• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.237-242
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• 2018

$^{18}F$-fludeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) can help finding an abnormal metabolic activity in brain. In this study, we evaluated an efficiency of volume- and cortical surface-based analysis which were used to determine whether standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) of FDG-PET was different among Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy control (HC). Each PET image was rigidly co-registered to the corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using mutual information. All voxels of the co-registered PET images were divided by the mean FDG uptake of the cerebellum cortex which was thresholded by partial volume effect (>0.9). Also, the SUVR value of each vertex was linearly interpolated from volumetric SUVR image which was thresholded by gray matter partial volume effect (>0.1). Lobar mean values were calculated from both volume- and cortical surface-based SUVRs. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare two measures for AD, MCI and HC groups. Even though the results of volume (SUVR_vol) and cortical surface-based SUVR (SUVR_surf) analysis were not significantly different from each other, the latter would be better for detecting group differences in SUVR of PET.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

The present study investigated the effects of AD on stereoscopic vision. Sixty participants (20 AD patients, 20 mild cognitive impairment patients, 20 healthy elderly controls) participated in the study. Two cubes, one on the left and the other on the right of the center of the monitor, appeared at varying distances from the observer with their relative distances controlled in two disparity conditions (absolute vs relative disparity) combined with two disparity directions (crossed vs uncrossed disparity). Participants identified the object that appeared closer to them. Results demonstrated comparable performance with all three groups performing accurately, suggesting that the effect of AD on stereopsis is negligible. Discussion focused on brain pathology affected by AD involving high level visual processing.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.222-228
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• 2020

The purpose of this article was to investigate the current state of studies on clinical trials of acupuncture treatment for Alzheimer's disease using neuroimaging method. We searched for clinical trials of acupuncture treatment for Alzheimer's disease(AD) and mild cognitive impairment(MCI) using neuroimaging method in the MEDLINE (Pubmed) database on March 18, 2020. Once the online search was finished, studies were selected manually by the inclusion criteria. Finally, we analyzed the characteristics of selected articles and reviewed the neural substrates of acupuncture treatment in AD. Total ten studies were included in this study. The most frequently applied modality for AD was functional MRI. The most frequently selected acupoints for AD were KI3, LR3 and LI4. One of studies showed that acupuncture treatment could improve the symptoms of MCI. Through the analysis, we demonstrated that neuroimaging method could capture the neural substrates associated with AD. Moreover, acupuncture may induce differential response according to the disease status. Finally, real acupuncture could produce more extensive activation/deactivation than sham acupuncture. We hope that neuroimaging method can contribute to the clinical research of acupuncture treatment for AD through large-scale RCT and diverse imaging modality.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.294-304
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate objectively measured physical activity (PA) in institutionalized older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to elucidate the influence of autonomic nervous function, salivary cortisol, and PA on cognitive functions based on neurovisceral integration model. Methods: Overall cognitive function was evaluated using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and executive function was evaluated using semantic verbal fluency test and clock drawing test. Actigraph for PA, HRV and sAA for autonomous function, and the geriatric depression scale for depression were used. Saliva specimens were collected in the morning for sAA and cortisol. Results: Ninety-eight older adults from four regional geriatric hospitals participated in the study. They took 4,499 steps per day on average. They spent 753.93 minutes and 23.12 minutes on average in sedentary and moderate-to-vigorous activity, respectively. In the multiple regression analysis, lower salivary cortisol level (β = - .33, p = .041) and greater step counts (β = .37, p = .029) significantly improved MMSE score. Greater step count (β = .27, p = .016) also exerted a significant influence on verbal fluency, and greater sAA (β= .35, p = .026) was significantly associated with a better clock drawing test result. Conclusion: Salivary cortisol, sAA and physical activity were significantly associated with cognitive functions. To prevent older adults from developing dementia, strategies are needed to increase their overall PA amount by decreasing sedentary time and to decrease salivary cortisol for cognitive function, and to maintain their sympathetic nervous activity for executive function.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 2022

Background and Purpose: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has been considered as a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). We measured plasma NfL levels in older adults with cognitive complaints and evaluated their clinical usefulness in AD. Methods: Plasma levels of NfL, measured by using the single molecule array method, were acquired in a total of 113 subjects consisting of subjective cognitive decline (SCD; n=14), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n=37), or dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT; n=62). Plasma NfL level was compared among three groups, and its association with cognitive and functional status was also analyzed. Results: After adjusting for age, plasma NfL level was higher in subjects with DAT (65.98±84.96 pg/mL), compared to in subjects with SCD (16.90±2.54 pg/mL) or MCI (25.53±10.42 pg/mL, p=0.004). NfL levels were correlated with scores of the mini-mental state examination (r=-0.242, p=0.021), clinical dementia rating (CDR) (r=0.291, p=0.005), or CDR-sum of boxes (r=0.276, p=0.008). Just for participants who performed amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), the levels were different between subjects with PET (-) (n=17, 25.95±13.25 pg/mL) and PET (+) (n=16, 63.65±81.90 pg/mL, p=0.010). Additionally, plasma NfL levels were different between vascular dementia and vascular MCI, and between Parkinson's disease- dementia and no dementia. Conclusions: This pilot study shows that in subjects with DAT, plasma NfL levels increase. Plasma NfL level correlated with cognitive and functional status. Further longitudinal studies may help to apply the plasma NfL levels to AD, as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and predicting progression.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.81-94
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• 2021

Objective : Response time plays a prominent part in research on cognitive ability and the aging effect. This study aimed to identify the impact of cognitive ability on information processing by conducting cognitive response time (CRT) using a computer program. Methods : This study was conducted in 30 normal elderly (NE) and 30 elderly with amnestic MCI (aMCI), aged 65-79 years old living in Daegu and Gyeongbuk. The results were analyzed using the statistical analysis program R 4.0.2 (University of Auckland, New Zealand). Results : In the three sub-areas of CRT, the total response time showed a significant difference depending on group or age, and the error rate showed a significant difference depending on age or group in some sub-areas. In the aMCI group, the performance of CRT significantly correlated with that of the overall cognition and memory test. Conclusion : Information processing depending on aging or cognitive ability and the differential performance of processing speed could be observed through CRT. The performance of this test was found to be significantly correlated with that of the overall cognition and memory test. Therefore, CRT could be used meaningfully as a simplified tool to predict the initial cognitive disorder of the elderly in the community.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of a cognitive rehabilitation program consisting of physical exercises and mental activities for patients with chronic stroke with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We aimed to investigate how this cognitive rehabilitation program affects patients' cognitive ability, depression, and sleep quality. Design: One group pretest-posttest design Methods: The study was conductedon 12 patients who participated in thecognitive rehabilitation complex exercise program for 16 weeks. The Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (K-HDRS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to evaluate the measured variables before and after study participation. The cognitive rehabilitation complex exercise program included 30 minutes of cognitive exercise and 30 minutes of Brill Exercise. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the variables before and after program participation. Cronbach's ɑ was used to assess the reliability of the test variables. Results: The post-program assessment showed a statistically significant increase in the MoCA-K score, which measures cognitive function (Z=-2.628, P=0.009). For depression ratings, there was a statistically significant decrease in the K-HDRS score (Z=-2.041, P=0.041). For sleep quality, although there was a numerical increase in the PSQI score, the difference was not statistically significant (Z=-0.702, P=0.483). The reliability test confirmed that all the individual test variables exhibited high reliability (cognitive function, 0.859; depression, 0.872; sleep, 0.822). Conclusions: We found that cognitive rehabilitation program used in this study had a positive effect on the cognitive function and depression in patients with chronic stroke with MCI.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.733-740
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to activate rehabilitation exercises to prevent MCI (mild cognitive impairment) in the elderly at home. Through the convergence of AI and rehabilitation exercise, we will be able to provide integrated services of medical care and rehabilitation exercise that enable integrated health management by activating rehabilitation exercise linkage in medically vulnerable communities such as rural areas and establishing exercise data. To this end, as a convergence development plan for AI and rehabilitation exercise, interdisciplinary experts will participate to produce and distribute game and rehabilitation exercise instruction manuals by type to improve cognitive function and musculoskeletal function, and systematize rehabilitation exercise programs needed for the elderly at home. The development, operation, and education of physical fitness assessment manuals can be expanded and will be of great help in early prevention of dementia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.60-68
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• 2019

Objectives : The association between thyroid-related hormones and cognitive function has been controversial. The purpose of this study is to compare the levels of thyroid-related hormones in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between thyroid-related hormones and cognitive function. Methods : From January 2011 to December 2018, we retrospectively reviewed 105 patients who were diagnosed with AD and MCI by visiting a dementia clinic at Ilsan Paik Hospital. Thyroid-related hormones [triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] was measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay. An independent sample t-test was performed to analyze the mean value of thyroid-related hormones in patients of AD and MCI. To investigate whether thyroid-related hormones correlate significantly with Global deterioration scale (GDS), Clinical dementia rating (CDR) and scores of each The Korean version of the consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease items, we conducted a partial correlation analysis with geriatric depression scale-Korean version (GDS-K) scores as covariates. Results : There was no significant difference in the mean serum T3, T4 and TSH levels between patients of the AD and the MCI, but the Construction Praxis Test (CPT) showed a significant positive correlation with the serum TSH concentration (p-value=0.004). Conclusions : In our study, the positive correlation between serum TSH level and the CPT associated with executive function was found to be helpful in understanding the association between thyroid-related hormones and the pathophysiology of dementia. Prospective studies in regard of the pathophysiology of thyroid-related hormones on cognitive function will be necessary in the future.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.587-595
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate exploring the field application of combined cognitive-motor learning program based on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and Bartenieff Fundamental program. The combined cognitive-motor learning program(CC) was applied to the 10 MCI elder while 10 elder in occupational therapy(OT) took cognitive learning class. MMSE-K, Time up & go test(TUG), Tandem gait test(TA), GQOL-D were measured and analyzed. The collected data were analyzed by Independent & Paired T-test. The results were as follows: Both groups showed similar learning effect in MMSE-K test. However, in TA & GQOL-D test, CC group showed significant learning effect than OT group. From these result, we conclude that combined cognitive-motor learning program is valuable as alternative program for cognitive development and social development as well as physical development of MCI elder.