• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain triggers AD, followed by hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, neurofibrillary tangles, and synapses loss, neuronal cell death, and cognitive decline occur in a chain. In APPswe neuronal cell line, 50 ㎍/ml of Campbell early (Vitis labruscana B.) leaves 50% ethanol extract (VLL) treatment inhibited the secretion of Aβ1-42 by about 63% and the secretion of Aβ1-40 by about 50%. VLL did not target the enzymatic activity of the amyloidogenic pathway and decreased the protein expression of APP. As a result of RT-qPCR (Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR) of the APPswe cell line treated with VLL, it is thought that the protein expression of APP was reduced by inhibiting the transcription process of the APP gene. In addition, VLL inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme activity in vitro by 27.6% and 54.7%, respectively, at 50 and 100 ㎍/ml concentrations. We found that VLL inhibited the production of Aβ, a dementia-inducing substance, by suppressing the transcription of the APP gene, and that VLL inhibited AChE activity. We suggest that VLL has the potential as a natural drug material that modulates the alleviation of dementia symptoms.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: Voice, reflecting cerebral functions, holds potential for analyzing and understanding brain function, especially in the context of cognitive impairment (CI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study used voice data to distinguish between normal cognition and CI or Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Methods: This study enrolled 3 groups of subjects: 1) 52 subjects with subjective cognitive decline; 2) 110 subjects with mild CI; and 3) 59 subjects with ADD. Voice features were extracted using Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and Chroma. Results: A deep neural network (DNN) model showed promising performance, with an accuracy of roughly 81% in 10 trials in predicting ADD, which increased to an average value of about 82.0%±1.6% when evaluated against unseen test dataset. Conclusions: Although results did not demonstrate the level of accuracy necessary for a definitive clinical tool, they provided a compelling proof-of-concept for the potential use of voice data in cognitive status assessment. DNN algorithms using voice offer a promising approach to early detection of AD. They could improve the accuracy and accessibility of diagnosis, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease and has become a major socioeconomic issue in many developed countries. Currently available therapeutic agents for AD provide only symptomatic treatments, mainly because the complete mechanism of the AD pathogenesis is still unclear. Although several different hypotheses have been proposed, mitochondrial dysfunction has gathered interest because of its profound effect on brain bioenergetics and neuronal survival in the pathophysiology of AD. Various therapeutic agents targeting the mitochondrial pathways associated with AD have been developed over the past decade. Although most of these agents are still early in the clinical development process, they are used to restore mitochondrial function, which provides an alternative therapeutic strategy that is likely to slow the progression of the disease. In this mini review, we will survey the AD-related mitochondrial pathways and their small-molecule modulators that have therapeutic potential. We will focus on recently reported examples, and also overview the current challenges and future perspectives of ongoing research.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.765-767
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• 2016

Since the population aging process occurs very quickly, and the population who has a dementia is also increasing significantly faster. Because there is no complete cure of dementia it is very important to detect the disease at an early stage and prevent the spread of disease through evaluation of MCI. As the assessment of MCI conducts only in the form of hand-written data, there are some limitations in using derived data. Therefore it requires a system of analysis and storage of the data able to integrate and manage the data. The research conducted in this paper is aimed to develop a system to analyze and store the MCI evaluation data.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.208-215
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to explain the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate the correlation between AD and microRNA. AD is the most common type of dementia, accounting for about 80% of all types of dementia, causing dysfunction in various daily activities such as memory loss, cognitive impairment, and behavioral impairment. The typical pathology of AD is explained by the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide plaques and neurofibrillary tangles containing hyperphosphorylated tau protein. On the other hand, microRNA is small non-coding RNA 22~23 nucleotides in length that binds to the 3' untranslated region of messenger RNA to inhibit gene expression. Many reports explain that microRNAs found in circulating biofluids are abundant in the central nervous system, are involved in the pathogenic mechanism of AD, and act as important factors for early diagnosis and therapeutic agents of AD. Therefore, this paper aims to clarify the correlation between AD and microRNA. In this review, the basic mechanism of miRNAs is described, and the regulation of miRNAs in the pathological processes of AD are highlighted. Furthermore, we suggest that miRNA-based system in development of therapeutic and diagnostic agents of AD can be a promising tool.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2024

Background: Numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that depression can be associated with cognitive function decline, primarily focusing on older adults due to the neurodegenerative characteristics of dementia. With persistent depression frequently reported in patients with early-onset or young-onset dementia, this study aimed to assess the impact of depression, specifically the changes in depressive symptoms over time, on the risk of cognitive function decline in middle-aged adults in Korea. Methods: This retrospective study utilized data from the first four waves (2006-2012) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), focusing on middle-aged adults with normal cognitive function at baseline. Changes in depressive symptoms were categorized into four groups based on the CES-D score, and their association with cognitive function decline was evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Of the initial 10,254 participants, 3,400 were included in the analysis. Depressive status, particularly newly onset (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-2.93) and persistent depression groups (aOR 5.59; 95% CI 2.90-10.78), were significantly associated with cognitive function decline. In contrast, recovery from depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with cognitive function decline (p=0.809). Conclusions: Our study showed a significant association between changes in depressive symptoms and cognitive function decline in middle-aged Korean adults. This suggests that management of depressive symptoms could be crucial for the prevention of cognitive function decline in this population.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.376-387
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the breast feeding rate and maternal adaptation of mothers with infants and children in early childhood in a community. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from November to December 2015, and included a total of 283 mothers of infants and children in early childhood. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, the ${\chi}^2-test$, and one way ANOVA. Results: The rates of breast feeding after birth were 76.3% (1 month postpartum), 69.3% (3 months postpartum), 53.4% (6 months postpartum), 32.2% (9 months postpartum), and 22.6% (12 months postpartum). The level of maternal adaptation of subjects was $3.78{\pm}0.54$. Subjects who were breastfed until 9 months postpartum had a higher level of maternal adaptation than those who stopped breast feeding at 1 month postpartum (F=3.926, p<.002). The breast feeding rate of subjects who were educated about breast feeding after childbirth was significantly higher than that of those who did not receive breast feeding education after delivery. Conclusion: To increase the breast feeding rate and maternal adaptation, community health nurses should develop and provide breast feeding programs to mothers soon after childbirth.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.49-66
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• 2016

This study investigated the song-induced autobiographical memory of patients with early Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) by comparing the effects of patient-selected songs (M-AD) versus music therapist-selected songs (M-MT). A total of 19 patients with early AD participated in this study. In the M-AD and M-MT conditions, each participant listened to a song and was instructed to recall memory. The time to recall memory, the specificity of the memory, mood changes, and the type of recalled memory were measured. Perceived familiarity and preference of the used songs and association of the song with the recalled memory were also analyzed. The results of the study showed that the M-AD condition elicited more specific memory and positive mood change than the M-MT condition. In addition, AD patients reported a higher level of familiarity with and preference of songs in the M-AD condition, compared to the M-MT condition. These results indicate that patient-selected songs, which have a personal meaning to an individual, could be effectively used for intervening with memory of this population, which would support music therapists to make better decision with regard to song selection. Further studies would be needed to deepen the understanding of autobiographical memory in older population with cognitive impairment and to propose more effective music therapy strategies for intervening with memory.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.530-537
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• 2007

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT, and to compare the differences between the two conditions. Materials and Methods: Sixteen SVaD, 46 AD and 12 control subjects participated in this study. We included the patients with SVaD and AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA and NINDS-AIREN criteria. They were all matched for age, education and clinical dementia rating scores. Three groups were evaluated by Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for measuring rCBF. The SPECT data of patients with SVaD and AD were compared with those of normal control subjects and then compared with each other. Results: SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits on the right temporal region and thalamus, left insula and superior temporal gyrus, both cingulate gyri and frontal subgyri in patients with SVaD and on the left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, right fugiform gyrus and both cingulate gyri in AD compared with control subjects (uncorrected p<0.01). SVaD patients revealed significant hypoperfusion in the right parahippocampal gyrus with cingulated gyrus, left insula and both frontal subgyral regions compared with AD (uncorrected p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study shows characteristic and different pattern of perfusion deficits in patients with SVaD and AD, and these results may be helpful to discriminate the two conditions in the early stage of illness.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.295-304
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• 2021

Olfactory neuropathology is a cause of olfactory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Olfactory dysfunction is also associated with memory and cognitive dysfunction and is an incidental finding of AD dementia. Here we review neuropathological research on the olfactory system in AD, considering both structural and functional evidence. Experimental and clinical findings identify olfactory dysfunction as an early indicator of AD. In keeping with this, amyloid-β production and neuroinflammation are related to underlying causes of impaired olfaction. Notably, physiological features of the spatial map in the olfactory system suggest the evidence of ongoing neurodegeneration. Our aim in this review is to examine olfactory pathology findings essential to identifying mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction in the development of AD in hopes of supporting investigations leading towards revealing potential diagnostic methods and causes of early pathogenesis in the olfactory system.