• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5599-5605
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• 2015

In oncology various imaging modalities play a crucial role in diagnosis, staging, restaging, treatment monitoring and follow up of various cancers. Stand-alone morphological imaging like computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide a high magnitude of anatomical details about the tumor but are relatively dumb about tumor physiology. Stand-alone functional imaging like positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT) are rich in functional information but provide little insight into tumor morphology. Introduction of first hybrid modality PET/CT is the one of the most successful stories of current century which has revolutionized patient care in oncology due to its high diagnostic accuracy. Spurred on by this success, more hybrid imaging modalities like SPECT/CT and PET/MR were introduced. It is the time to explore the potential applications of the existing hybrid modalities, developing and implementing standardized imaging protocols and train users in nuclear medicine and radiology. In this review we discuss three existing hybrid modalities with emphasis on their technical aspects and clinical applications in oncology.

• 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.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.39-47
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• 2022

Objective : This study investigated brain functional connectivity in male firefighters who showed subclinical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods : We compared the data of 17 firefighters who were not diagnosed with PTSD and 18 healthy controls who had no trauma exposure. The following instruments were applied to assess psychiatric symptoms: Korean version of the Post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5-K), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). For all subjects, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and functional connectivity was compared between the two groups (family-wise error-corrected p<0.05). Additionally, correlations between psychiatric symptoms and functional connectivity were explored. Results : The following connectivity was higher than that of healthy controls: 1) the central opercular cortex-superior temporal gyrus, 2) planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus, 3) angular gyrus-amygdala, and 4) temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus. The functional connectivity of 1) the lateral occipital cortex-inferior temporal gyrus, 2) superior parietal lobule-caudate, and 3) middle temporal gyrus-thalamus were lower in firefighters. In firefighters, the connectivity of the planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus showed a negative correlation with the severity of arousal symptoms (rho=-0.586, p=0.013). The connectivity of the middle temporal gyrus-thalamus showed a positive correlation with the severity of intrusion (rho=0.552, p=0.022) and arousal symptoms (rho=0.619, p=0.008). The connectivity of the temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus was negatively correlated with intrusion (rho=-0.491, p=0.045) and arousal (rho=-0.579, p=0.015). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the brain functional connectivity is associated with occupational trauma exposure in firefighters without PTSD. Therefore, this study provides evidence that close monitoring and early intervention are important for firefighters with traumatic experience even at a subthreshold level.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.352-355
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not acupuncture of GB34 produces a significant response of the modulation of somatomotor areas by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. The acupoint, GB34, located in the back of the knee, is known to be effective in recovering motor function after stroke. Using 3T MRI scanner, functional MR imaging of the whole brain was performed in 12 normal healthy subjects during two stimulation paradigms; acupuncture manipulation on GB 34 and sham points. This study investigates the activation of the mortor cortex elicited by a soft and an intensified stimulation of GB 34. Three different paradigms were carried out to detect any possible modulation of the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) response in the somatomortor area to motor stimulation through acupuncture. Group analysis from seven individuals showed that bilateral sensorimotor areas (BA 3,4,6 and 7) showed stimulation related BOLD signal contrast of approximately 6% whereas very few areas were activated when sham stimulation is given. The present study shows that acupuncture fMRI study can be safely conducted in 3T MRI environment, and acupuncture stimulation in GB34 modulates the cortical activities of the somatomotor area in human. The present findings may shed light on the CNS mechanism of motor function by acupuncture and form a basis for future investigations of motor modulation circuits in the stroke patients.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2024

Functional brain imaging techniques have been used to diagnose psychiatric disorders such as dementia, depression, and autism. Recently, these techniques have also been actively used to study hearing loss. The present study reviewed the application of the functional brain imaging techniques in auditory research, especially those focusing on hearing loss, over the past decade. EEG, fMRI, fNIRS, MEG, and PET have been utilized in auditory research, and the number of research studies using these techniques has been increasing. In particular, fMRI and EEG were the most frequently used technique in auditory research. EEG studies mostly used event-related designs to analyze the direct relationship between stimulus and the related response, and in fMRI studies, resting-state functional connectivity and block designs were utilized to analyze alterations in brain functionality in hearing-related areas. In terms of age, while studies involving children mainly focused on congenital and pre- and post-lingual hearing loss to analyze developmental characteristics with and without hearing loss, those involving adults focused on age-related hearing loss to investigate changes in the characteristics of the brain based on the presence of hearing loss and the use of a hearing device. Overall, ranging from EEG to PET, various functional brain imaging techniques have been used in auditory research, but it is difficult to perform a comprehensive analysis due to the lack of consistency in experimental designs, analysis methods, and participant characteristics. Thus, it is necessary to develop standardized research protocols to obtain high-quality clinical and research evidence.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.794-801
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• 2018

Objectives: These cases report the benefits of administration of Banhasasim-tang extracts or decoctions to patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders after motor vehicle accidents. Methods: The patients were treated with Banhasasim-tang extract or decoction three times daily. History-taking and imaging tests were used to differentiate other diseases. We evaluated the patients using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), which is used to assess overall gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: Treatment with herbal medicine resulted in a decrease in the patients' complaints of symptoms. The GSRS scale showed improvement in all four cases. Conclusions: Banhasasim-tang, regardless of its form, has beneficial effects in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders after motor vehicle accidents.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.111-111
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• 2002

Purpose： This study is to compare the distinct brain activation between implicit and explicit memory retrieval tasks using a non-invasive blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI). Materials ＆ Methods： We studied seven right-handed, healthy volunteers aged 21-25 years(mean；22 years) were scanned under a 1.5T Signa Horizon Echospeed MR imager(GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, U.S.A.). During the implicit and explicit memory retrieval tasks of previously teamed words under the conceptual processing, we acquired fMRI data using gradient-echo EPI with 50ms TE, 3000ms TR, 26cm${\times}$26cm field-of-view, 128${\times}$128 matrix, and ten slices(6mm slice thickness, 1 mm gap) parallel to the AC-PC(anterior commissure and posterior commissure) line. By using the program of statistical parametric mapping(SPM99), functional activation maps were reconstructed and quantified.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.363-364
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• 2002

We describe quadrature type surface coil for functional magnetic resonance imaging at 3T MRI system. The coil consisted of two coplanar resonators and was used as both transmitter and receiver. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the coil was compared with that of a standard birdcage head coil. Visual cortex activation on normal subjects using LED flicker was performed. The SNR of surface coil was found to be better than that of the conventional head coil.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.255-265
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate comfort levels of functional and non-functional chairs using subjective comfort rating, interface pressure measurement, muscle activity measurement, and skin temperature measurement. Background: Chairs are used for a prolonged period of time for sitting in many places such as the office, at university, at school, in industry, and so on. Almost all people use chairs in their everyday life. The functional properties of the chair are associated with comfort. Method: The subjective evaluation contains questions regarding chair comfort which can be rated with five point scale. The body-seat interface pressure was measured using a pressure mat system. The symmetry of sitting was measured using electromyography. The change in body part (thigh and buttock) temperature before and after sitting on a chair was measured with an infrared camera. Results: Participants rated significantly (p < 0.05) higher comfort scores for the functional chair in relation to the buttock and thigh region. Also, the participants felt a better cushion effect in the functional chair. When using the functional chair, lower interface pressure, better thermal comfort, and better symmetry of erector spinae muscle activity were observed. Conclusion: Overall, interface pressure measurement, muscle activity measurement, thermal imaging and subjective comfort score results showed that the functional chair was more comfortable than the non-functional chair. Application: The adopted methodologies could be used to measure the seating comfort of train seats.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1110-1118
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• 2018

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to quantitatively assess functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of locally recurrent prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2016. Diagnostic accuracy was quantitatively pooled for all studies by using hierarchical logistic regression modeling, including bivariate modeling and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves (AUCs). The Z test was used to determine whether adding functional MRI to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) results in significantly increased diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Results: Meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 826 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy showed a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.96. Meta-analysis of 7 studies involving 329 patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 81%, and the AUC was 0.88. Meta-analysis of 11 studies reporting 1669 sextant biopsies from patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.85. Sensitivity after radiotherapy was significantly higher when diffusion-weighted MRI data were combined with T2WI than when only T2WI results were used. This was true when meta-analysis was performed on a per-patient basis (p = 0.027) or per sextant biopsy (p = 0.046). A similar result was found when $^1H$-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ($^1H$-MRS) data were combined with T2WI and sextant biopsy was the unit of analysis (p = 0.036). Conclusion: Functional MRI data may not strengthen the ability of T2WI to detect locally recurrent prostate cancer in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. By contrast, diffusion-weight MRI and $^1H$-MRS data may improve the sensitivity of T2WI for patients who have undergone radiotherapy.