminum and the K-BNT score indicated that aluminum is associated with language-related cognitive decline. Based on this result, further study will be conducted by considering co-exposure effects of heavy metals including aluminum.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.79-88
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• 2023

Objective : This study was to apply a cognitive rehabilitation group program based on sensory activity in patients with dementia living in a facility and to check its effectiveness on cognitive function, depression, and quality of life (QOL). Methods : Sensory-based cognitive rehabilitation group programs (20 sessions) were conducted for eight elderly with dementia over the age of 65 living in a nursing facility located in H-gun, Gangwon-do. The participants' cognitive function, depression level, and QOL were evaluated before and after the program. Results : The mean of Mini-Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening increased; however, there was no statistically significant difference. In contrast, the mean post-test score of the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire decreased, and there was a statistically significant difference (p < .05). The mean post-evaluation score of Short Geriatric Depression Scale measured to confirm the decrease in depression compared to the pre-evaluation score, but there was no statistically significant difference. Finally, the mean post-evaluation score of the World Health Organization QOL assessment instrument-Brief confirmed the change in the QOL, and there was a statistically significant difference (p < .001). Conclusion : This study will provide the basis for suggesting the usefulness of developing a sensory activity-based cognitive rehabilitation group program for dementia patients living in facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2023

Life expectancy is increasing due to the aging of the population, which is in turn exacerbating problems such as the prevalence of various geriatric diseases. This study was established to provide basic data for the expansion of forest healing activities for the elderly by systematically analyzing the literature on how such activities affect this age group. For the collection of studies, the Korean databases RISS, KISS, Korea Med, and Science On were used, while PubMed, Cochrane Central, MDPI, and Google Scholar were used to identify reports published elsewhere. To assess the quality of the methodology used in the collected studies, the risk of bias was analyzed using Cochrane's RoB2 and RoBANS. Among 1,856 reports initially identified, 21 were finally selected for analysis in this study, which were limited to research papers on forest healing activities for the elderly published between 2000 and January 2022. In this review, the subjects were those aged 60 or older, with a total of 750 participants, ranging from at least 7 to a maximum of 88 per study. The analysis showed that the most frequently performed tests in each category were on depression as a psychological indicator in 7 studies, MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination) as a cognitive indicator in 2 studies, on blood pressure as a physiological indicator in 4 studies, on melatonin as a biochemical indicator in 2 studies, and on body fat and muscle strength as physical indicators in 3 studies. Of the 21 studies, 19 used two or more test items, with psychological indicators being most commonly measured. For the future application of forest healing activities for the elderly, various forest healing programs to prevent cognitive function decline should be developed and distributed, and follow-up studies should be continuously presented to provide the basis for forest healing activities.