• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.381-390
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine whether ginsenoside Rg3 (GRg3) could improve learning and memory impairments and inflammatory reactions induced by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the brains of rats. The effects of GRg3 on proinflammatory mediators in the hippocampus and the underlying mechanisms of these effects were also investigated. Injection of LPS into the lateral ventricle caused chronic inflammation and produced deficits in learning in a memory-impairment animal model. Daily administration of GRg3 (10, 20, and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 consecutive days markedly improved the LPS-induced learning and memory disabilities demonstrated on the step-through passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test. GRg3 administration significantly decreased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-1${\beta}$, and cyclooxygenase-2 in the hippocampus, as assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis and immunohistochemistry. Together, these findings suggest that GRg3 significantly attenuated LPS-induced cognitive impairment by inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the rat brain. These results suggest that GRg3 may be effective for preventing or slowing the development of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, by improving cognitive and memory functions due to its anti-inflammatory activity in the brain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.296-304
• /
• 2018

Epiduroscopy is defined as a percutaneous, minimally invasive endoscopic investigation of the epidural space. Periduroscopy is currently used mainly as a diagnostic tool to directly visualize epidural adhesions in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), and as a therapeutic action in patients with low back pain by accurately administering drugs, releasing inflammation, washing the epidural space, and mechanically releasing the scars displayed. Considering epiduroscopy a minimally invasive technique should not lead to underestimating its potential complications. The purpose of this review is to summarize and explain the mechanisms of the side effects strictly related to the technique itself, leaving aside complications considered typical for any kind of extradural procedure (e.g. adverse reactions due to the administration of drugs or bleeding) and not fitting the usual concept of epiduroscopy for which the data on its real usefulness are still lacking. The most frequent complications and side effects of epiduroscopy can be summarized as non-persistent post-procedural low back and/or leg discomfort/pain, transient neurological symptoms (headache, hearing impairment, paresthesia), dural puncture with or without post dural puncture headache (PDPH), post-procedural visual impairment with retinal hemorrhage, encephalopathy resulting in rhabdomyolysis due to a dural tear, intradural cyst, as well as neurogenic bladder and seizures. We also report for first time, to our knowledge, a case of symptomatic pneumocephalus after epiduroscopy, and try to explain the reason for this event and the precautions to avoid this complication.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.302-312
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Phellodendri Cortex extract (PCE) could improve learning and memory impairments caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in the rat brain. The effect of PCE on modulating pro-inflammatory mediators in the hippocampus and its underlying mechanism were investigated. Injection of LPS into the lateral ventricle caused acute regional inflammation and subsequent deficits in spatial learning ability in the rats. Daily administration of PCE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 days markedly improved the LPS-induced learning and memory disabilities in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. PCE administration significantly decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-$1{\beta}$, and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in the hippocampus, as assessed by RT-PCR analysis and immunohistochemistry. Together, these findings suggest that PCE significantly attenuated LPS-induced spatial cognitive impairment through inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the rat brain. These results suggested that PCE may be effective in preventing or slowing the development of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, by improving cognitive and memory function because of its anti-inflammation activity in the brain.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.499-507
• /
• 2019

Background: Ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), a dominant component from the extract of Panax ginseng root, exhibits neuroprotective functions in many neurological diseases. This study was intended to investigate whether Rb1 can attenuate cisplatin-induced memory impairments and explore the potential mechanisms. Methods: Cisplatin was injected intraperitoneally with a dose of 5 mg/kg/wk, and Rb1 was administered in drinking water at the dose of 2 mg/kg/d to rats for 5 consecutive wk. The novel objects recognition task and Morris water maze were used to detect the memory of rats. Nissl staining was used to examine the neuron numbers in the hippocampus. The activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, cholineacetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase, and the levels of malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species, acetylcholine, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-$1{\beta}$, and interleukin-10 were measured by ELISA to assay the oxidative stress, cholinergic function, and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus. Results: Rb1 administration effectively ameliorates the memory impairments caused by cisplatin in both novel objects recognition task and Morris water maze task. Rb1 also attenuates the neuronal loss induced by cisplatin in the different regions (CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus) of the hippocampus. Meanwhile, Rb1 is able to rescue the cholinergic neuron function, inhibit the oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in cisplatin-induced rat brain. Conclusion: Rb1 rescues the cisplatin-induced memory impairment via restoring the neuronal loss by reducing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation and recovering the cholinergic neuron functions.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.17-21
• /
• 2021

Hunter syndrome or mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS-II) (OMIM 309900) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency in the activity of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase. This enzyme is responsible for the catabolism of the following two different glycosaminoglycans (GAGs): dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate. The lysosomal accumulation of these GAG molecules results in cell, tissue, and organ dysfunction. Patients can be broadly classified as having one of the following two forms of MPS II: a severe form and an attenuated form. In the severe form of the disease, signs and symptoms (including neurological impairment) develop in early childhood, whereas in the attenuated form, signs and symptoms develop in adolescence or early adulthood, and patients do not experience significant cognitive impairment. The involvement of the skeletal-muscle system is because of essential accumulated GAGs in joints and connective tissue. MPS II has many clinical features and includes two recognized clinical entities (mild and severe) that represent two ends of a wide spectrum of clinical severities. However, enzyme replacement therapy is likely to have only a limited impact on bone and joint disease based on the results of MPS II studies. The aim of this study was to review the involvement of joints in MPS II.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.147-153
• /
• 2009

Effect of whole body vibration exercise on intracerebral hemorrhage in rats. Intracerebral hemorrhage is one of the most devastating types of stroke. This disease is known to cause severe neurological damage and also has a very high mortality rate. In the present study, the effects of whole body vibration exercise on memory capability and apoptotic neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA1 region following intracerebral hemorrhage in rats were investigated. Intracerebral hemorrhage was induced by injection of collagenase into the hippocampal CA1 region using a stereotaxic instrument. The rats were divided into 5 groups: the sham-operation group, the hemorrhage-induction group, the hemorrhage-induction and 8 Hz vibration exercise group, the hemorrhage-induction and 16 Hz vibration exercise group, and the hemorrhage-induction and 24 Hz vibration exercise group. The animals in the whole body vibration exercise groups received whole body vibration at 8 Hz, 16 Hz, and 24 Hz, respectively for 30 min once a day during 14 consecutive days. In the present results, the apoptotic neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA1 region was significantly increased following induction of intracerebral hemorrhage, resulting in memory impairment. Whole body vibration exercise suppressed hemorrhage-induced apoptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region. This suppressive effect of whole body vibration exercise also alleviated hemorrhage-induced memory impairment. Here in this study, we have shown that whole body vibration exercise inhibited intracerebral hemorrhage-induced apoptotic neuronal cell death and thus facilitated recovery of brain function following intracerebral hemorrhage.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.13 no.12
• /
• pp.321-327
• /
• 2013

Impaired naming difficulty is common in normal elderly as well as in patients with neurological impairment. The 60-item Korean version-Boston Naming Test(K-BNT) is one of the most commonly used test for measuring confrontational naming ability. However, age-related cognitive decline may make the elderly difficult concentrating during the 60-item test, therefore, item reduction of the K-BNT would improve test validity and reliability. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the K-BNT based on Item Response Theory(IRT). Considering item-fit index, sex factor, and item difficulty through Rasch analysis, the 15-item K-BNT(i.e., K-BNT-15) was developed. Via administration of the K-BNT-15, we observed age-related decline in naming ability and significantly different performance between the normal elderly and patients with mild cognitive impairment. This study demonstrates the utility of IRT for developing a short-form language evaluation tool. The K-BNT-15 can be effective as a language screening tool to differentiate between normal aging and pathological diseases.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.73-83
• /
• 2015

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the Spaced Retrieval Training (SRT) with Errorless learning on the elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)'s memory, Instrumental Activities Daily Living, Depression symptom. Methods: A single subject experimental research with ABA design was conducted in this study on the 78-years-old person who was enrolled in day-care center. The total experimental sessions were 16 which composed of 3 sessions for baseline, 10 sessions for intervention and 3 sessions for second baseline. K-Auditory Verbal Learning Test (K-AVLT) was measured for the memory each session. For the measurement of cognitive function, IADL, depression Symptom, Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), Philadelphia Geriatric Center Instrumental Activities Daily Living (PGC IADL), Geriatric Depression Scale Korean Version (GDS-K) was measured at pre-post test. Results: Memory at the phase B was improved than Phase A. At the phase B, the scores trend was ascending, but after the intervention at the phase A', the scores trend was descending. The scores of MoCA-K were improved, PGC IADL were maintained, GDS-K were decreased. Conclusion: This results support the evidence of the SRT with EL on the elderly with MCI in the clinical setting. In the future, the correlation researches about MCI's memory and other functional factors will be needed for effective occupational therapy service.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.564-569
• /
• 2019

Heavy drinking disrupts the nervous system by activation of GABA receptors and inhibition of glutamate receptors, thereby preventing short-term memory formation. Degradation of cognition by alcohol induces blackouts, and it can lead to alcoholic dementia if repeated. Therefore, drugs need to be developed to prevent alcohol-induced blackout. In this study, we confirmed the effect of an ethanol extract of Cassia obtusifolia seeds (COE) on alcohol-induced memory impairment. The effects of COE and ethanol on cognitive functions mice were examined using the passive avoidance and Y-maze tests. The manner in which alcohol affects long-term potentiation (LTP) in relation to the learning and memory was confirmed by electrophysiology performed on mouse hippocampal slices. We also measured N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated field excitatory synapses (fEPSPs), which have a known association with cognitive impairment caused by ethanol. Ethanol caused memory impairments in passive avoidance and Y-maze tests. COE prevented these ethanol-induced memory impairments in these tests. Ethanol also blocked LTP induction in the mouse hippocampus, and COE prevented this ethanol-induced LTP deficit. Ethanol decreased NMDA receptor-mediated fEPSPs in the mouse hippocampus, and this decrease was prevented by COE. These results suggest that COE might be useful in preventing alcohol-induced neurological dysfunctions, including blackouts.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.279-283
• /
• 2005

After initial recovery from acute carbon monoxide(CO) intoxication, some patients occasionally undergo severe neuropsychiatric deterioration, which is called postanomic delayed encephalopathy(sequelae). This is the clinical study about one patient, a 53-year-old woman, diagnosed with delayed encephalopathy after acute CO intoxication. The patient's symptoms were mental dysfunction including memory impairment and disorientation, aphasia, atrophy and weakness throughtout the body. She had completely recovered after an anomic episode, but the neurological symptoms that developed were preceded by an interval of apparent nomality.(the 'lucid interval'). She was characterized as suffering deficiency syndrome of the heart(心虛) and was prescribed for her an Ansinschungnoi-tang(安神淸腦湯), and thereafter her symptoms improved remarkably. For the evaluation of clinical improvement, we use the Modified Barthel Index(MBI).