• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 1998

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is one of the main enzymes involved in the formation and metabolism of the neurotransmitter glutamate. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of the GDH-immunoreactive cells in the rat brain using monoclonal antibodies against bovine brain GDH isoprotein. GDH-immunoreactive cell were distributed in the basal ganglia, thalamus and the nuclei belong to substantia innominata, and its connecting area, subthalamic nucleus, zona incerta, and substantia niqra. We could see GDH-immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus, septal nuclei associated with the limbic system, the anterior thalamic nuclei connecting between the hypothalamus and limbic system, and its associated structures, amygdaloid nuclear complex, the dorsal raphe and median raphe nuclei and the reticular formation of the midbrain. The GDH-immunoreactive cells were shown in the pyramidal neurons of the cerebral cortex, the Purkinie cells of the cerebella cortex, their associated structures, ventral thalamic nuclei and the reticular thalamic nuclei that seem to function as neural conduction in the thalamus.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.443-450
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to observe activation of limbic system during performing visuospatial tasks by 21% and 30% oxygen administration. Eight right handed male college students were selected as the subjects for this study. A visuospatial task was presented while brain images were scanned by a 3T fMRI system. The experiment consisted of two runs: one was a visuospatial task under normal air(21% oxygen) condition and the other under hyperoxic air(30% oxygen) condition. The neural activations were observed at the limbic system which is seperated 8 regions such as cingulate gyrus, thalamus, limbic lobe, hypothalamus, hippocampus, parahippocampa gyrus, amygdala, and mammiilary body. By two oxygen levels, activation areas of limbic system are almost identical. Increased neural activations were observed in the cingulate gyrus and thalamus with 30% oxygen administration compared to 21% oxygen. During 30% oxygen administration, improvement of visuospatial task performance has a relation to increase of neural activation of subcortical structures such as thalamus and cingulate gyrus as well as cerebral cortex.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1999

Benzodiazepines(BZDs) are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. They are potent anxiolytic, antiepileptic, hypnotic, and muscle relaxing agents. There is an emerging model of the role of several neural systems in anxiety and their relation to the mechanism of action of BZDs. It has been postulated that BZD drugs exert their anxiolytic action by regulating GABAergic transmission in limbic areas such as the amygdala, in the posterior hypothalamus, and in the raphe nuclei. The involvement of the amygdala in the behaviors triggered by fear and stress has been suggested by many previous studies. In this review, reports about regulatory effects of endogenous BZD receptor ligands on the perception of anxiety and memory consolidation were summerized. These findings further support the contention that BZD receptor ligands modulate memory consolidation of averse learning tasks by influencing the level of stress and/or anxiety that accompanies a learning experience. The findings suggest that the decrease in the limbic levels of BZD-like molecules seen after the various behavioral procedures represent a general response to stress and/or anxiety, since it occurs in proportion to the level of stress and/or anxiety that accompany these tasks. In addition, these findings further support the hypothesis that the $GABA_A$/BZD receptor complex in limbic structures plays a pivotal role in the stress and anxiety.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 1988

To investigate the connections between the major limbic structures and the nucleus accumbens septi or the nucleus fundus striati, stereotaxic surgeries were performed. One group of the rats were electrically lesioned in the mamillary body, and the other group were extirpated their hippocampal formation. Careful study of both nuclei following each surgery showed the following results. 1. Nerve terminals of mamillo-accumbens tract were synapsed to the dendrite of nucleus accumbens cell, whereas the neuronal type of accumbens-mamillary tract was aspiny cell. 2. Nerve terminals of mamillo-fundus tract were synapsed to the spines of fundus striati cells. Fundus-mamillary tract cells were not confirmed. 3. Nerve terminals of hippocampo-accumbens terminals were synapsed to the dendrites and spines of nucleus accumbens cells, whereas the neuronal type of accumbens-hippocampal tract was spiny one. 4. Nerve terminals of hippocampo-fundus tract were synapsed to the spines of fundus striati cells, whereas the neuronal types of fundus-hippocampal tract was aspiny one. 5. From the results, it was concluded that both of the nucleus accumbens septi and the fundus striati have connections with the mamillary body and the hippocampus. But nucleus accumbens septi has apparently more intimate relationship with major limbic structures.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.307-310
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• 2003

Kainic acid (KA) is a structural analogue of glutamate that interacts with specific presynaptic and postsynaptic receptors to potentiate the release and excitatory actions of glutamate. Systemic or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of KA to experimental animals elicits multifocal seizures with a predominantly limbic localization, and results in neuronal death of cornu ammonia 1 (CA1), reactive gliosis and biochemical changes in the hippocampus and other limbic structures. Several lines of evidence suggest that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of excitotoxic death by KA. Curcumin has been known to possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, the effects of curcumin on KA induced hippocampal cell death, reactive gliosis and biochemical changes in reactive glia were investigated by immunohistochemical methods. Our data demonstrated that curcumin attenuated KA-induced astroglial and microglial activation although it did not protect KA-induced hippocampal cell death.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.119-133
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• 1998

Attentional processes facilitate cognitive and behavioral performance in several ways. Attention serves to reduce the amount of information to receive. Attention enables humans to direct themselves to appropriate aspects of external environmental events and internal operations. Attention facilitates the selection of salient information and the allocation of cognitive processing appropriate to that information. Attention is not a unitary process that can be localized to a single neuroanatomical region. Before the cortical registration of sensory information, activation of important subcortical structures occurs, which is called as an orienting response. Once sensory information reaches the sensory cortex, a large number of perceptual processes occur, which provide various levels of perceptual resolution of the critical features of the stimuli. After this preattentional processing, information is integrated within higher cortical(heteromodal) systems in inferior parietal and temporal lobes. At this stage, the processing characteristics can be modified, and the biases of the system have a direct impact on attentional selection. Information flow has been traced through sensory analysis to a processing stage that enables the new information to be focused and modified in relation to preexisting biases. The limbic and paralimbic system play significant roles in modulating attentional response. It is labeled with affective salience and is integrated according to ongoing pressures from the motivational drive system of the hypothalamus. The salience of information greatly influences the allocation of attention. The frontal lobe operate response selection system with a reciprocal interaction with both the attention system of the parietal lobe and the limbic system. In this attentional process, the search with the spatial field is organized and a sequence of attentional responses is generated. Affective, motivational and appectitive impulses from limbic system and hypothalamus trigger response intention, preparation, planning, initiation and control of frontal lobe on this process. The reticular system, which produces ascending activation, catalyzes the overall system and increases attentional capacity. Also additional energetic pressures are created by the hypothalamus. As psychophysiological measurement, skin conductance, pupil diameter, muscle tension, heart rate, alpha wave of EEG can be used. Event related potentials also provide physiological evidence of attention during information process. NI component appears to be an electrophysiological index of selective attention. P3 response is developed during the attention related to stimulus discrimination, evaluation and response.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 1999

The differentiation of emotions by means of psychophysiological measures has been only moderately successful so far. A major reason for this dilemma may be the lack of appropriate neurophysiological modeling for the various autonomic nervous system based measures being used in emotion research. The aim of the present article is to provide such a neurophysiological background for electrodermal activity which has been frequently used as an indicator of emotional processes. First, the literature is reviewd with respect to the usability of electrodermal measures as an indicators of emotion. second, the neurophysilogical sources of electrodermal phenomena in general are described. Electrodermal activity has different origins in the central nervous system, a limbic-hypothalamic source that dominates during negative emotions as opposed to a premotor and basal ganglia source being predominantly active during positive emotions. Panksepp's model of four basic emotive systems is adopted for demonstrating subcortical structures and pathways possibly involved in the elicitation of both kinds of electrodermal activity in comparison with cardiovascular in dicators of emotional processes.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.65-69
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• 2004

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention has been widely used for treatment for many functional disorders, such as substances abuse and mental dysfunction. In general, acupuncture is known to be simple, economic; painless, non-traumatic, and without untoward reaction, being able to inhibit the abstinence syndrome. Although a number of studies on acupuncture have been reported, a few studies described acupuncture effect on drug addiction. Evidences suggest that substances abuses including nicotine, cocaine and alcohol are in part related to its effects on dopamine neurons in the reward pathways of the brain. The effects of acupuncture on drug addiction may be mediated through the neuronal cells within the limbic structures, which are known to be involved in rewarding properties of drug abuse. This essay reviews clinical and experimental evidences for its effectiveness on the drug addiction, and discusses a plausible explanation for the mechanism of acupuncture on substances abuse.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Purpose: Several morphometric studies have been performed to investigate brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf people. But no report exists concerning structural brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf adolescents. We evaluated the regional volume changes in gray matter (GM) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in congenitally deaf adolescents. Materials and Methods: A VBM8 methodology was applied to the T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of eight congenitally deaf adolescents (mean age, 15.6 years) and nine adolescents with normal hearing. All MRI scans were normalized to a template and then segmented, modulated, and smoothed. Smoothed GM data were tested statistically using analysis of covariance (controlled for age, gender, and intracranial cavity volume). Results: The mean values of age, gender, total volumes of GM, and total intracranial volume did not differ between the two groups. In the auditory centers, the left anterior Heschl's gyrus and both inferior colliculi showed decreased regional GM volume in the congenitally deaf adolescents. The GM volumes of the lingual gyri, nuclei accumbens, and left posterior thalamic reticular nucleus in the midbrain were also decreased. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that early deprivation of auditory stimulation in congenitally deaf adolescents might have caused significant underdevelopment of the auditory cortex (left Heschl's gyrus), subcortical auditory structures (inferior colliculi), auditory gain controllers (nucleus accumbens and thalamic reticular nucleus), and multisensory integration areas (inferior colliculi and lingual gyri). These defects might be related to the absence of general auditory perception, the auditory gating system of thalamocortical transmission, and failure in the maturation of the auditory-to-limbic connection and the auditorysomatosensory-visual interconnection.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.86-101
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• 2005

In this study, a brain-basrd model for science teaching and learning was developed based on the natural processes which human acquire knowledge about a natural object or on event, the major domains of science educational objectives of the national curriculum, and the human brain's organizational patterns and functions. In the model, each educational objective domain is related to the brain regions as follows: The affective domain is related to the limbic system, especially amygdala of human brain which is involved in emotions, the psychomotor domain is related to the occipital lobes of human brain which perform visual processing, temporal lobes which perform functions of language generating and understandng, and parietal lobes which receive and process sensory information and execute motor activities of body, and the cognitive domain is related to the frontal and prefrontal lobes which are involved in think-ing, planning, judging, and problem solving. The model is a kind of procedural model which proceed fiom affective domain to psychomotor domain, and to cognitive domain of science educational objective system, and emphasize the order of each step and authentic assessment at each step. The model has both properties of circularity and network of activities. At classrooms, the model can be used as various forms according to subjects and student characteristics. STS themes can be appropriately covered by the model.