• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.139-147
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• 2023

Background and Purpose: Dual walking task such as crossing over an obstacle may serve as an excellent tool for predicting early cognitive decline. Thus, this study aimed to investigate correlation between walking while crossing over an obstacle and executive functions under different gait phases to validate the use of walking with an obstacle for predicting early cognitive decline. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 elderly individuals from 2 day-care centers and 3 welfare-centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi, Korea. Executive function tests (Trail Making Test, Stroop test) and dual walking tests (gait speed, cadence, stance time, gait cycle time) were performed and compared using partial correlation analysis. Results: There were significant correlations between executive function and most of the gait variables (stance time, cadence, and gait cycle time) (p<0.05) when crossing over an obstacle while walking. Especially, stance time exhibited significant correlations with most executive functions (p<0.05). Conclusions: When evaluating executive function during walking with an obstacle, post-obstacle-crossing phase and stance time need to be observed.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2019

Objectives : The aim of this study was to compare severity, neurocognitive functions, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) according to the degree of temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) in Korean patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. Methods : Participants were 114 elderly subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment in this cross-sectional study. MTA in brain MRI was rated with standardized visual rating scales (Scheltens scale) and the subjects were divided into two groups according to Scheltens scale. Severity was evaluated with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). Neurocognitive functions was evaluated with the Korean version of Short Blessed Test (SBT-K) and the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease assessment packet (CERAD-K). BPSD was evaluated with the Korean version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (K-NPI). Independent t-test was performed to compare severity, neurocognitive functions, and BPSD between two groups. Results : The group with high severity of MTA showed significantly lower scores in CDR, SBT-K, MMSE-KC, modified Boston naming test, word list recognition, and word list memory (p<0.05). There were no differences in K-NPI scores between two groups. Conclusions : Severity and neurocognitive functions of dementia had significant positive association with MTA, but BPSD had no association with MTA. Evaluating MTA seems to have potential benefit in diagnosing and treating neurocognitive impairments in the elderly. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the association between certain brain structures and BPSD.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2011

Purpose: This study investigated changes in neurocognitive function over a 2-month period of board game therapy in patients with schizophrenia. Method: Twenty-one schizophrenic patients treated with board game therapy and nineteen control schizophrenic patients were evaluated with neuropsychological and clinical tests, such as the Wisconsin Card Shorting Test (WCST). The same tests were re-administered after 2 months of board game therapy. Results: At the first series of neuropsychological tests, no difference was seen in performance, demographical aspects, or clinical severity among both patient groups. After 2 months, the group receiving board game therapy showed significant improvement of WCST performances compared to the controls. However, no difference was observed in clinical symptoms between the groups. Conclusion: The results of cognitive enhancement in patients playing board games indicates that board game play, easily used in an inpatient setting, is a promising tool for executive function improvement in chronic schizophrenic patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

Objective : This study is planned to determine the neurocognitive difficulties of hydrocephalic adults. Methods : The research group contained healthy adults (control group, n : 15), and hydrocephalic adults (n : 15). Hydrocephalic group consisted of patients with idiopathic aquaduct stenosis and post-meningitis hydrocephalus. All patients were followed with shunted hydrocephalus and not gone to shunt revision during last two years. They were chosen from either asymptomatic or had only minor symptoms without motor and sensorineural deficit. A neuropsychological test battery (Raven Standart Progressive Matrices, Bender-Gestalt Test, Cancellation Test, Clock Drawing Test, Facial Recognition Test, Line Orientation Test, Serial Digit Learning Test, Stroop Color Word Interference Test-TBAG Form, Verbal Fluency Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Visual-Aural Digit Span Test-B) was applied to all groups. Results : Neuropsychological assessment of hydrocephalic patients demonstrated that they had poor performance on visual, semantic and working memory, visuoconstructive and frontal functions, reading, attention, motor coordination and executive function of parietal lobe which related with complex and perseverative behaviour. Eventually, these patients had significant impairment on the neurocognitive functions of their frontal, parietal and temporal lobes. On the other hand, the statistical analyses performed on demographic data showed that the aetiology of the hydrocephalus, age, sex and localization of the shunt (frontal or posterior parietal) did not affect the test results. Conclusion : This prospective study showed that adult patients with hydrocephalus have serious neuropsychological problems which might be directly caused by the hydrocephalus; and these problems may cause serious adaptive difficulties in their social, cultural, behavioral and academic life.

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

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 1995

외상후 뇌손상은 대표적이며, 가장 중요한 신경정신계 질환의 하나이다. 더욱이 외상후 뇌손상 환자들은 각종의 사고 및 산업재해 등으로 인해 그 수가 급증하고 있으며, 특히 인지기능의 장애로 인한 다양한 기질성 정신장애로 고통을 겪게 된다. 따라서 외상후 뇌손상은 손상의 시점에서부터 정확하고 올바른 평가는 물론 손상후의 경과 및 치료대책의 수립에 있어서 체계적이며 종합적인 신경인지기능의 평가는 필수적이다. 왜냐하면 신경인지기능평가는 뇌의 손상부위와 이와 관련된 기능장애 및 행동의 변화에 대한 객관적인 자료를 제시해 주기 때문이다. 신경인지기능 평가의 영역은 지각, 운동기능은 물론 주요인지기능인 기억, 언어, 실행 및 감정조절능력에 이르기까지 다양하며, 외상후 뇌손상환자들은 손상부위 및 정도에 따라 신경인지기능의 장애를 초래하게 된다. 대표적인 신경인지기능평가 도구로는 KWIS, Halstead-Reitan, Luria-Nebraska batteries, 특히 전두엽기능검사인 Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)를 비롯하여, 현재는 PC/S Vienna Test System 및 Stim등의 각종 전산화 인지기능검사가 개발되어 임상에서 활발히 사용되고 있다. 즉 외상후 뇌손상환자를 위한 신경인지기능평가의 목적은 뇌손상과 관련된 신경인지기능장애를 정확히 평가하여, 환자 개개인에 적합한 인지재활치료 계획을 수립하는데 있다. 물론 여기에는 신경정신상태검사(neuropsychiatric mental status examination)를 통하여 외상 후 뇌손상의 경과 및 예후에 결정적인 영향을 미칠 수 있는 나이, 의식소실 및 외상후 기억 손상 시간의 정확한 측정은 물론 심리 사회 문화적인 상태와 두부외상전 환자의 지적수준 및 사회 적용기능이 함께 평가되어야 할 것이다.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 2014

Objectives This study aimed to identify the differences and the profiles of cognitive deficits in remitted patients with schizophrenia and first-degree relatives of schizophrenic probands. Methods A total of 26 remitted states of schizophrenia patients were included in the study and the same number of unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenic probands and healthy controls were matched for age, sex, years of education. Cognitive function of all participants was measured by using the Digit span test, the Continuous performance test, the Rey auditory & visual learning test, the Complex figure test, the Verbal fluency test, the Wisconsin card sorting test and the Finger tapping test. The effects of subsyndromal symptomatology and general intelligence score were controlled. Results Schizophrenia patients' group showed more significant impairment than other groups in verbal memory (learning, immediate recall, delayed recall), visual memory (copy, immediate recall, delayed recall) and cognitive flexibility domains. The family group and the patient group commonly performed significantly worse than healthy controls in working memory and verbal fluency (category) tests. There were no differences in sustained attention, psychomotor performance. Conclusions Our research shows that the deficit in working memory and verbal fluency could be strong candidates of endophenotypic marker in schizophrenia.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.452-459
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the neurocognitive function test (CN Test), computer experience, and satisfaction in the elderly. We recruited 52 healthy elderly persons (25 males and 27 females) for this study. The subjects did the CN Test (accuracy, response time) and evaluated their computer experience and satisfaction with the CN Test. We used the independent t test and Pearson correlations for statistical analysis. The elderly without computer experience were older than the elderly with computer experience (p < .05) and education level was lower (p < .05). The elderly with computer experience were higher the satisfaction than the elderly without computer experience, the CN Test was more accurate, and response time was faster (p < .05). In the correlation analysis, the higher the age and the lower the education level, the lower the accuracy of the CN Test and the faster the response time (p < .05). Satisfaction was negatively correlated with age, and was statistically correlated with education level (p < .05). The satisfaction level with the CN Test by the elderly has a moderate relationship with the level of education and computer experience.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2021

Objectives : The aim of this study was to compare activities of daily living (ADLs) according to degenerative changes in brain [i.e., medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA), white matter hyperintensities] and to examine the association between neurocognitive functions and ADLs in Korean patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods : Participants were 111 elderly subjects diagnosed with AD or MCI in this cross-sectional study. MTA in brain MRI was rated with standardized visual rating scales (Scheltens scale) and the subjects were divided into two groups according to Scheltens scale. ADLs was evaluated with the Korean version of Blessed Dementia Scale-Activity of daily living (BDS-ADL). Neurocognitive function was evaluated with the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease assessment packet (CERAD-K). Independent t-test was performed to compare ADLs with the degree of MTA. Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze the relationship between ADLs and neurocognitive functions. Results : The group with high severity of the MTA showed significantly higher BDS-ADL scores (p<0.05). The BDS-ADL score showed the strongest correlation with the word list recognition test among sub-items of the CERAD-K test (r=-0.568). Findings from the hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the scores of MMSE-K and word list recognition test were factors that predict ADLs (F=44.611, p<0.001). Conclusions : ADLs of AD and MCI patients had significant association with MTA. Our study, which identifies factors correlated with ADLs can provide useful information in clinical settings. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the association between certain brain structures and ADLs.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the cognitive function in the elderly and to identify the influencing factors. Methods: The design of this study was descriptive research design. A total of 139 elderly people (aged 65 years and over) visiting the electroencephalogram (EEG) center in Seoul, Korea were evaluated. Data were assessed by self-administered questionnaires and CNS Vital Signs (CNSVS). Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 23.0 for Windows. Results: There were significant differences in the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), executive functions and reasoning according to education level. K-MMSE, visual memory and executive functions were different depending on the jobs. Age was highly correlated with cognitive function. In addition, stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that the factor significantly associated with reaction time and visual memory was depression. Depression and Trait-Anxiety had significant impacts on executive functions and K-MMSE. Conclusion: CNSVS enabled the accurate and objective measurement of cognitive function. Therefore, this study provides useful data to improve cognitive function of the community-dwelling elderly. The results suggested that there is need for comprehensive interventional programs that manage cognitive impairment.