• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.258-265
• /
• 2001

Objectives : Chronic alcohol consumption has been known to result in various neurocognitive deficits. Many neuropsychological studies revealed that the major disturbances occurred in the executive function, learning and short-term memory, visuospatial performance function, perceptuo-motor skills, and abstraction and problem solving abilities. This study was done to identify which cognitive areas might be mainly affected. Methods : The cognitive disturbance was evaluated using the Korean Version of the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSEK) and the 7 Minute Screen(7MS) in male inpatients with alcohol dependence(N=3 : as well as in age and education level matched healthy male controls(N=30). Four individual tests of the 7MS were consisted of the Benton Temporal Orientation Test, the Enhanced Cued Recall, the Clock Drawing and the Category Fluency. Results : 1) The average scores of four individual test of the 7MS for the alcoholics were $2.77{\pm}4.38$ for the Benton Temporal Orientation Test, $13.90{\pm}2.02$ for the Memory Test(the Cued Recall $6.77{\pm}1.94$, the Uncued Recall $7.10{\pm}2.45$), $5.84{\pm}1.86$ for the Clock Drawing, and $12.58{\pm}3.29$ for the Category Fluency. Except the Benton Temporal Orientation Test, there were statistically significant differences between test scores of alcoholics and those of controls(p<0.01). 2) The alcoholics who had MMSE-K score <24 were 9.68%. The average(${\pm}S.D.$) score of the MMSE-K for the patient group($27.23{\pm}2.62$) was significantly(p<0.001) lower than that of the healthy controls($29.20{\pm}1.24$). There were no statistically significant differences between four individual test scores of the 7MS of alcoholics with the MMSE-K score <24(N=3) and those of alcoholics with the MMSE-K score ${\geq}24$(N=28). 3) Four individual test scores of the 7MS seemed to have statistically significant association with such variables as MMSE-K, duration of alcohol drinking, blood magnesium concentration, liver function and thyroid function. Conclusion : Mild deficits of cognitive areas such as orientation, memory, visuospatial abilities and verbal fluency could be found in alcohol dependence.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.41 no.8
• /
• pp.718-732
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate nutrients or food factors related to cognitive function of elderly having Alzheimer's disease. In this study 38 subjects who were over 65 years old have participated in dementia clinic at A medical center. After they were diagnosed to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) through blood analysis, neuropsychological test, brain image and interview by medical specialist, we examined for their general information, anthropometry, blood pressure and dietary intakes. Dietary intakes were investigated using the 24-hour recall record. Energy intake was adequate and the energy composition of carbohydrate, protein and fat was 60.8 : 16.2 : 23.0, but dietary intakes of calcium, vitamin A and folate were less than 75% of the recommended intake levels for Koreans. The multiple regression analysis adjusted with age, sex and educational level showed that cognitive function was positively related to intakes of zinc, fishes and shellfishes, beans & nuts, sugars and fats, and negatively related to intakes of plant calcium and eggs. These results indicate that intakes of specific nutrients or food groups are associated with the specific domains of cognitive function in elderly with AD.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.237-259
• /
• 2011

Mathematics learning disabilities is a specific learning disorder affecting the normal acquisition of arithmetic and spatial skills. Reported prevalence rates range from 5 to 10 percent and show high rates of comorbid disabilities, such as dyslexia and ADHD. In this study, the characteristics and the causes of this disorder has been examined. The core cause of mathematics learning disabilities is not clear yet: it can come from general cognitive problems, or disorder of innate intuitive number module could be the cause. Recently, researchers try to subdivide mathematics learning disabilities as (1) semantic/memory type, (2) procedural/skill type, (3) visuospatial type, and (4) reasoning type. Each subtype is related to specific brain areas subserving mathematical cognition. Based on these findings, the author has performed a basic research to develop grade specific diagnostic tests: number processing test and math word problems for lower grades and comprehensive math knowledge tests for the upper grades. The results should help teachers to find out prior knowledge, specific weaknesses of students, and plan personalized intervention program. The author suggest diagnostic tests are organized into 6 components. They are number sense, conceptual knowledge, arithmetic facts retrieval, procedural skills, mathematical reasoning/word problem solving, and visuospatial perception tests. This grouping will also help the examiner to figure out the processing time for each component.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.130-138
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop auditory-verbal and visual-spatial memory tasks using smart devices for children aged 8 to 10 years and examine their validity. Methods: One-hundred and fourteen school-aged children were recruited through internet advertising. We developed memory tasks assessing auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, and working memory, and then examined their construct validity by examining the developmental trend of the children's mean scores with age. In order to examine the concurrent validity of the tasks, we conducted correlation analyses between the children's scores on the newly developed auditory-verbal, visual-spatial memory and working memory tasks and their scores on well-known standardized tests of memory and working memory, including the auditory-verbal memory subtests of the Korean Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children, Korean Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, digit span and arithmetic subtest of Korean Educational Development Institute Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised, and Corsi block test. Results: The memory and working memory scores measured by the newly developed tasks tended to increase with age. Further, there were significant correlations between the scores of the four cognitive tasks and the corresponding scores of the standardized assessment tools. Conclusion: This study revealed promising evidence for the validity of the memory tasks using smart devices, suggesting their utility for school-aged children in research and clinical settings.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.253-266
• /
• 2001

Background: The causes of ADHD(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are various, so it is impossible to understand the whole characteristics of ADHD, only with simple intelligence testing scales. We compared cognitive characteristics of ADHD group with normal controls with Korean Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children(K-ABC). It is well known to evaluate neuropsychological and cognitive aspects of the children. Materials and Methods: Age and sex matched 40 ADHD patients and 40 normal controls tested with the K-ABC. Each subscales compared between pre-treatment patients and controls, pre-treatment and post-treatment in patient group, post-treatment patients and controls. Results: Significant differences are observed in sequential processing, simultaneous processing, cognitive processing and achievement between pre-treatment patients and controls, and in gestalt closure between pre-treatment and post-treatment patients group. But there are no significant differences between pre-treatment patients and controls in gestalt closure and reading/decoding. Conclusions: Methylphenidate improved the scores of simultaneous scale, which means improvement of executive functions such as divided attention, analysis and organization. Methylphenidate also reduced distractibility.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.97-107
• /
• 2013

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate attention, memory and executive function in patients with narcolepsy. Methods: This study included 23 narcoleptic patients whose diagnosis were confirmed by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders(ICSD) at Chonnam National University Hospital Sleep Disorders Clinic or an other hospital in Korea, from 2005 to 2008, as well as 23 normal controls. All participants were given an IQ test for Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and several neuropsychological function tests (the d2 test for attention function, the Rey Complex Figure Test for nonverbal memory, the Korean-California Verbal Learning Test [K-CVLT] for verbal memory, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test for executive function). Clinical features of narcoleptic patients, including the frequency of excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucination, were investigated by a structured clinical interview administered by a neuropsychiatist. Excessive daytime sleepiness was evaluated by the Epworth sleepiness scale. Results: Characteristic symptoms of narcolepsy observed in this study included excessive daytime sleepiness (n=23, 100.0%), cataplexy (n=19, 82.6%), hypnagogic hallucination (n=5, 21.7%) and sleep paralysis (n=12, 52.2%). In nocturnal polysomnographic findings, stage 2 sleep and REM latency were found to be significantly decreased in narcoleptic patients compared with the control group, and were accompanied by significant increases in stage 1 sleep. Narcoleptic patients had lower scores than the control group on total number, Total Number-Total Error, Concentration Performance and Fluctuation Rate on the d2 test, which measures attention. Also, there were significant differences between the performance of patient and control groups on the B list of the K-CVLT, which measures verbal memory. Conclusion: Narcoleptic patients showed decreased attention and verbal memory performance compared to the control group; however, in many areas, narcoleptic patients still demonstrated normal cognitive function.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.9
• /
• pp.6201-6213
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Reality Orientation Therapy and Spaced Retrieval Therapy of the applied of CERAD-K type cognitive rehabilitation program for mild Alzheimer's patients. The tool used to this study was CERAD-K neuropsychological test consists of Boston Naming, a simple mental status, the word list recall, and configure behavior. A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The participants were 85 mild Alzheimer's patients (experimental group: 32, control group: 53) who registered G Health Center, in Gyeonggi province. Those Data were collected from 10:00 to 11:00, 14:00 to 15:00, twice a week on Tuesday and Friday, 8 session, from September 1 to September 30, 2014. Control group was participated daily routine program only in the G public health center.The data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 21.0 program. The results of this study were as follows;Boston Naming(F=3.22, p<.001), simple mental status(F=5.92, p<.001), and configure behavior(F=4.67, p<.001) were accepted, but word list recall(F=.75 p>.05) was not accepted. The study findings indicate that the Reality Orientation Therapy and Spaced Retrieval Therapy of the applied of CERAD-K type cognitive rehabilitation program is effective and can be recommended as intervention for mild Alzheimer's patients.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1228-1233
• /
• 2013

The purposes of this study were to assess the reliability of the Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) and Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) and correlation between MoCA-K and MMSE-K to detect cognitive impairment following stroke determined by a neuropsychological battery. Fifty-two chronic stroke patients participated in this study. They divided two group, normal cognitive group (20 patients) with stroke and cognitive impairment group with stroke (32 patients), and research period was from October 2th. to November 30th., 2013. The subjects were measured K-MoCA and K-MMSE. Normal cognitive group showed the moderate reliability in K-MoCA and K-MMSE. Cognitive group showed the more moderate relaibility in K-MoCA and K-MMSE. There was positive correlation as the more score of K-MoCA gain, the more score of K-MMSE showed in both group. The results suggest that both clinical measures are moderately sensitive and proper feasibility to chronic post-stroke cognitive impairment. The both clinical tools suggest to use in research and clinical settings by a neuropshchological battery.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.326-338
• /
• 2020

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that causes disorientation, mood swings, problems with language, and difficulty remembering recent events. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEIs) and memantine have been used to slow the course of the disease, but they can neither modify its progression nor prevent disease onset. Previous studies have suggested that Kami-guibi-tang (KGT) could be beneficial for supporting cognitive function in AD patients, but few clinical trials have been published. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effect of KGT in improving cognitive function in AD patients. Methods: The study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-center trial conducted using subjects diagnosed with mild AD by neurologists. Study subjects will be randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group will receive KGT granules for 24 weeks, while the control group will receive placebo granules. AchEI administration will be maintained in both groups during the entirety of the study. Subjects will be assessed using the following exams: the Seoul Neuropsychologic Screening Battery (SNSB) for cognitive function; brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for brain metabolite, neurotransmitter, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements; the Korean version of Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (KQol-AD) for quality of life; the Caregiver-Administered Neuropsychiatric Inventory (CGA-NPI) for neurobehavioral symptoms; blood tests for amyloid and tau proteins and general blood parameters; and electrocardiography (ECG) before and after taking the medication. Discussion: Our findings will provide insight into the feasibility of large-scale trials to consolidate evidence for the efficacy of KGT for dementia treatment. Registration ID in CRIS: KCT0002904 (Clinical Research Information Service of the Republic of Korea).

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.157-164
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of language profiles according to whether or not Korean children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD) also have ADHD, and to examine the relationship with executive function. Methods : Participants in the study were boys with ADHD aged 6 to 11 years who visited the clinic from January 2012 to December 2013. In this study, 25 boys with ASD were included, and completed scales included the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised(K-ADI-R), Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule(K-ADOS), Korean ADHD Rating Scale(K-ARS), and Korean-Conners' Parent Rating Scale(K-CPRS). They also completed neuropsychological tests and assessed language profiles. Patients were categorized into two groups(with ADHD and without ADHD). T-test and Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used for analysis. Results : Statistically, no difference was found in receptive and expressive language ability between the ASD groups with and without ADHD. However, a lower score in Test of Problem solving(TOPS) was observed for ASD with ADHD than for ASD without ADHD, with problem solving and finding cues showing significant differences. Conclusions : These findings suggest that language profiles in the ASD group without ADHD could be similar to those in the ASD group with ADHD, but comorbid ADHD could lead to more difficulty in linguistic ability for problem solving and could be related with executive function of the frontal lobe.