• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.210-214
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• 1998

An association study with Korean schizophrenic patients(N=84) and normal controls(N=87) was performed to find the relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) gene polymorphism and schizophrenia using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. When we compared the allele and genotype frequencies of Bgl I COMT gene polymorphism in schizophrenics and normal controls, there was no significant difference between two groups. Our results do not support an association between the Bgl I polymorphism of COMT gene and schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 1997

Background : Patients with command hallucinations are commonly assumed to be at high risk for dangerous behavior. However the issue of whether command hallucinations hold any clinical relevance in schizophrenic patients has not been established. Method : The author analyzed the clinical and research records of schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations who participated in outpatient research follow-up for 9 months after discharge. Patients with auditory hallucinations were classified as experiencing or not experiencing command hallucinations based on clinical psychiatric assessment. Results : Of 63 patients with auditory hallucinations, 29(46%) reported the command hallucinations and these hallucinations often were violent in content(44.8%). Patients with command hallucinations were not significantly different from patients without command hallucinations on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and clinical or prognostic course variables, but patients with command hallucinations had significantly more short hospitalizations(less than one month) than patients without command hallucinations. 3 of the patients with command hallucinations who committed suicide during the follow up periods were died. Conclusion : Command hallucinations may be frequent, and in most cases they have minimal influence on the outcome of schizophrenia, but if the patients with command hallucinations have a history of suicide attempts before admission, the possibility of suicide attempts by command hallucinations should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2006

Objectives : Schizophrenia is a clinically heterogenous disease with a strong genetic component. Many studies have suggested that brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study was performed to determine whether there is an association between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and schizophrenia. Methods : To identify any genetic predisposition to schizophrenia, we investigated the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in 106 patients with schizophrenia and 147 normal controls with PCR-RFLP method. Statistical analyses were used to test the association between and BDNF Val66Met genotype and Schizophrenia. Results : No association was found between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and schizophrenia. No significant differences were found comparing the BDNF genotype distributions according to the age of onset, the number of admission and familial loading in schizophrenia. Conclusion : This result indicates that BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is not associated with schizophrenia. However, further studies with a large number of subjects are needed to confirm whether the BDNF gene is related to schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2006

Object : To evaluate how the therapeutic factors affect post-discharge course of patients with schizophrenia, we analyzed relationship between each therapeutic factor and outcome of inpatients with schizophrenia in Hanyang University Hospital. Methods : This study is a retrospective report. Subjects were schizophrenic inpatients who were discharged from Hanyang University Hospital from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2004. We obtained demographic and clinical data from review of inpatient and outpatient charts. Results : We analyzed the records of 104 patients with schizophrenia(44 males and 60 females). Patients who had longer first admission days have fewer number of readmission. There were no significant correlation between psychiatric rehabilitation and course of schizophrenia. Courses, such as duration of outpatient department follow-up and number and duration of rehospitalization, did not differ according to the existence of extrapyramidal symptoms or types of antipsychotics prescribed. Conclusion : Among the therapeutic factors, longer duration of the first admission only affected better post-discharge course of patients with schizophrenia.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of Tai Chi exercise program on BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms in patient with schizophrenia. Methods: The participants were patient with schizophrenia in S psychiatric hospital in D city. Twenty five patients were assigned to experimental group, and 26 patients were assigned to control group. Data were collected from May 9, to July 8, 2011. The Tai Chi exercise program was conducted with a duration of 60 minutes, 2 times a week for 8 weeks (a total 8 times). Measures were BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and t-test with SPSS/WIN 19.0 version. Result: The experimental group received Tai Chi exercise program had a significant changes in BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that Tai Chi exercise program is an effective intervention program to improve the BMI, positive and negative psychiatric symptoms of patients with schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2004

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life of caretaking family members who have a patient with psychiatric disorders. The results will be served as a basic data of ameliorating the quality of life of caregivers. Methods: 78 caretaking family members who have a patient with schizophrenia and 54 caretaking family members who have a patient with alcohol dependence, a total of 132 persons completed the questionnaire, and analyzed. The Korean version of the SmithKline Beecham Quality of Life Scale and the Family Burden Scale were applied. Results: There was no statistically significant correlation between burden and sex, age, income, and duration of living with patients before onset. The male caregiver showed higher quality of life than that of female. It showed statistically significant correlation between age and factor physical well-being and factor activity. 41% of variance of quality of life of caregivers were explained by the stress response, burden, and overall merits of the field of psychiatry, and the tension had the most explanatory power. Conclusion: The chronic illness may give a burden on caregivers, and that decrease the quality of life of caregivers. The longer duration of illness of patients, the lower quality of life of caregivers on competence factor. Therefore, the authors recommend the therapeutic modality must be offered to the caregivers who may experience the stress and burden.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.310-319
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• 1997

This study investigated regional blood flow changes of frontal, temporal, and basal ganglia in eleven schizophrenic patients on DSM-IV criteria to examine the relationship between rCBF and clinical improvement of symptoms. Single-photon emission computed tomography imaging with $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO was peformed in baseline and sixth weeks after the treatment, and concurrently psychopathology was assessed by PANSS. Antipsychotics wash-out period was more than 2 weeks, and three patient were drug naive. All patients were finally divided into two groups, the improved or not improved. We examined the difference of the amount of rCBF changes between two groups. Finally, frontal activity shows no significant difference between two groups but both groups show decreased frontal blood flow after antipsychotic treatment. However, the change of right temporal rCBF had positive correlation with the change of the total PANSS score, and the change of left temporal lobe activity was greater in the improved group than in the not improved group. Our results suggest that the temporal lobe activity has relation to the underlying schizophrenic symptoms.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.155-169
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• 1998

Attentional dysfunction is considered as one of the core deficits in schizophrenic process. The findings, pathophysiological mechanisms, and their clinical implications of clinical and experimental neurocognitive tests for the attentional impairment in schizophrenics are reviewed. The influences of psychopathology, antipsychotic treatment, and chronic institutionalization are also included in the review. In contrast, there are only a few evidences that attentional dysfunction would be a core deficit of depressive, manic, and anxiety disorders. Some recent findings of attentional impairment in these disorders are reviewed.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.54-70
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• 1998

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of structural and functional changes of the brain in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Methods : The authors measured the regions of interest on the magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in 20 patients with paranoid schizophrenia(15 men and 5 women) and 23 control subjects(15 men and 8 women). We also assessed the neurocognitive functions with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Benton Neuropsychological Assessment, and the Weschler IQ test-Korean version, soft neurologic signs, and psychiatric symptoms in the patient group. Results : In the patient group, all ventricles and basal ganglia including caudate nucleus and globus pallidus were significantly enlarged. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups in the values of right frontal lobe and left temporal lobe, there was a tendency of decrease in the values of right frontal lobe and left temporal lobe. There were significant positive correlations between the values of ventricles and the frequency of previous hospitalization. However, there were no significant correlations between other values of regions of interest and clinical data. The value of the right frontal lobe was significantly correlated with the score of soft neurologic signs, which is suggestive of the neurodevelopmental abnormalities. There were significant correlations between the value of frontal lobe and the scores of the various subscales of Benton Neuropsychiatric Inventory. In contrast, the value of left amygdala and putamen showed significant correlation with the score of verbal IQ on the Weschler IQ test. Structural changes of the temporal lobe areas were related with the positive and general symptom scores on PANSS, while those of the basal ganglia were related with the negative symptom scores. Conclusions : These results suggest that the structural changes of the brain in the patients with schizophrenia show the dual process, which is suggestive that the enlarged ventricle show the neurodegenerative process, while enlarged basal ganglia, and shrinked right frontal and left temporal lobe show the neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Among these changes, structural changes of the frontal lobe related with various neuropsychological deficits, while those of left temporal lobe related with language abnormality. Relative to the relation between structural changes and psychiatric symptoms, structural changes of the temporal lobe areas were related with the positive and general symptoms, while those of the basal ganglia were related with the negative symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.542-550
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• 2006

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of a recovery education program on rehabilitation motivation, symptoms, and function for schizophrenic patients. Method: The study employed a quasi-experimental design. Participants for the study were 27 patients with schizophrenia, 14 in the experimental group and the other 13 in the control group. Data were analyzed by using the SPSS/WIN 11.5 program with Fisher's exact test, t-test, and Repeated measures ANOVA. Results: After a 7 week intervention, participants in the recovery education program group reported increased rehabilitation motivation and function scores, which was significantly different from those in the control group. Conclusion: A recovery education program was effective improving rehabilitation motivation and function for schizophrenic patients. Therefore, this program is recommended as a rehabilitation strategy for schizophrenic patients.