• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.117-126
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• 2007

Ginseng, the root of Panax species, a well-known herbal medicine has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years and is now a popular and worldwide used natural medicine. Ginseng has been used primarily as a tonic to invigorate weak bodies to help the restoration of homeostasis in a wide range of pathological conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune deficiency and hepatotoxicity. Although conclusive clinical data in humans is still missing, recent research results have suggested that some of the active ingredients ginseng exert beneficial effects on central nervous system (CNS) disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting it could be used in treatment of psychotic disorders. Data from neural cell cultures and animal studies contribute to the understanding of these mechanisms that involve inhibitory effects on stress-induced corticosterone level increasing and modulating of neurontransmitters, reducing $Ca^{2+}$ over-influx, scavenging of free radicals and counteracting excitotoxicity. In this review, we focused on recently reported medicinal effects of ginseng and summarized the possibility of its applications on psychotic disorders.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.599-609
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• 2021

Ginseng has long been considered as an herbal medicine. Recent data suggest that ginseng has antiinflammatory properties and can improve learning- and memory-related function in the central nervous system (CNS) following the development of CNS neuroinflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia, and other neurological disorders. In this review, we discuss the role of ginseng in the neurovascular unit, which is composed of endothelial cells surrounded by astrocytes, pericytes, microglia, neural stem cells, oligodendrocytes, and neurons, especially their blood-brain barrier maintenance, anti-inflammatory effects and regenerative functions. In addition, cell-cell communication enhanced by ginseng may be attributed to regeneration via induction of neurogenesis and angiogenesis in CNS diseases. Thus, ginseng may have therapeutic potential to exert cognitive improvement in neuroinflammatory diseases such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.1-4
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• 1999

The potential therapeutic benefit of nicotinic ligands in a variety of neurodegenerative pathologies involving the CNS has energized research efforts to develop nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype-selective ligands. In particular, there has been a concerted effort to develop nicotinic compounds with selectivity for CNS nAChRs as potential pharmacological tools in the management of these disorders. The characterization of other novel nicotinic ligands such as epibatidine. showing a marked increase in potency at nAChRs, has provided additional support for the development of potent, selective ligands at individual nAChR subtypes. We have developed and studied a number of nicotinic compounds to identify potential candidates exhibiting such selectivity. In the present study, we report the synthesis and biological evaluations of some azabicyclic and azatricyclic nicotine analogs to decipher the relationship among steric requirements of the nicotine's pyrrolidine ring system, binding affinity and subtype-selectivity.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.75-76
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• 2003

Much of the recent increase in research on nicotinic ligands has been motivated by a growing body of evidence that nicotinic cholinergic pharmacology plays a role in disorder associated with deficits of cognitive function in humans. The importance of developing novel nicotinic ligands as potential therapeutics is emphasized by studies with nicotine itself that have demonstrated many useful CNS and cognitive effects in various disorders such as dementia. (omitted)

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-18
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• 2016

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a well-established means of treating lysosomal storage disease (LSD). However, classical IV infusion based ERT method produces less than ideal results, especially, CNS defects and quality of life in patients. To improve these main problems of parental IV formulation for LSDs, we investigate modified ERT method and evaluated the efficacy in animal model.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2006

Anxiety and anxiety disorders are related to many neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine, serotonine, dopamine, glutamate, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the CNS, is known to counterbalance the action of the excitatory neurotransmitters and control anxiety. GABA acts on 3 GABA receptor subtypes, $GABA_A$, $GABA_B$, and $GABA_C$. $GABA_A$ and $GABA_c$ receptors are oligomeric transmembrane glycoproteins composed of 5 subunits that are arranged around a central chloride channel. $GABA_B$ receptor comprises two 7-transmembraneis-spanning proteins that are coupled to either calcium or potassium channel via G proteins. This article highlights neurobiological interactions between anxiety and GABA system.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.223-229
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• 2006

The emerging concept of the 'neurovascular unit' may enable a powerful paradigm shift for neuroscience. Instead of a pure focus on the 'neurobiology' of disease, an opportunity now exists to return to a more integrative approach. The neurovascular unit emphasizes that signaling between vascular and neuronal compartments comprise the basis for both function and dysfunction in brain. Hence, brain disorders are not just due to death of neurons, but instead manifested as cell signaling perturbations at the neurovascular interface. In this mini-review, we will examine 3 examples of this hypothesis: neurovascular mechanisms involved in the thrombolytic therapy of stroke, the crosstalk between neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and the link between vascular dysfunction and amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease. An understanding of cell-cell and cell-matrix signaling at the neurovascular interface may yield new approaches for targeting CNS disorders.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.51
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• pp.9.1-9.10
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• 2021

Brain disorders seriously affect life quality. Therefore, non-invasive neuroimaging has received attention to monitoring and early diagnosing neural disorders to prevent their progress to a severe level. This short review briefly describes the current MRI and PET/CT techniques developed for non-invasive neuroimaging and the future direction of optical imaging techniques to achieve higher resolution and specificity using the second near-infrared (NIR-II) region of wavelength with organic molecules.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.133-143
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• 2012

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a subfamily of zinc-dependent proteases that are re-sponsible for degradation and remodeling of extracellular matrix proteins. The activity of MMPs is tightly regulated at several levels including cleavage of prodomain, allosteric activation, com-partmentalization and complex formation with tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). In the central nervous system (CNS), MMPs play a wide variety of roles ranging from brain devel-opment, synaptic plasticity and repair after injury to the pathogenesis of various brain disorders. Following general discussion on the domain structure and the regulation of activity of MMPs, we emphasize their implication in various brain disorder conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, ischemia/reperfusion and Parkinson's disease. We further highlight accumu-lating evidence that MMPs might be the culprit in Parkinson's disease (PD). Among them, MMP-3 appears to be involved in a range of pathogenesis processes in PD including neuroinflamma-tion, apoptosis and degradation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein and DJ-1. MMP inhibitors could represent poten-tial novel therapeutic strategies for treatments of neurodegenerative diseases.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1260-1283
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• 2023

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been extensively applied in the study of multiple sclerosis (MS), substantially contributing to diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and disease monitoring. MRI studies have significantly contributed to the understanding of MS through the characterization of typical radiological features and their clinical or prognostic implications using conventional MRI pulse sequences and further with the application of advanced imaging techniques sensitive to microstructural damage. Interpretation of results has often been validated by MRI-pathology studies. However, the application of MRI techniques in the study of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) remains an emerging field, and MRI studies have focused on radiological correlates of NMOSD and its pathophysiology to aid in diagnosis, improve monitoring, and identify relevant prognostic factors. In this review, we discuss the main contributions of MRI to the understanding of MS and NMOSD, focusing on the most novel discoveries to clarify differences in the pathophysiology of focal inflammation initiation and perpetuation, involvement of normal-appearing tissue, potential entry routes of pathogenic elements into the CNS, and existence of primary or secondary mechanisms of neurodegeneration.