• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.451-458
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• 2020

Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) slows the recovery process and reduces the quality of life of stroke survivors. Antiepileptic drugs are empirically prescribed to prevent PSE. However, the long-term use of antiepileptic drugs increases the risk of atherosclerosis, and up to 25% of patients have drug-resistant epilepsy. Herein, We report a patient with PSE who was treated with Korean medicine including Jingansikpungtang-gagambang and Uwhangchungsimwon. A 51-year-old patient had a past medical history of cerebral infarction that occurred in 2014. His first seizure occurred in January 2020 and he was diagnosed with PSE through a brain magnetic resonance imaging. The patient had a partial seizure with secondary generalization. After the initiation of taking Korean medicine, both the rate of progression to generalized seizures and the frequency of seizures was progressively and significantly reduced. This case report suggests that Korean medicine-based treatment may be safe and effective for PSE.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 2022

Stiripentol is an anti-epileptic drug for the treating of refractory status epilepticus. It has been reported that stiripentol can attenuate seizure severity and reduce seizure-induced neuronal damage in animal models of epilepsy. The objective of the present study was to investigate effects of post-treatment with stiripentol on cognitive deficit and neuronal damage in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of the hippocampus proper following transient ischemia in the forebrain of gerbils. To evaluate ischemia-induced cognitive impairments, passive avoidance test and 8-arm radial maze test were performed. It was found that post-treatment with stiripentol at 20 mg/kg, but not 10 or 15 mg/kg, reduced ischemia-induced memory impairment. Transient ischemia-induced neuronal death in the CA1 region was also significantly attenuated only by 20 mg/kg stiripentol treatment after transient ischemia. In addition, 20 mg/kg stiripentol treatment significantly decreased ischemia-induced astrocyte damage and immunoglobulin G leakage. In brief, stiripentol treatment after transient ischemia ameliorated transient ischemia-induced cognitive impairment in gerbils, showing that pyramidal neurons were protected and astrocyte damage and blood brain barrier leakage were significantly attenuated in the hippocampus. Results of this study suggest stiripentol can be developed as a candidate of therapeutic drug for ischemic stroke.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2014

In traditional Korean and Chinese medicine, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for the treatment of central nervous system-related symptoms such as tremor, seizure, stroke and epilepsy. We investigated the effects of safflower could influence cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal and cognitive impairments. Administration of safflower for 1 day (200 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) increased the survival of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons after transient global brain ischemia. And neurological functions measured as short term memory. Post-treatment with safflower for 2 times decreased the induction/reduction - induced production of neuronal cell loss from global cerebral ischemia. Safflower markedly decreased neuronal cell death and also caused a decrease in the content of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) ($55.2{\pm}9.4{\mu}mol\;mg^{-1}$) and significant improvement of activities of glutathione (GSH) ($27.2{\pm}5.0{\mu}mol\;mg^{-1}$) in hippocampus. We conclude that treatment with safflower attenuated learning and memory deficits, and neuronal cell loss induced by global cerebral ischemia. These results suggest that safflower may be a potential candidate for the treatment of vascular dementia.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.401-410
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was intended to review the research trends of treating neuropsychiatric diseases and symptoms with Traditional Chinese Medicine containing Haematitum. Methods: Articles were obtained through the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) by searching with 'Haematitum' as the main key word, and supportive words related with neuropsychiatric diseases and symptoms were selected. There were 61 articles related to clinical fields, which were then classified according to study design. Results: The 61 articles were categorized into the following types of study design: 3 randomized controlled trials, 1 quasi-randomized trial, 3 simple-designed clinical trials, and 54 case studies. Decoctions containing Haematitum were used to treat diseases and symptoms such as vertigo, headache, stroke, epilepsy, neurosis, globus hystericus, fishbilepoisoning, insomnia, mania, post-traumatic brain syndrome, and kinesia. All articles reported a good rate of effectiveness. There was no poor responsiveness regarding the effects of Haematitum in 9 studies, but it was not mentioned in the other 52 studies. Decoctions self-prepared by the authors were used in 28 studies. Modified Seonbokdeja-tang, modified Banhabeakchulcheonma-tang, modified Ondam-tang were used in that order of frequency. The daily dosage of Haematitum provided was 0.2~6 g in powder, and 9~60 g in decoction. Conclusions: Decoctions containing Haematitum are used restrictively in the neuropsychiatric clinical scene. While there were no reports of poor responsiveness of the effects of Haematitum, more research is needed to confirm its clinical stability.