• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to know differences of characteristics between presenile and senile patients who were consulted to the department of psychiatry during medical-surgical admission. Methods: The demographic and clinical data obtained from the medical records of psychiatric consultation in the presenile inpatients with age 50 to 64 years(N=162) and those of the senile inpatients with age over 65 years(N=171) were reviewed and compared. Results: 1) The most common chief complaints for psychiatric consultation in presenile patients were somatic symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance in order, while cognitive decline, clouded consciousness and depressed mood were most common in senile patients with statistical significance. 2) The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses after consultation in presenile patients were delirium, mood disorder and substance use disorder in order, while delirium, mood disorder and major neurocognitive disorder were most frequent in senile patients with statistical significance. 3) There were no significant difference in numbers of physical illnesses, while numbers of therapeutic drugs for them were more in senile patients. Conclusions : Our study found significant differences between presenile and senile patients on psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses in geropsychiatric consultation. Therefore, more subdivided age-specific approach seems to be needed for the geropsychiatric consultation activities.

• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
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• v.20
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• pp.70-77
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• 2001

Some characteristics of depression in the aged were elucidated. Compared with the previous thoughts, much more attention was given to the biological aspects of depression. However, we have to face up to and solve a variety of enigmas about depression in the aged people. They are:locations and underlying mechanisms in the cerebrum responsible for depression;relationship of senile depression to the presenile one;possible difference(s) between depression with and without psychotic features;possible neurotransmitter differences between senile and presenile depressions. New insights into these areas could bring some lights in the under standing and treatment of depresseion in the aged.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.203-210
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• 1996

Objects : To investigate the relationship between the age of onset with the atrophy and the white matter hyperintensities observed in the brain MRI of Alzheimer patients. Methods : The authors measured volumetrically cortical and ventricular brain atrophy and rated semiquantitatively white matter signal hyperintensities in nine presenile and 18 senile Alzheimer patients, who were matched for dementia severity, according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria and in age-matched 10 presenile and 11 senile control subjects. Results : Presenile Alzheimer patients showed significantly greater cortical and ventricular atrophy indices(p<0.05) but no difference in white matter hyperintensity scores compared to the age-matched control group. On the contrary, senile Alzheimer patients showed significantly greater white matter hyperintensity scores(p<0.05) but no difference in cortical and ventricular atrophy indices compared to the age-matched control group. Conclusion : An earlier onset was related to marked brain atrophy with less white matter lesions and a later onset is related to marked white matter lesions with less brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease. Our results suggested the passible difference in the pathophysiology between the presenile and the senile-onset Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.88-98
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• 1995

Several kinds of coagulants such as aluminum sulfate, PAC, PASS are being used to treat drinking water resulting in residual aluminum ions in the water. Recently, it has been reported that high intake of aluminum ion may cause neurological dieseases such as Alzheimer's diesease and presenile dementia. Because of the possible adverse effect, WHO and EEC recommand to regulate residual aluminum. The autorities in Korea also has plan of regulating residual alunimum from 1995. But there is not enough information about the range of residual aluminum ion concentration when the aluminum sulfate, PAC or PASS has been used as a coagulant. Therefore the study has been conducted to find out the range of residual aluminum ion concentration after using aluminum sulfate, PAC, and PASS. Furthermore the effect of turbidity and alkalinity have been investigated. The experimental results are summarized as; 1. Most of the residual aluminum ion concentrations were within $10^{-6}$ and $10^{-5}mole/l$. Three coagulants have not showed any considerable difference in the residual aluminum concentration up to 50 NTU. However PAC has showed the least residual aluminum in high turbidity water over 100 NTU. 2. The low alkalinity water having 25mg/l as $CaCO_3$ has showed less residual aluminum than the water having 50mg/l alkalinity. However, the difference was not significcant. 3. Even the lowest residual aluminum concentration was over 0.05mg/l. Therefore the process to reduce residual aluminum would be necessary in water treatment plants.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2008

Posterior cortical atrophy(PCA) is a presenile dementia that presents primarily with signs and symptoms of cortical visual dysfunction, while memory is relatively preserved until the late stage of the disease. We report a patient with PCA, confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and $F^{18}$-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG PET). A 58-year-old right-handed woman presented initially with visual dimness and difficulty finding things around her. She had partial Balint's syndrome, partial Gerstmann syndrome, and idiomotor apraxia. She also had a mild memory disturbance, but preserved insight of her disease. Neuropsychological evaluation showed decreased parietal and left temporal functions bilaterally. Brain MRI and $F^{18}$-FDG PET revealed typical bilateral occipitoparietal atrophy and hypometabolism, which were slightly worse on the right side. Cholinesterase inhibitor administration for 6 months improved the memory impairment slightly, but not the cortical visual dysfunction. This is a typical case of PCA, confirmed by neurologic signs and imaging findings.