• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2004

Objective:The present study examined the association between basic neurocognitive functions and emotional recognition in chronic schizophrenia. Furthermore, to Investigate cognitive variable related to emotion recognition in Schizophrenia. Methods:Forty eight patients from the Yongin Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center were evaluated for neurocognitive function, and Emotional Recognition Test which has four subscales finding emotional clue, discriminating emotions, understanding emotional context and emotional capacity. Measures of neurocognitive functioning were selected based on hypothesized relationships to perception of emotion. These measures included:1) Letter Number Sequencing Test, a measure of working memory;2) Word Fluency and Block Design, a measure of executive function;3) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Korean version, a measure of verbal memory;4) Digit Span, a measure of immediate memory;5) Span of Apprehension Task, a measure of early visual processing, visual scanning;6) Continuous Performance Test, a measure of sustained attention functioning. Correlation analyses between specific neurocognitive measures and emotional recognition test were made. To examine the degree to which neurocognitive performance predicting emotional recognition, hierarchical regression analyses were also made. Results:Working memory, and verbal memory were closely related with emotional discrimination. Working memory, Span of Apprehension and Digit Span were closely related with contextual recognition. Among cognitive measures, Span of Apprehension, Working memory, Digit Span were most important variables in predicting emotional capacity. Conclusion:These results are relevant considering that emotional information processing depends, in part, on the abilities to scan the context and to use immediate working memory. These results indicated that mul- tifaceted cognitive training program added with Emotional Recognition Task(Cognitive Behavioral Rehabilitation Therapy added with Emotional Management Program) are promising.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.935-943
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• 2008

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility. The recommended evaluation includes documenting the type and severity of ADHD symptoms, verifying the presence of normal vision and hearing, screening for comorbid psychological conditions, reviewing the child's developmental history and school performance, and applying objective measures of cognitive function. Prevailing opinion characterizes ADHD as a disorder of executive function attributable to abnormal dopamine transmission in the frontal lobes and frontostriatal circuitry. A clearly defined etiology remains unknown, but studies suggest a strong genetic link. The aim of treatment is to decrease symptoms, enhance functionality, and improve well-being for the child and his or her close contacts. Stimulants remain the pharmacological agents of first choice for the management of ADHD, and psychosocial, behavioral and educational strategies that enhance specific behaviors may improve educational and social functioning in children with ADHD.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1-14
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• 2003

In contrast with Zelazo and Frye (1997) who argued that preschool children lack the conscious representation and executive functioning needed to solve problems based on conflicting rules, Bilaystok (1999) identified analysis(representation) and control(selective attention) as components of language processing and has shown that control develops earlier in bilingual than in monolingual children. This study investigated the effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive ability and language development by comparing Korean- Chinese bilingual with Chinese monolingual children in Yanji. Sixty children 3 to 5 years of age in each of the bilingual and the monolingual groups in Yanji, China participated in ths study. Results showed that bilingual were more advanced than monolingual children in solving problems requiring a high level of control, confirming Bialystok's(1999) results.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.49
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• pp.343-378
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• 2002

This study examines the organizational performance of human service organizations from the quality output perspective. Using the 2001 evaluation data about 89 community welfare centers in Seoul, this study attempts to identify the levels of the performance of human service organizations in Korea. This study also attempts to identify the factors that predict performance of human service organizations measured in terms of client satisfaction and experts' evaluation about the functioning of each center. Results are as follows: (1) when pooling 866 clients' satisfaction level into satisfaction score about each center, the average of client satisfaction about the centers is 3.42 at 4 points scale. (2) 41.6% of the community welfare centers is evaluated as "highly qualified" in its overall operation and functioning by the professional evaluation team, (3) the employee reward system(+), practice based on the program guideline manual(+), the portion of the government support grant in its budget(-), the overall employee salary level(-), the level of acquirement of program grants from external sources (-) are the predictors in explaining clients' satisfaction level, and (4) the level of professional expertise of the executive director(+), the level of professional supervision of middle managers(+), the employee reward system(+), the program need assessment(+), the level of client information system(+), the portion of government support grant(-), the overall employee salary level(-) are the predictors for "being highly qualified" in its overall operation and function of each center. Through the empirical analysis, this study provides valuable knowledge about organizational performance of community welfare centers from the quality output perspective. Finally, this study discusses implications for more effective and efficient organizational performance of community welfare centers in Korea.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.183-191
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• 2019

Some patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) present with cognitive dysfunctions. The pathophysiology underlying this complication is not well understood. Type 1 DM has been associated with a decrease in the speed of information processing, psychomotor efficiency, attention, mental flexibility, and visual perception. Longitudinal epidemiological studies of type 1 DM have indicated that chronic hyperglycemia and microvascular disease, rather than repeated severe hypoglycemia, are associated with the pathogenesis of DM-related cognitive dysfunction. However, severe hypoglycemic episodes may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in high-risk patients with DM. Type 2 DM has been associated with memory deficits, decreased psychomotor speed, and reduced frontal lobe/executive function. In type 2 DM, chronic hyperglycemia, long duration of DM, presence of vascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension and obesity), and microvascular and macrovascular complications are associated with the increased risk of developing cognitive dysfunction. The pathophysiology of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with DM include the following: (1) role of hyperglycemia, (2) role of vascular disease, (3) role of hypoglycemia, and (4) role of insulin resistance and amyloid. Recently, some investigators have proposed that type 3 DM is correlated to sporadic Alzheimer's disease. The molecular and biochemical consequences of insulin and insulin-like growth factor resistance in the brain compromise neuronal survival, energy production, gene expression, plasticity, and white matter integrity. If patients claim that their performance is worsening or if they ask about the effects of DM on functioning, screening and assessment are recommended.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.743-757
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• 2010

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to infer one's own and other people's mental states such as beliefs, desires, and intentions. Although the majority of research in ToM has focused on young children or autistic individuals, several studies have investigated ToM in normal old age and in the demented elderly. This article provides an overview on existent findings of theory of mind in aging populations and suggests future directions for research including applying neuroimaging techniques and real-life tasks. It is still unclear how ToM in aging is associated with other aspects of cognition. However, it is expected that ToM perspective on aging will increase our understanding of aging of cognition and social functioning.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.370-377
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• 2013

Traumatic brain injury(TBI) is a brain damage caused by an external physical force. TBI patients have disturbances of functioning including attention, memory, reasoning,, executive function, and pragmatic language. The aim of this study was to develop the cognitive-pragmatic language ability assessment protocol for traumatic brain injury(CAPTBI) and to evaluate reliability and validity. This study was also conducted to investigate domains that contributed to differentiate between the normal and TBI groups. The CAPTBI data were obtained from 226 normal adults and 62 TBI patients(mean age=$43.95{\pm}11.92$, $46.37{\pm}11.87$, M:F=110:116, 48:14). The CAPTBI had high item internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity. The normal group performed significantly better than the TBI group in all domains of the CAPTBI and the separate scores for 9 domains. All 9 domains were found to be significant variables to discriminate between the two groups. The most powerful variable was executive function followed by memory, organization, pragmatic language, problem-solving, attention, orientation, reasoning, and visuoperception in order. The CAPTBI could discriminate between the two groups accurately by 95.5%. This result demonstrated that 97.3% of normal adults and 88.7% of TBI patients could be discriminated by CAPTBI. In conclusion, The CAPTBI is appropriate for evaluating and identifying cognitive-pragmatic language disorders in TBI patients.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2019

Objective: To develop and verify the usability of a cognitive rehabilitation system with diverse cognitive functional levels based on tangible objects for the elderly population. Methods: A study was conducted to investigate the system's strengths and weaknesses by upgrading it with responses from two groups of 15 patients and 4 occupational therapists. After undergoing three forms of training - regarding executive function, memory, and concentration for a total of 20-30 min, the participants were asked to answer a structured questionnaire about contents of the three forms of training, hardware including the tablet PC functioning as a CPU and display media and tangible objects, and satisfaction of experiential usage of the system. Results: Both groups responded that the most interesting training area was executive function while the least interesting was concentration. Six participants reported that the size of the screen of the tablet PC was inappropriate, and five responded that the size of the tool was inappropriate. All therapists and 40% of the patients responded that they were satisfied with this system. Conclusion: This system's features include easy manipulation of tangible tools for performing training tasks, easy selection of and training in cognitive areas based on users' needs, and automatic adjustment of difficulty level based on users' performance. The training environment was designed to be similar to the natural environment by using tangible objects in both hands as input devices for the system, and the system was considered as an alternative to the lack of community cognitive rehabilitation specialists.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.44-49
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• 2004

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether longitudinal changes in positive and negative symptoms affect cognitive functioning in chronic schizophrenia. Methods: Sixty-eight patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia were examined on two occasions over 6 months for symptoms and cognitive changes. Symptoms were measured by PANSS. Cognitive functions were examined for sustained attention, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning using Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. Twenty control subjects were assessed to compare the cognitive scores of remitted schizophrenic patients. Results: Patients showed significant improvement in symptoms and all cognitive tests after 6 months treatments. Significant improvements in positive and negative symptoms did not predict improvements in any aspect of cognitive functioning measured. Normal controls performed significantly better than remitted schizophrenic patients on all cognitive tests. The results show no relationship between change in symptoms and change in cognition in chronic schizophrenia. Conclusion: We suggest that symptomatic and cognitive impairment may be a distinct construct. These findings highlight the importance of treating cognitive impairment in addition to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a cognitive training program on neurocognitive task performance and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients who had a stroke. Methods: The research design for this study was a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. Patients were assigned to the experimental (n=21) or control group (n=21). The experimental group received a 4-week cognitive training program and usual care (i.e., rehabilitation service), while the control was received usual care only. Cognitive function was measured with a standardized neurocognitive test battery and ADL was assessed at baseline and one and two months after completion of the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine changes in cognitive function and ADL over 2 months. Results: The interaction of group and time was significant indicating that the experimental group showed improvement in attention, visuospatial function, verbal memory, and executive function compared to the control group which had a sustained or gradual decrease in test performance. A significant group by time interaction in instrumental ADL was also found between the experimental group with gradual improvement and the control group showing no noticeable change. Conclusion: Findings show that the cognitive training program developed in this study is beneficial in restoring cognitive function and improving ADL in patients following a stroke. Further study is needed to investigate the long-term relationship between cognitive training participation and cognitive improvement and effective functioning in daily living.