• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.157-168
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• 2011

Objectives : In this case report, we will present a patient with dementia with Lewy bodies improved by application of oriental medical treatments. Methods : A 82 year-old female patient has been suffered by dementia with Lewy bodies for 7~8 years. We treated the patient with Herbal medication and acupuncture. The effects of treatment were measured by MMSE-K (Mini-Mental State Examination-K). Results : As a result of oriental treatments, the quality of sleep was improved, also the level of cognition was improved. Conclusions : These results suggest that oriental treatments have an effect on Dementia with Lewy bodies.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2016

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common causes of dementia. It can exhibit a variety of clinical symptoms including cognitive decline, cognitive fluctuation, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, REM sleep behavior disorder, hypersensitivity to neuroleptics and autonomic dysfunctions. Despite more well-known criteria for DLB, there are often misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. It gives a lot of clinical burden to the clinician as well as to patients and families. When reducing the misdiagnosis, the burden of all will be reduced. The special concern and solicitation are needed in order not to miss the diagnosis when the cardinal features of DLB may not be volunteered by patients and the caregivers. To control the symptoms, clinicians must find and reduce drugs that can have the negative effects on DLB symptoms. There is limited evidence about specific interventions but available data suggest cholinesterase inhibitors improve the cognitive and behavioral symptoms and menmantine slightly improves the global impression.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.117-139
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• 2022

Synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease (PD) are incurable neurodegenerative conditions characterised by the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein protein in neuronal cells. In PD, fibrillary synuclein aggregation forms Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in the substantia nigra and cortex on the brain. Dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are also associated with α-synuclein protein abnormalities. α-synuclein is one of three synuclein proteins, and while its precise function is still unknown, one hypothesis posits that α-synuclein propagates from the enteric nervous system through the vagus nerve and into the brain, resulting in synucleinopathy. Studies on synucleinopathies should thus encompass not only the central nervous system but must necessarily include the gut and microbiome. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a well-established model for human neuronal pathologies and have been used in studies ranging from genetic models of hereditary disorders to neurotoxin-induced neurodegeneration as well as gut-brain-axis studies. There is significant genetic homology between zebrafish and mammalian vertebrates which is what makes the zebrafish so amenable to modelling human conditions but in the case of synucleinopathies, the zebrafish notably does not possess an α-synuclein homolog. Synuclein orthologs are present in the zebrafish however, and transgenic zebrafish that carry human α-synuclein have been generated. In addition, the zebrafish is a highly advantageous model and ideal replacement for reducing the use of mammalian models. This review discusses the application of the zebrafish as a model for synucleinopathies in efforts to further understand synuclein function and explore therapeutic strategies.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: Although dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia, its clinical prevalence is low. We developed a short and easy-to-complete DLB screening questionnaire (DLBSQ) to raise diagnostic sensitivity in routine clinical settings. Methods: A total of 501 participants were retrospectively enrolled, including 71 controls, 184 patients without DLB, and 246 patients with probable DLB. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, including core features of DLB, the DLBSQ, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and detailed neuropsychological assessments. The diagnostic performance of the DLBSQ for probable DLB was investigated using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: Total DLBSQ score was associated with visuospatial and frontal/executive dysfunction and the diagnosis of probable DLB. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for total DLBSQ score was 0.727. Youden's method revealed an optimal cutoff value of 3. The sensitivity and specificity of the DLBSQ were 68.7% and 62.4%, respectively. Its discriminating performance improved when cognitive test profiles were additionally considered (area under the curve: 0.822, sensitivity: 80.6%, and specificity: 70.4%). Conclusions: The DLBSQ might be a useful screening tool for DLB in routine clinical practice with good sensitivity and specificity.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2003

Neurodegenerative disorders cause a variety of dementia including Alzheimer disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Huntington's disease. PET scan is useful for early detection and differential diagnosis of these dementing disorders. Also, it provides valuable information about clinico-anatomical correlation, allowing better understanding of function of brain. Here we discuss recent achievements PET studies regarding these dementing disorders. Future progress in PET technology, new tracers, and image analysis will play an important role in further clarifying the disease pathophysiology and brain functions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1255-1259
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• 2005

Lewy bodies (LBs) are neuronal inclusions that are closely related to Parkinson's disease (PD). The filamentous component of LB from patients with PD contains biochemically altered $\alpha$-synuclein. We have investigated the effect of the oxidized products of catecholamines on the modification of $\alpha$-synuclein. When $\alpha$-synuclein was incubated with the oxidized 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) or dopamine, the protein was induced to be aggregated. The oxidized catecholamine-mediated $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation was enhanced by copper ion. Radical scavengers, azide and N-acetyl cysteine significantly prevented the oxidized catecholamine-mediated $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation. The results suggest that free radical may play a role in $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation. Exposure of $\alpha$-synuclein to the oxidized products of catecholamines led to the formation of dityrosine. Antioxidant dipeptides carnosine, homocarnosine and anserine significantly protected $\alpha$-synuclein from the aggregation induced by the oxidized products of catecholamines.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.24.1-24.1
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• 2003

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.102-111
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• 2007

Dementia is a major burden for many countries including South Korea, where life expectancy is continuously growing and the proportion of aged people is rapidly growing. Neurodegenerative disorders, such as, Alzheimer disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Huntington disease, can cause dementia, and cerebrovascular disease also can cause dementia. Depression or hypothyroidism also can cause cognitive deficits, but they are reversible by management of underlying cause unlike the forementioned dementias. Therefore these are called pseudodementia. We are entering an era of dementia care that will be based upon the identification of potentially modifiable risk factors and early disease markers, and the application of new drugs postpone progression of dementias or target specific proteins that cause dementia. Efficient pharmacologic treatment of dementia needs not only to distinguish underlying causes of dementia but also to be installed as soon as possible. Therefore, differential diagnosis and early diagnosis of dementia are utmost importance. F-18 FDG PET is useful for clarifying dementing diseases and is also useful for early detection of the diseases. Purpose of this article is to review the current value of FDG PET for dementing diseases including differential diagnosis of dementia and prediction of evolving dementia.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.3071-3075
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• 2012

Human ${\alpha}$-synuclein is the major component of the protein aggregates known as Lewy bodies or Lewy neurites, which define the intracellular lesions of Parkinson's disease. Despite extensive efforts, the physiological function of ${\alpha}$-synuclein has not yet been elucidated in detail. As an approach to defining its function, proteins that interacted with ${\alpha}$-synuclein were screened in phage display assays. The SNARE protein vesicle t-SNARE-interacting protein homologous 1B (VTI1B) was identified as an interacting partner. A selective interaction between ${\alpha}$-synuclein and VTI1B was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. VTI1B and ${\alpha}$-synuclein were colocalized in N2a neuronal cells, and overexpression of ${\alpha}$-synuclein changed the subcellular localization of VTI1B to be more dispersed throughout the cytosol. Considering the role played by VTI1B, ${\alpha}$-synuclein is likely to modulate vesicle trafficking by interacting with a SNARE complex.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.349-359
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• 2019

After the first research declaring the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in 2007, several attempts have been made to model neurodegenerative disease in vitro during the past decade. Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, which is mainly characterized by motor dysfunction. The formation of unique and filamentous inclusion bodies called Lewy bodies (LBs) is the hallmark of both PD and dementia with LBs. The key pathology in PD is generally considered to be the alpha-synuclein (${\alpha}$-syn) accumulation, although it is still controversial whether this protein aggregation is a cause or consequence of neurodegeneration. In the present work, the recently published researches which recapitulated the ${\alpha}$-syn aggregation phenomena in sporadic and familial PD hiPSC models were reviewed. Furthermore, the advantages and potentials of using patient-derived PD hiPSC with focus on ${\alpha}$-syn aggregation have been discussed.