• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1997

As it has been reported that the depolarization induced acetylcholine (ACh) release is modulated by activation of presynaptic $A_1$ adenosine heteroreceptor and various evidence suggest that indicate the $A_2$ adenosine receptor is present in the striatum, this study was undertaken to delineate the role of adenosine receptors on the striatal ACh release. Slices from the rat striatum were equilibrated with $[^3H]$choline and then the release amount of the labelled product, $[^3H]$ACh, which was evoked by electrical stimulation (rectangular pulses, 3 Hz, 2 ms, 24 mA, $5\;Vcm^{-1}$, 2 min), was measured, and the influence of various agents on the evoked tritium outflow was investigated. And also, quantitative receptor autoradiography and drug-receptor binding assay were performed in order to confirm the presence and characteristics of $A_1$ and $A_2$ adenosine receptors in the rat striatum. Adenosine $(10{sim}100\;{mu}M)$ and $N^6$-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA, $1{sim}100\;{mu}M)$ decreased the $[^3H]$ACh release in a dose-dependent manner without changing the basal rate of release in the rat striatum. The reducing effects of ACh release by adenosine and CPA were abolished by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropy-Ixanthine (DPCPX, 2 ${mu}M$), a selective $A_1$, adenosine receptor antagonist, treatment. The effect of adenosine was potentiated markedly by 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine (DMPX, 10 ${mu}M$), a specific $A_2$ adenosine receptor antagonist. 2-P-(2-carboxyethyl)phenethylamimo-5'-N- ethylcarboxamidoadenosine hydrochloride (CGS-21680C), in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 10 ${mu}M$, a recently introduced potent $A_2$ adenosine receptor agonist, increased the $[^3H]$ACh release in a dose related fashion without changing the basal rate of release. These effects were completely abolished by DMPX $(10\;{mu}M)$. In autoradiograrhy experiments, $[^3H]$2-chloro-$N^6$-cyclopentyladenosine ($[^3H]$ CCPA) bindings were highly localized in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. Additionally, lower levels of binding were found in the striatum. However, $[^3H]$CGS-21680C bindings were highly localized in the striatal region with the greatest density of binding found in the caudate nucleus and putamen. Lower levels of binding were also found in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle. In drug-receptor binding assay, binding of $[^3H]$ CCPA to $A_1$ adenosine receptors of rat striatal membranes was inhibited by CPA ($K_i$ = 1.6 nM) and N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA, $K_i$ = 12.9 nM), but not by CGS-21680C ($K_i$ = 2609.2 nM) and DMPX ($K_i$ = 19,386 nM). In contrast, $[^3H]$CGS-21680C binding to $A_2$ denosine receptors was inhibited by CGS-21680C ($K_i$ = 47.6 nM) and NECA ($K_i$ = 44.9 nM), but not by CPA ($K_i$ = 2099.2 nM) and DPCPX ($K_i$ = 19,207 nM). The results presented here suggest that both types of $A_1$ and $A_2$ adenosine heteroreceptors exist and play an important role in ACh release in the rat striatal cholinergic neurons.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.65-76
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• 2010

1. Objectives The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Soyangin Hyeongbangdojeok-san(HBDJS) on acute cocaine-induced behavior effect and gene expression in the rat brain. 2. Methods Experimental animals were composed of saline(SAL), cocaine(COC), HBDJS + COC, HBDJS + SAL group. Rats received HBDJS(100, 200 mg/kg, p.o.) 1 h prior to cocaine hydrochloride(20 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment respectively. After cocaine injection, locomotor activity and rearing were measured in a rectangular container equipped with a video camera above the center of the floor for 60 min. In addiction, c-Fos expression in the rat brain was detected using immunohistochemistry 2 h after cocaine injection. And the effect of HBDJS on acute cocaine-induced pERK, pElk, pCREB upstream of c-Fos expression was detected using western blotting and immunohistochemistry 15 min after cocaine challenge. 3. Results The present results show that HBDJS at dose of 200 mg/kg attenuated cocaine-induced both locomotor activity and rearing. Also HBDJS at dose of 200 mg/kg significantly decreased c-Fos expression in the rat brain(nucleus accumebns and striatum). However HBDJS at dose of 200 mg/kg have no effect on cocaine-induced pERK, pCREB, pElK-1 expression. HBDJS is c-Fos expression through ERK-independent pathway. 4. Conclusions. These results suggest that HBDJS may be effective in suppressing the reinforcing effects of cocaine.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2005

Background and Objectives : Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may be linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on Fos-like immunoreactivity. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased Fos-like immunoreactivity induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. Results and Conclusions : These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.982-992
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• 2005

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as substance abuse and mental dysfunction. Clinical trials are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction. Yet, there are still many unanswered questions about the basic mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and raised the possibility that both of these effects may De linked to the same or closely overlapping the mesolimbic dopamine systems. Neiguan (PC6) point on the pericardium channel which is associated with the brain and its mental function, has been used to treat mental, psychosomatic disorders and gastroenterological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and to measure the effect of acupuncture on repeated morphine-induced behavioral changes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Neiguan (PC6) points for 1min after the morphine challenge. Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint PC6, but not at control points (tail and HE8) significantly decreased both dopamine release, behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single s.c. morphine injection in the morphine-repeated animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts. Moreover, in a more general sense these results suggest that acupuncture can be used as a therapeutic intervention for correcting reversible malfunction of the body by direction of brain pathway and thus acupuncture can contribute to the biochemical balance in the central nervous system by regulating neurotransmitters.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 2008

Methamphetamine, a commonly used addictive drug, is a powerful addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the CNS. Repeated METH administration leads to a rewarding effect in a state of addiction that includes sensitization, dependence, and other phenomena. It is well known that susceptibility to the development of addiction is influenced by sources of reinforcement, variable neuroadaptive mechanisms, and neurochemical changes that together lead to altered homeostasis of the brain reward system. These behavioral abnormalities reflect neuroadaptive changes in signal transduction function and cellular gene expression produced by repeated drug exposure. To provide a better understanding of addiction and the mechanism of the rewarding effect, it is important to identify related genes. In the present study, we performed gene expression profiling using microarray analysis in a reward effect animal model. We also investigated gene expression in four important regions of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, striatum, hippocampus, and cingulated cortex, and analyzed the data by two clustering methods. Genes related to signaling pathways including G-protein-coupled receptor-related pathways predominated among the identified genes. The genes identified in our study may contribute to the development of a gene modeling network for methamphetamine addiction.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.139-144
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• 2007

Recent studies suggest that alterations in glutamate receptor subunit levels in mesocorticolimbic dopamine areas could account for neural adaptations in response to psychostimulant drugs. Although many drugs of abuse induce changes in ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits in mesocorticolimbic dopamine areas, the changes of ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits by repeated nicotine treatment in these areas are not known. To answer this question, we injected male Sprague-Dawley rats twice daily with nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) or saline (1 ml/kg) for 10 days. The immunoreactivity of NR1, GluR1, and GluR2 glutamate receptor subunits was examined $16{\sim}18 h$ after the last injection of saline or nicotine. Repeated nicotine treatment significantly increased NR1 levels in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In addition, repeated nicotine treatment showed a tendency towards an increase in GluR1 levels in the VTA as well as in striatum. However, there was no significant change in glutamate receptor subunits in other areas including nucleus accumbens (NAc). These results demonstrate that repeated nicotine treatment increases NR1 levels in VTA similarly to other drugs of abuse, suggesting that elevated glutamate receptor subunits in the VTA, but not NAc may be involved in the excitation of mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurons by nicotine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.55-67
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Hwangryunhaedok-tang, its major component Coptidis Rhizoma, and the major component of Coptidis Rhizoma, berberine, on the expression of behavioral sensitization induced by the repeated administration of nicotine. Methods: Experimental ratswere divided into 3 groups and each group treated with saline, nicotine, and Hwangryunhaedok-tang. Experiments were performed on 4 further groups, each group treated with saline, nicotine, Coptidis Rhizoma, and berberine. To obtain rats addicted todrugs, nicotine was injected repeatedly. After 3 days of withdrawal phase, on the 11th day, rats were re-exposed to nicotine and thus able to induce the expression of the activity sensitization phenomenon successfully. To examine the change of c-Fos in the brain of experimental rats with the nicotine-induced activity sensitization, their neurological activation rate was assessed by c-Fos staining with Fos-like immunihistochemistry of the dopamine releasing area, the striatum and the nucleus accumbens. Results: The result demonstrate that Hwangryunhaedok-tang, its major component Coptidis Rhizoma and berberine,the major component of Coptidis Rhizoma, significantly reduced the walking activity rate in the drug addict models induced by nicotine administration, and Coptidis Rhizoma and its major component berberine reduce the marker of the neurological activation c-Fos, and thus revealed an effect of suppressing drug addiction. Conclusions: These results suggest the possibility of Hwangryunhaedok-tang, its major component Coptidis Rhizoma and the major component of Coptidis Rhizoma, berberine,as therapeutic for nicotine addiction.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

The caffeine intake cause a local or wide ranges of convulsion and it is associated with release of dopamine (DA) receptors into the brain striatum. However, the effect of caffeine addiction on expression of DA receptors gene in the rat caudate-putamen (CPu), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and olfactory tubercle (OTu) has not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the influence of caffeine addiction on DA D $_1$and D$_2$receptor mRNAs after the treatment of caffeine for four weeks. Using the specific antisense ribo-probes for DA D$_1$and D$_2$receptor cDNAs, in situ hybridization was performed on the CPu, NAc, and OTu of the adult male Sprague Dawely rats. In caffeine-treated group, DA D$_1$and D$_2$receptor mRNAs were highly increased in CPu, NAc, and OTu. The expression density of DA D$_1$receptor mRNAs were 2.52${\pm}$1.40 (CPu), 2.78${\pm}$1.69 (NAc), and 3.91${\pm}$1.28 (OTu) in control group and 7.76${\pm}$2.09 (CPu), 4.2 ${\pm}$1.85 (NAc), and 8.21${\pm}$1.72 (OTu) in caffeine-treated group. The expression density of DA D$_2$receptor mRNA was 2.32${\pm}$1.52 (CPu), 2.63${\pm}$2.11 (NAc), and 3.61${\pm}$1.43 (OTu) in control group, and 6.41${\pm}$1.82 (CPu), 6.89${\pm}$1.32 (NAc), and 6.82${\pm}$1.18 (OTu) in caffeine-treated group. DA D$_1$receptor mRNA was higher expressed than DA D$_2$ receptor mRNA in CPu and NAc. These results suggest that caffeine reacts as a upregulator of the expression of DA D$_1$and D$_2$receptor mRNA among the neurotransmitters.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.647-667
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to develop a brain-based analysis framework for evaluating teachinglearning program in science. To develop the framework, this study categorized educational constructs of the teachinglearning programs into one of three teaching-learning factors: cognition, motive, and emotion, using previous studies on science program. Ninety-three articles on the brain functions associated with science program were analyzed to extract brain activation regions related to the three educational constructs. After delineating the brain activation regions, we designed the brain function map, "the CORE Brain Map." Based on this brain map, we developed a brain-based analysis framework for evaluating science teaching-learning program using R & D processes. This framework consists of the brain regions, the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate gyrus, the bilateral parietal cortex, the bilateral temporal cortex, the bilateral occipital cortex, the bilateral hippocampus, the bilateral amygdala, the bilateral nucleus accumbens, the bilateral striatum and the midbrain regions. These brain regions are associated with the aforementioned three educational factors; cognition, motivation, and emotion. The framework could be applied to the analysis and diagnosis of various teaching and learning programs in science.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 1997

The therapeutic efficacy of antipsychotic drugs is generally attributed to their ability to block dopamine $D_2$ receptors. Classical $D_2$ antagonists are not effective to treat negative symptoms and produce extrapyramidal side effects On the other hand, atypical antipsychotic agents ameliorate negative symptoms without producing extra-pyramidal side effects, and it is reported to be associated with blockade of serotonin $5-HT_2$ receptors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of risperidone on neuroreceptors in the rat brain by Quantitative autoradiography method. In acute treatment group, risperidone was injected into Peritoneal cavity of male Wistar rats with dose of 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0mg/kg in each group(5/group), and they were decapitated after 2 hours. In chronic treatment group, risperidone was injected with dose of 0, 0.1, and 1mg/kg(I.P.) for 21 days and decapitated after 24 hours following last treatment. The effect of risperodone on the binding of [$^3H$]spiperone to $5-HT_2$ and $D_2$ receptors were analysed in 4 discrete regions of the striatum, nucleus accumbens, and frontal cortex by quantitative autoradiography Acute treatment with risperidone reduced cortical $5-HT_2$ specific [$^3H$]spiperone binding to 32% of vehicle-treated control. Subcortical $5-HT_2$ specific [$^3H$]spiperone binding was not affected at all dose groups whereas a significant reduction (57%) in $D_2$ specific [$^3H$]spiperone binding was observed in risperidone treated group at doses of 1-2mg/kg. Chronic treatment with risperidone produced a decrease in the maximal number of cortical $5-HT_2$ receptors to 51% and 46% of control in 0.1mg/kg & 1mg/kg treated group respectively. In conclusion, risperidone is a cortical serotonin receptor antagonist with relatively weak antagonistic action on dopamine receptors. These effects oil neuroreceptors may explain the therapeutic effect of risperidone as a atypical antipsychotic agents.