• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2019

Individuals with problematic hypersexual behavior (PHB) evince the inability to control sexual impulses and arousal. Previous studies have identified that these characteristics are related to structural and functional changes in the brain region responsible for inhibitory functions. However, very little research has been conducted on the functional connectivity of these brain areas during the resting state in individuals with PHB. Therefore, this study used functional magnetic resonance imaging devices with the intention of identifying the deficit of the functional connectivity in the executive control network in individuals with PHB during the resting state. Magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained for 16 individuals with PHB and 19 normal controls with similar demographic characteristics. The areas related to the executive control network (LECN, RECN) were selected as the region of interest, and the correlation coefficient with time series signals between these areas was measured to identify the functional connectivity. Between groups analysis was also used. The results revealed a significant difference in the strength of the functional connectivity of the executive control network between the two groups. In other words, decreased functional connectivity was found between the superior/middle frontal gyrus and the caudate, and between the superior/middle frontal gyrus and the superior parietal gyrus/angular gyrus in individuals with PHB. In addition, these functional Connectivities related to the severity of hypersexual behavior. The findings of this study suggest that the inability to control sexual impulses and arousal in individuals with PHB might be related to the reduced functional connectivity of executive control circuits.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2017

Objectives It is well known that problem drinking is associated with alterations of brain structures and functions. Brain functions related to alcohol consumption can be determined by the resting state functional connectivity in various resting state networks (RSNs). This study aims to ascertain the alcohol effect on the structures forming predetermined RSNs by assessing their cortical thickness. Methods Twenty-six abstinent male patients with alcohol dependence and the same number of age-matched healthy control were recruited from an inpatient mental hospital and community. All participants underwent a 3T MRI scan. Averaged cortical thickness of areas constituting 7 RSNs were determined by using FreeSurfer with Yeo atlas derived from cortical parcellation estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity. Results There were significant group differences of mean cortical thicknesses (Cohen's d, corrected p) in ventral attention (1.01, < 0.01), dorsal attention (0.93, 0.01), somatomotor (0.90, 0.01), and visual (0.88, 0.02) networks. We could not find significant group differences in the default mode network. There were also significant group differences of gray matter volumes corrected by head size across the all networks. However, there were no group differences of surface area in each network. Conclusions There are differences in degree and pattern of structural recovery after abstinence across areas forming RSNs. Considering the previous observation that group differences of functional connectivity were significant only in networks related to task-positive networks such as dorsal attention and cognitive control networks, we can explain recovery pattern of cognition and emotion related to the default mode network and the mechanisms for craving and relapse associated with task-positive networks.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.583-592
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• 2021

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder in which a person repeated a particular thought or feels. The domain of beliefs and guilt predicted OCD symptoms. Although there were some neuroimaging studies investigating OCD symptoms, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) study investigating intra-network functional connectivity associated with guilt for OCD is not reported yet. Therefore, in the current study, we assessed the differences between intra-network functional connectivity of healthy control group and OCD group using independent component analysis (ICA) method. In addition, we also aimed to investigate the correlation between changed functional connectivity and guilt score in OCD. Total 86 participants, which consisted of 42 healthy control volunteers and 44 OCD patients, acquired rs-fMRI data using the 3T MRI. After preprocessing the fMRI data, a functional connectivity was used for group independent component analysis. The results showed that OCD patients had higher score in emotion state in beliefs and lower functional connectivity in fronto-parietal network (FPN) than control group. A decrease of functional connectivity in FPN was negatively correlated with feelings of guilt in OCD. Our results suggest excessive increase in guilt negatively affect to process emotional state and behavior or cognitive processing by influencing intrinsic brain activity.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2014

Normal aging causes changes in the brain volume, connection, function and cognition. The brain changes with increases in age and difference of gender varies at all levels. Studies about normal brain aging using various brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables such as gray and white matter structural imaging, proton spectroscopy, apparent diffusion coefficient, diffusion tensor imaging and functional MRI are reviewed. Total volume of brain increases after birth but decreases after 9 years old. During adulthood, total volume of brain is relatively stable. After 35 years old, brain shrinks gradually. The changes of gray and white matters by aging show different features. N-acetylaspartate decreases or remains unchanged but choline, creatine and myo-inositol increase with aging. Apparent diffusion coefficient decreases till 20 years old and then becomes stable during adulthood and increase after 60 years old. Diffusion tensor properties in white matter tissue are variable during aging. Resting-state functional connectivity decreases after middle age. Structural and functional brain changes with normal aging are important for studying various psychiatric diseases such as dementia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Our review may be helpful for studying longitudinal changes of these diseases and successful aging.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2011.06a
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• pp.943-944
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• 2011

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2010

This study is to analyze change of connectivity between brain positions caused by relaxation through EEG coherence. EEG spectrum analysis method has been used to analyze brain activity when relaxation was experienced. However, the spectrum analysis method has a limit that could not observe interactive reaction between brain-functional positions. Therefore, coherence between positions was analyzed to observe connectivity between the measurement positions in this study. Through the method, the reaction of the central nervous system caused by the emotion change was observed. Twenty-four undergraduates of both genders(12 males and 12 females) were asked to close their eyes and listen to the sound. During experiment, EEG was measured at eight positions. The eight positions were F3, F4, T3, T4, P3, P4, O1, and O2 in accordance with International 10-20 system. The sounds with white noise and without were used for relaxation experience. Subjective emotion was measured to verify whether or not they felt relaxation. Subjective emotion of participants were analyzed by ANOVA method(Analysis of Variance). In the result, it was proved that relaxation was subjectively evoked when participants heard sound. Accordingly, it was proved that relaxation could be enhanced by the mixed white noise. EEG coherence between the measurement positions was analyzed. T-test was performed to find its significant difference between relaxation and not-relaxation. In the results of EEG coherence, connectivity with occipital lobes has been increased with relaxation, and connectivity with parietal lobes has been increased with non-relaxed state. Therefore, brain connectivity has shown different pattern between relaxed emotion and non-relaxed emotion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.730-740
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary science teachers' brain activation and functional connectivity during scientific observation on the biological phenomena. Twenty six right-handed healthy science teachers volunteered to be in the present study. To investigate science teachers' brain activities during the tasks, 3.0T fMRI system with block design was used to measure BOLD signals in their brains. The SPM2 software package was applied to analyze the acquired initial image data from the fMRI system. The results have shown that the left inferior frontal gyrus, the bilateral superior parietal lobule, the left inferior parietal lobule, the left precuneus, the left superior occipital gyrus, the right middle occipital gyrus, the right precuneus, the left inferior occipital gyrus and bilateral fusiform gyrus were significantly activated during participants' scientific observation. The network model consisted of eleven nodes (ROIs) and its ten connections. These results suggested the notion that scientific observation needs a connective cooperation among several brain regions associated with observing over just a sensory receiving process.

• Interdisciplinary Bio Central
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.7.1-7.8
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• 2012

With the development of many methods of studying the brain, the field of neuroscience has generated large amounts of information obtained from various techniques: imaging techniques, electrophysiological techniques, techniques for analyzing brain connectivity, techniques for getting molecular information of the brain, etc. A plenty of neuroinformatics databases have been made for storing and sharing this useful information and those databases can be publicly accessed by researchers as needed. However, since there are too many neuroinformatics databases, it is difficult to find the appropriate database depending on the needs of researcher. Moreover, many researchers in neuroscience fields are unfamiliar with using neuroinformatics databases for their studies because data is too diverse for neuroscientists to handle this and there is little precedent for using neuroinformatics databases for their research. Therefore, in this article, we review databases in the field of neuroscience according to both their methods for obtaining data and their objectives to help researchers to use databases properly. We also introduce major neuroinformatics databases for each type of information. In addition, to show examples of novel uses of neuroinformatics databases, we represent several studies that combine neuroinformatics databases of different information types and discover new findings. Finally, we conclude our paper with the discussion of potential applications of neuroinformatics databases.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.161-175
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• 2022

Oscillatory magnetic fields produced in the brain due to neuronal activity can be measured by the sensor. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive technique to record such neuronal activity due to excellent temporal and fair amount of spatial resolution, which gives information about the brain's functional activity. Potential utilization of high spatial resolution in MEG is likely to provide information related to in-depth brain functioning and underlying factors responsible for changes in neuronal waves in some diseases under resting state or task state. This review is a comprehensive report to introduce statistical models from MEG data including graphical network modelling. It is also meaningful to note that statisticians should play an important role in the brain science field.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in the brain connectivity in mental practice and physical performance of training bilateral upper extremity function. Method: The subject performed activities involving mental tasks and physical exercise for bilateral upper extremity functioning during each phase of EEG measurements. The subject performed a symmetrical task(lifting a box and placing it back) that involved moving both arms at the same time and an asymmetrical task(opening and closing a bottle cap) in order to perform functional tasks. EEG electrodes were attached to Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, T3, T4, P3, and P4. Data analysis was performed using Cross-Line Mapping for correlational analyses between EEG electrode pairs. Conclusion: This study found that the brain connectivity patterns of symmetrical and asymmetric upper extremity tasks have similar patterns for the motor and sensory area, and that the correlation of the physical practice is generally higher than that of the mental practice.