• PNF and Movement
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.175-180
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of mirror-neuron-system-based action observation physical training on improvements in upper extremity functions and daily living activities in chronic stroke patients. Methods: Ten chronic stroke patients were randomly selected. As a therapeutic intervention, along with conventional occupational therapy, the patients engaged in action observation physical training through repeated imitation practices after they viewed a video. The therapeutic intervention was implemented for 20 minutes, three times each week for eight weeks. A Manual Function Test (MFT) was conducted to compare upper extremity functions before and after the therapeutic intervention, and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) was used to compare the ability to perform daily living activities. Results: Significant improvements in upper extremity motor functions and the ability to perform daily living activities were shown after the intervention. The subjects' left upper extremity motor functions and ability to perform daily living activities showed significant improvement after the intervention. Conclusion: The study's results indicate that action observation physical training based on the mirror neuron system improves chronic stroke patients' upper extremity motor functions and their ability to perform daily living activities. Therefore, action observation training has positive effects on the functional recovery of chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.361-368
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• 2011

Purpose : The aims of this study was to identify the activation of the mirror neuron system during action observation in people with stroke and the difference between left hemisphere and right hemisphere and to provide possibility of the use of action observation as a clinical method for improving motor function after stroke. Methods : Seventeen participants were asked to observe 3 different stimulation conditions for 80 seconds. A 30 second rest period was given between stimulations. Electroencephalogram(EEG) signals from electrodes on the participant's scalp were recorded during action observation. The activation of the mirror neuron system(MNS) between the picture observation condition and action observation condition was compared with a paired t-test. An independent t-test was used to compare difference between C3 and C4 on the activation of the mirror neuron system in the action observation condition. Results : Result of paired t-test showed a significantly decreased log ratio in the activation of the mirror neuron system in the action observation condition compared to the picture observation condition. Result of the independent t-test indicated no significant differences in the activation of the mirror neuron system in the right and left hemisphere. Conclusion : The mirror neuron system showed greater activation in the action observation condition than in the picture observation condition and activation in the both hemisphere during action observation. We conclude that these findings suggest that this may possibly be an efficient clinical intervention method for improving motor function.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2006

Functional Electrical Stimulation(FES) cause paralysed muscles to contract in some clinical circumstances. Generally, FES has been thought of as a valuable tool in activating any skeletal muscle paralysed as a result of upper motor neuron damage. But, the function of cardiac and smooth muscle is also affected by upper motor neuron damage. Today, various applications of FES are investigated, including conditioning cardiovascular exercise, caugh and breathing assistant, improving bowel and bladder control, hand grasp, standing and walking etc. This review will focus on the literature reporting application of FES to control respiratory capabilities and internal organ function as well as increase muscular strength, hand grasp, standing and walking in patients with upper motor diseases.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.167-174
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• 2008

The application of tape is being widely used for treatment of the musculoskeletal disorders and injury prevention. The techniques of the tape application has been relied on empirical evidence in preference to the neurophysiological evidence. Thus, the mechanism of taping has to be elucidated further. In this study, we assessed the effect of the elastic and non-elastic tape upon the gastrocnemius ${\alpha}$-motor neuron excitability using the gastrocnemius H-reflex. The amplitude of the M-wave and H-reflex were measured across three conditions: before tape application, with tape and with the tape removed. No significant changes of the excitability of the ${\alpha}$-motor neuron were obtained across three condition, either in the elastic and non-elastic tape. This results were quite different with other recent studies, which needs to be explored further.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.565-570
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• 2013

The mirror neuron regions which are distributed in cortical area handled a functionality of intention recognition on the basis of imitative learning of an observed action which is acquired from visual-information of a goal-directed action. In this paper an automated intention recognition system is proposed by applying computational model of mirror neuron system to the human-robot interaction system. The computational model of mirror neuron system is designed by using dynamic neural networks which have model input which includes sequential feature vector set from the behaviors from the target object and actor and produce results as a form of motor data which can be used to perform the corresponding intentional action through the imitative learning and estimation procedures of the proposed computational model. The intention recognition framework is designed by a system which has a model input from KINECT sensor and has a model output by calculating the corresponding motor data within a virtual robot simulation environment on the basis of intention-related scenario with the limited experimental space and specified target object.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 2007

This review discusses the development of muscle receptors, in particular, that of muscle sensory neurons and monosynaptic stretch reflex circuit. The development of muscle sensory neurons and monosynaptic stretch reflex requires a series of steps including expression of neurotrophic transcriptional factors and their receptor. The monosynaptic stretch reflex circuit is unique neuronal circuit system, and highly precise synaptic connection systems. Thus, coordination of sensory-motor function in muscle receptors depend on the expression of distinct classes of molecular cues, and on the formation of selective synaptic connections between sensory-motor neurons and their target muscle. Recent neurotrophic and transcription factor expression studies have expanded our knowledge on how muscle sensory neuron is formed, and how sensory-motor system is developed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.523-530
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• 2024

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway, leading to motor and non-motor dysfunctions, such as depression, olfactory dysfunction, and memory impairment. Although levodopa (L-dopa) has been the gold standard PD treatment for decades, it only relieves motor symptoms and has no effect on non-motor symptoms or disease progression. Prior studies have reported that 6-shogaol, the active ingredient in ginger, exerts a protective effect on dopaminergic neurons by suppressing neuroinflammation in PD mice. This study investigated whether cotreatment with 6-shogaol and L-dopa could attenuate both motor and non-motor symptoms and dopaminergic neuronal damage. Both 6-shogaol (20 mg/kg) and L-dopa (80 mg/kg) were orally administered to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine/probenecid-induced PD model mice for 26 days. The experimental results showed that L-dopa alleviated motor symptoms, but had no significant effect on non-motor symptoms, loss of dopaminergic neuron, or neuroinflammation. However, when mice were treated with 6-shogaol alone or in combination with L-dopa, an amelioration in both motor and non-motor symptoms such as depression-like behavior, olfactory dysfunction and memory impairment was observed. Moreover, 6-shogaol-only or co-treatment of 6-shogaol with L-dopa protected dopaminergic neurons in the striatum and reduced neuroinflammation in the striatum and substantia nigra. Overall, these results suggest that 6-shogaol can effectively complement L-dopa by improving non-motor dysfunction and restoring dopaminergic neurons via suppressing neuroinflammation.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 2006

This study analyzed changes in action potential of supraspinal neuron and motor unit depending on maximum tolerance isometric contraction(MTIC) by electrical stimulation and examined influence of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on spinal neuron adaptation. It selected 40 university students in their twenties and divided into experimental groups of 25% MTIC(I), 50% MTIC I (II), 75% MTIC(III) and 100% MTIC(IV) depending on MTIC by electrical stimulation, and performed isometric contraction of plantar flexor muscle to each experimental group with given contraction for 20 times. It measured V/Mmax and MDF pre and post exercise, compared volume of contraction. 1. V/Mmax ratio showed no significant difference in comparison among experimental groups. 2. There was significant difference in median frequency of gastrocnemius and soleus in action potential motor unit according to comparison among experimental groups(p<.001). When contraction by electrical stimulation was maximum, change was greatest. This results suggest that muscle contraction by electrical stimulation was influence to action potential of spinal motor neuron system which appear optimal level though aspect and difference degree were not in accordance. Consequently, optimal stimulation level of MTIC(50%) by FES would be lead to central nerve adaptation. muscle contraction by electrical stimulation was influence highly to MDF which should be consider to fatigue of motor unit for muscle contraction by electrical stimulation.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.329-348
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• 1996

The prenatal development of lateral motor columns in the lumbar spinal cord was studied by electron microscopy in human embryos and fetuses ranging from 9 mm to 260 mm crown-rump length ($5{\sim}30$ weeks of gestational age). At 9 mm embryo, the lateral motor column were developed from ventro-lateral projection into the marginal layer and composed of primitive neuroblasts. At 20 mm embryo the primitive motor neurons were packed closely together and could readly be distinguished from primitive glioblasts by a presence of large nuclei. The primitive multipolar neurons were observed in lateral motor column at 40 mm fetus. At 80 mm fetus multipolar neurons were characterized by their many dendrites and axons in the vicinity of motor neuron perikarya. At 260 mm fetus, the motor neurons were large and contained all intracytoplasmic structures in the cytoplasm which were also found in mature motor neuron in lateral motor column. The first axo-dendritic synapses found at 40 mm fetus and increased in number throughout fetal development. Axo-somatic synapses with spherical vesicles were first observed at 80 mm fetus. A few axo-somatic synapses were found at next prenatal stages. Axo-dendritic and axo-somatic synapses contained mixed populations of spherical and flattened vesicles by 120 mm fetus. These findings indicate that axo-dendritic synapses develop prior to axo-somatic synapses in the spinal cord during neurogenesis.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.606-611
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• 2014

The understanding of another's behavior is a fundamental cognitive ability for primates including humans. Recent neuro-physiological studies suggested that there is a direct matching algorithm from visual observation onto an individual's own motor repertories for interpreting cognitive ability. The mirror neurons are known as core regions and are handled as a functionality of intent recognition on the basis of imitative learning of an observed action which is acquired from visual-information of a goal-directed action. In this paper, we addressed previous works used to model the function and mechanisms of mirror neurons and proposed a computational model of a mirror neuron system which can be used in human-robot interaction environments. The major focus of the computation model is the reproduction of an individual's motor repertory with different embodiments. The model's aim is the design of a continuous process which combines sensory evidence, prior task knowledge and a goal-directed matching of action observation and execution. We also propose a biologically inspired plausible equation model.