• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.59-64
• /
• 2008

Objectives The aim of study was to evaluate the effect of Herbal medicine on post stroke cognitive deficit. Methods All groups were treated with acupunture treatment, moxa treatment, herbal medicines, physical and occupational therapy for 4 weeks, additionally cardiotonic pills(CP) were taken in the cardiotonic pills group. The effect of treatment was assessed using Verval fluency, MMSE-KC, Word List Immediate Recall test. Statistical significance was achived if the probability was less than 5%(p,0.05). Results Verval fluency, MMSE-KC, Word List Immediate Recall test scores increased in both group. MMSE-KC, Word List Immediate Recall test scores were significantly increased in the CP group. Verval fluency, MMSE-KC, Word List Immediate Recall test scores were significantly increased in the control group. In the Verval fluency, MMSE-KC, Word List Immediate Recall test of the CP group more increased compared to the control group. There were no significant differences between two groups. In the CP group, the scores of the infarction group more increased compared to the hemorrhage group. Conclusions According to the these results, herbal medicines are effective to improve post stroke cognitive-deficit. Futher studies are needed to know cardiotonic pills in the ischemic stroke.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.838-849
• /
• 2007

Backgrounds & Objectives : The aim of study was to evaluate post stroke cognitive deficit. We applied CERAD-K for post-stroke cognitive deficit, and revalued after treatment for 4 weeks. Methods : We applied CERAD-K test to 25 patients with post stroke cognitive deficit and compared with previous literature. After acupuncture treatment, moxa treatment, herb medicines, physical and occupational therapy for 4 weeks, we revalued changes by CERAD-K to 13 people that received treatment. Results : The stroke group's points were lower than the normal group in general cognition. Verbal fluency, MMSE-KC, and constructional praxis scores was lower than the AD group. Boston Naming Test, word list immediate recall, word list delayed recall, wordlist recognition, and praxis delayed recall scores were higher than the AD group. Verbal fluency (p=0.017), MMSE-KC (p=0.026), and word list immediate recall (p=0.005) scores of 13 patients participating in this study showed a statistically significant increase after treatment. Conculsions : Acupuncture treatment, moxa treatment, herb medicines, physical and occupational therapy are effective for improvement of post-stroke cognitive deficit, but this study could not demonstrate whether some treatments influenced cognition and there was a limitation in lacking a control group.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.243-252
• /
• 2014

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the dose-dependent effects of Gastrodia elata Blume for memory improvement. Methods: This study was a 12-weeks, double blind, and comparative clinical study. Those who were eligible worked with a group of healthy seniors, all 60 years of age or older. 22 subjects were randomized either to Gastrodia elata Blume powder form that was steeped in hot water or placebo. We measured the faculty of memory by using MMSE-K, Digit Span, Letter Fluency Test, Word List Memory Test, and Trail Making Test, and again after 12 weeks. Results: 1) Neither Gastrodia elata Blume groups nor control have a difference in MMSE-K, Digit Span, Letter Fluency Test, and Trail Making Test. 2) Gastrodia elata Blume group showed significant advances in immediate recall 1 and 2 of Word List Memory Test, and 3 g group show better results than the 4 g group. 3) 4 g Gastrodia elata Blume group showed significant advances in the recognition of Word List Memory Test. Conclusions: The results suggest that positive effects on memory improvement due to Gastrodia elata Blume depend on the amount.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.16-23
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Sleep disturbance in the elderly is associated with cognitive decline. Sleep quality is known to deteriorate with age, and prospective studies seldom have examined the relationship between sleep quality and cognitive function. This study investigates the relationship between early sleep quality and cognitive function based on six-year follow-up data of community individuals older than 60 years. Methods: The participants included 622 community elderly people older than 60 years from Jinju-Si. The final analysis comprised 322 elderly people. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the Korean version of Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) were used to assess early sleep quality and cognitive function after six years. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between early sleep quality and cognitive function in the elderly. Results: Early sleep quality (PSQI) was significantly associated with the results of the digit span test, clock drawing test (clox 1), and word recall test after six years. Sleep quality (PSQI) decreased significantly after six years, and lower quality of sleep (PSQI) score was associated with higher digit span test score (β = -0.167, p = 0.026) and higher clock drawing test score (β = -0.157, p = 0.031). Lower quality of sleep (PSQI) score was associated with higher word recall test (β = -0.140, p = 0.039). Conclusion: The digit span test, word recall test, and clock drawing task (CLOX 1) shown to be significantly associated to sleep quality can be performed fast and easily in clinical practice. It is important to assess early cognitive function in the elderly with poor sleep quality, and further studies could suggest that these tests may be useful screening tests for early dementia in elderly with poor sleep quality.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.61-74
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the short-term effects of bilateral masticatory training using an intraoral device on memory and concentration, which is an advanced form of Gochi, compared to the unilateral form with gum. Methods: Thirty young healthy participants (age, 16-30 years) were screened and randomly assigned to one of two sequences in a crossover design. The participants assigned to sequence A (n=15) performed bilateral mastication using an intraoral device with a total of 300 taps, followed by unilateral mastication using gum with the same number of repetitions and frequency, separated by a 7-day washout period. A reverse order was used for sequence B. The primary and secondary outcomes were the digit span test result and the symbol digit modality test and the word list recall results, respectively, which were conducted before and after each intervention. Results: Symbol digit modality test scores increased by 12.03±8.33 with bilateral mastication, which was significantly higher than that obtained with chewing gum (5.17 points;95% confidence interval: 0.99, 9.34; p<0.05). Changes in the digit span test and word list recall scores were not significantly different between the two groups. In the digit span test forward, symbol digit modality test, and word list recall test, bilateral mastication was not inferior to unilateral mastication in improving memory and concentration. Conclusions: Bilateral masticatory exercises using an intraoral device are not inferior to unilateral mastication with gum for improving memory in healthy young individuals. Further research is needed to determine the efficacy of bilateral masticatory training on cognitive function.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.5-13
• /
• 2008

Objectives : It was the aim of the present paper to examine the impact of the apolipoprotein E(APOE) ${\varepsilon}4$ on cognitive performance in community-dwelling elderly samples with 'questionable dementia'. Methods : Total 295 samples who were diagnosed with 'questionable dementia' in the recent year and completed the Korean version of the Consortium Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease(CERAD-K) neuropsychological assessment protocol, were recruited. The CDR test established score of 0.5. Genomic DNA was extracted from the venous blood and APOE genotyping was done in this group. Their cognitive performance was compared by the occurrence of the APOE ${\varepsilon}4$ allele. Results : The impact of ${\varepsilon}4$ allele was significant in the Word List Recall Test(WLRT, F=4.511, df=1, p=0.035). The 'young-old' group aged 75 years and under had a significantly lower performance on the Word List Recall Test(WLRT, F=5.090, df=1, p=0.015), but the 'old-old' group over 75 years of age had not significantly different performance on the all the item of tests in ${\varepsilon}4$+ allele group. Conclusion : The conclusion to be drawn here is that community-dwelling elderly samples with ${\varepsilon}4$ allele in 'questionable dementia' had a significantly lower performance on the Word List Recall Test in the CERAD-K neuropsychological test batteries and the effect was prominent in the 'young-old' age group.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.401-408
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to obtain the differential variable and learning effect of the serial position effect, targeting individuals aged 60 years and over. A total of 89 individuals were categorized into the following groups: Alzheimer's group, vascular dementia group, elderly depression group, and normal group. Methods: Considering the size of the groups used for comparison, of the total 89 participants, 28 were in the Alzheimer's group, 24 in the vascular dementia group, 16 in the elderly depression group, and 21 were randomly chosen for the normal group. In the CERAD-K word list memory test, 10 words were shown to the subjects. We then asked them to freely recall the words. After changing the order of the words three times, the same process was followed. Results: First, a significant difference was observed among the groups in terms of word recalling rate. The analysis conducted afterward showed that, as predicted, the depressed group showed significantly better performance in recalling the words. Second, the vascular dementia patients and the Alzheimer's patients showed, as predicted, better recall of the largest recency region of words shown. Third, the normal group and the elderly depressed group showed a high-performance rate, proving that the reiterative method can contribute to the recalling process. Thus, we demonstrated that the Alzheimer's group showed the deterioration of short memory recalling skills and the elderly depressed showed deteriorated output performance skill.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.104-110
• /
• 2013

Objectives : The aim of this study was to examine the prospective impact of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ${\varepsilon}4$ on cognitive performance in the community-dwelling elderly individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods : The total number of subjects was 30 (12 men and 18 women) who were diagnosed with AD from a Korean project of "Early Detection of Dementia". People aged 65-85 years were included in the analysis. The eight neuropsychological domains from the Korean version of Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) were conducted to test subjects. They have been followed at 24-month intervals with the same assessments at each interval. Their cognitive performance at 2 year intervals was compared by the occurrence of the APOE ${\varepsilon}4$. Results : The impact of ${\varepsilon}4$ allele was significant in the Word List Memory Test (WLMT, F = 4.345, df = 1, p = 0.021) and Word List Recall Test (WLRT, F = 5.569, df = 1, p = 0.033). Conclusions : The APOE ${\varepsilon}4$ allele was significantly correlated especially with verbal episodic memory domain in community-dwelling elders diagnosed with AD.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.175-181
• /
• 2014

Objectives It was the aim to examine the association of the thyroid-related hormones with cognitive function, depression, and subjective memory impairment in community-dwelling elders with questionable dementia. Methods The sample consisted of 399 community residents with 'questionable dementia' aged 60 or over in whom serum thyroid-related hormones [thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine] had been assayed. Cognitive impairment was defined using the Korean version of the Consortium Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease. Depression was diagnosed using the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale and subjective memory complaint (SMC) was checked using the subjective memory complaints questionnaire (SMCQ). Age, gender, education, and the presence of apolipoprotein E {\varepsilon}4 were included as covariates. Results There was a significant positive association between verbal fluency test (VFT) score and serum TSH levels (p = 0.01). There was a significant negative association between SMCQ total score and word list memory test (WLMT)(p = 0.002) or word list recall test (WLRT) score (p = 0.013). Conclusions Lower serum TSH levels were associated with semantic memory (VFT), and we found that SMC was associated with episodic memory (WLMT and WLRT) in this sample.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.140-148
• /
• 2015

Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between degenerative changes in brain [i.e., global cortical atrophy (GCA), medial temporal atrophy (MTA), white matter hyperintensities (WMH)] and neurocognitive dysfunction in Korean patients with Alzheimer's disease. Methods A total of 62 elderly subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease were included in this study. The degenerative changes in brain MRI were rated with standardized visual rating scales (GCA or global cortical atrophy, MTA or medial temporal atrophy, and Fazekas scales) and the subjects were divided into two groups according to the degree of degeneration for each scale. Cognitive function was evaluated with Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) and several clinical features, including apolipoprotein E ${\varepsilon}4$ status, lipid profile and thyroid hormones, were also examined. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were performed to analyze the relationship between the degree of cerebral degeneration and neurocognitive functions. Results Demographic and clinical features, except for the age, did not show any significant difference between the two groups divided according to the degree of cerebral degenerative changes. However, higher degree of GCA was shown to be associated with poorer performance in verbal fluency test, word list recall test, and word list recognition test. Higher degree of MTA was shown to be associated with poorer performance in Mini-Mental State Examination in the Korean Version of CERAD Assessment Packet (MMSE-KC), word list recognition test and construction praxis recall test. Higher degree of white matter hyperintensities was shown to be associated with poorer performance in MMSE-KC. Conclusions Our results suggest that severe brain degeneration shown in MRI is associated with significantly poorer performance in neurocognitive tests in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, the degree of GCA, MTA and white matter hyperintensities, represented by scores from different visual rating scales, seems to affect certain neurocognitive domains each, which would provide useful information in clinical settings.