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Biomedical subjects

Dai-Jin Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Dai-Jin Kim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Increased leptin and decreased ghrelin level after smoking cessation.

Smoking cessation is associated with transient increases in body weight. Leptin and ghrelin are known to be major mediators of appetite, weight and the reward pathway. Therefore, this study assessed the changes in the plasma leptin and ghrelin level and their relationship with the body weight and appetite after smoking cessation in the Korean population. Eighteen subjects, who had stopped smoking for 2 months were enrolled in this study. The body mass index (BMI), body fat mass (BFM), waist-hip ratio (WHR), weight and appetite were measured before and after smoking cessation. In addition, the plasma leptin and ghrelin levels were measured. The BMI, BFM, WHR, weight and appetite were significantly higher than baseline in those who had gave up smoking for 2 months (p<0.05). The plasma leptin concentration increased and the plasma ghrelin level decreased after smoking cessation. The change in the leptin level was positively correlated with the change in the body mass index and body fat mass. These results do not support the direct mediation of the leptin-ghrelin-neuropeptide Y (NPY) system on weight gain after smoking cessation. It appears that weight and appetite is regulated by a more complicated mechanism after smoking cessation.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Low plasma BDNF is associated with suicidal behavior in major depression.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the most abundant neurotrophin in the brain, has a known association with the pathophysiology of anxiety and depression. However, the role of BDNF in suicide has not been well investigated to date. This study examined plasma BDNF levels in 32 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients who had recently attempted suicide, 32 non-suicidal MDD patients, and 30 normal controls. The lethality of the suicide attempt was measured using the Risk-Rescue Rating (RRR) and Lethality Suicide Attempt Rating Scale (LSARS). The severity of depression was measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Plasma BDNF levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. BDNF levels were significantly lower in suicidal MDD patients (430.5+/-397.0 pg/ml) than non-suicidal MDD patients (875.80+/-663.02 pg/ml) or normal controls (889.4+/-611.3 pg/ml) (F=6.682, p=0.002). The most suitable cut-off point of BDNF level between suicidal depression and non-suicidal depression groups was 444.58 pg/ml. At this cut-off point, the sensitivity=68.7%, specificity=78.1%, positive predictive value=75.9%, and negative predictive value=71.4%. However, there was no significant difference in BDNF levels between the depressive control and normal control groups (p=0.996). LSARS and RRR did not reveal any significant correlations with BDNF levels in suicidal patients. In addition, BDNF levels were not different between fatal and non-fatal suicide attempts. These results suggest that reduction of plasma BDNF level is related to suicidal behavior in major depression and that BDNF level may be a biological marker of suicidal depression.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Mirtazapine for patients with alcohol dependence and comorbid depressive disorders: a multicentre, open label study.

Major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence are common and serious mental illnesses. There is a great interest in discovering useful treatments for both mood symptoms and alcohol abuse in those patients with depressive disorders and comorbid alcohol dependence. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of mirtazapine for the treatment of patients with alcohol dependence comorbid with a depressive disorder in an open label, naturalistic multicentre treatment setting. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale were measured at baseline and at weeks 4 and 8 for the assessment of treatment effectiveness. Alcohol craving was measured using the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and the Visual Analog Scale for Craving (VAS). This study showed a statistically significant reduction of the scores on the HDRS (13.9+/-7.3, p<0.0001), HARS (10.8+/-7.2, p<0.0001) and the CGI-S (1.7+/-1.0, p<0.0001) from baseline to the endpoint (week 8). The OCDS and VAS scores were also decreased significantly by 42.3% and 53.2% (9.0+/-10.0, p<0.0001; 2.5+/-2.4, p<0.0001, respectively). The number of patients with a 50% reduction or more in the HDRS and HARS scores was 103 (72.0%) and 106 (74.1%) at the endpoint, respectively. Adverse events related to mirtazapine were observed in 10% or more of the patients in this study. In conclusion, the results from this naturalistic study suggest that the use of mirtazapine for the patients with alcohol dependence comorbid with depressive disorder is accompanied by clinical improvement in their mood and alcohol craving.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Possible role of nerve growth factor in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have raised the possibility that nerve growth factor (NGF) is abnormally regulated in the central nervous system (CNS) of animal models of chronic ethanol treatment. The goals of this study were to determine whether prolonged alcohol consumption is associated with the plasma NGF levels and to assess the effect of a positive family history of alcohol dependence on plasma NGF levels in the alcohol-dependent patients. METHODS: We used the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine the concentrations of peripheral NGF in patients with alcohol dependence and in a control group. RESULTS: The plasma NGF concentrations in the alcohol-dependent patients were significantly lower than in the controls (71.9 vs 110.5 pg/mL, respectively). Moreover, the alcohol-dependent patients with positive family histories showed a greater decrease in their NGF levels than those subjects with negative family histories (64.7 vs 83.3 pg/mL, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the NGF levels may be a trait marker for the development of alcohol dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

High concentrations of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor in methamphetamine users.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that has a neurotoxic effect on the brain. A growing body of evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with addictive behavior. The present study investigated the changes in plasma BDNF concentration that were induced by chronic methamphetamine use. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we measured peripheral BDNF levels in methamphetamine users and in a control group. The plasma BDNF concentrations of methamphetamine users were significantly higher compared with those of controls (2536.3 pg/ml versus 1352.6 pg/ml). This finding suggests that BDNF plays some role in the neurotoxicity of methamphetamine.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Ghrelin precursor gene polymorphism and methamphetamine dependence in the Korean population.

Ghrelin is a recently isolated brain-gut peptide that has growth hormone-releasing and appetite-inducing activities. Several recent studies have suggested that ghrelin plays a major role in the pathophysiology of drug-seeking behavior and anxiety. Therefore, we assessed the effect of the ghrelin precursor polymorphism on methamphetamine dependence in the Korean population. One hundred and eighteen patients with methamphetamine dependence, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) criteria, and the 144 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Genotyping for the ghrelin precursor polymorphism was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism-based technique. The genotypic and allelic distributions of the ghrelin precursor polymorphism in the patients with methamphetamine dependence were not significantly different from those of the control subjects. However, the Met72 carriers were associated with the emotional problems of methamphetamine dependence. The patients with the Met72 allele were more depressed and anxious than the homozygous patients with the wild Leu72 allele. The present study suggests that the ghrelin precursor polymorphism may not confer a susceptibility to the development of methamphetamine dependence in the Korean population. However, the Leu72Met polymorphism could have a potential role in the emotional problems that are associated with this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Increased white matter hyperintensities in male methamphetamine abusers.

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to compare the prevalence, severity, and location of white matter signal hyperintensities (WMH) on brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in methamphetamine (MA) abusers. METHODS: Thirty-three MA abusers and 32 age- and gender-matched healthy comparison subjects were studied. Axial T-2 weighted images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery axial images were obtained using 3.0 T MR scanner. The severity of WMH was assessed separately for deep and periventricular WMH. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to assess the odds ratio for WMH. RESULTS: MA abusers had greater severity of WMH than the healthy comparison subjects (odds ratio: 7.06, 8.46, and 4.56 for all, deep, and periventricular WMH, respectively). Severity of deep WMH correlated with total cumulative dose of MA (p = 0.027). Male MA abusers had greater severity of WMH than female MA abusers (odds ratio = 10.00). While male MA abusers had greater severity of WMH than male comparison subjects (odds ratio = 18.86), there was no significant difference in WMH severity between female MA abusers and female comparison subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The current study reports increased WMH in MA abusers, which may be related to MA-induced cerebral perfusion deficits. In addition, female MA abusers had less severe WMH than male MA abusers, possibly due to estrogen's protective effect against ischemic or neurotoxic effects of MA.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effects of naltrexone on the ethanol-induced changes in the rat central dopaminergic system.

AIMS: The opioid antagonist naltrexone may reduce ethanol reward, but the underlying neurochemical mechanisms has yet to be clarified. The afferent projections to the nucleus accumbens from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) provide a potential substrate by which endogenous opioids may modulate the dopaminergic rewarding effects of ethanol. We assessed mRNA levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a major regulatory enzyme in the dopamine synthesis and levels of dopamine and its metabolites after chronic ethanol administration with and without concomitant naltrexone. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to chronic ethanol consumption (5%, 4 weeks) with and without concomitant naltrexone administration. Levels of TH mRNA in the VTA and substantia nigra (SN) and dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum of the rats were measured by in situ hybridization and by high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. RESULTS: Chronic ethanol consumption increased TH mRNA levels in the VTA, but did not cause any significant change in the SN. With naltrexone treatment, ethanol-induced increase in the TH mRNA level was reduced in the VTA. Chronic ethanol consumption did not cause any change in the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in most brain regions. Only in the striatum, ethanol consumption with naltrexone treatment significantly increases the dopamine level. CONCLUSION: This finding supports the presence of interactions of opioid and dopaminergic systems in the VTA in mediating ethanol reward, and thus naltrexone attenuates the rewarding properties of ethanol by interfering with the ethanol-induced stimulation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2005

Concentration changes of methanol in blood samples during an experimentally induced alcohol hangover state.

A hangover is characterized by the unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that occur between 8 and 16 hours after drinking alcohol. After inducing experimental hangover in normal individuals, we measured the methanol concentration prior to and after alcohol consumption and we assessed the association between the hangover condition and the blood methanol level. A total of 18 normal adult males participated in this study. They did not have any previous histories of psychiatric or medical disorders. The blood ethanol concentration prior to the alcohol intake (2.26+/-2.08) was not significantly different from that 13 hours after the alcohol consumption (3.12+/-2.38). However, the difference of methanol concentration between the day of experiment (prior to the alcohol intake) and the next day (13 hours after the alcohol intake) was significant (2.62+/-1.33/l vs. 3.88+/-2.10/l, respectively). A significant positive correlation was observed between the changes of blood methanol concentration and hangover subjective scale score increment when covarying for the changes of blood ethanol level (r=0.498, p<0.05). This result suggests the possible correlation of methanol as well as its toxic metabolite to hangover.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Increased fasting plasma ghrelin levels during alcohol abstinence.

AIMS: Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that antagonizes the action of leptin and is thereby thought to regulate feeding behaviour. The actions of ghrelin and leptin appear to be mediated by the neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti-related protein (AGRP) system. Recent studies have suggested that leptin and NPY play significant roles in the pathophysiology of alcoholism. The aim of this study was to determine whether ghrelin is associated with the state and duration of abstinence in individuals with alcohol dependence. METHODS: Fasting plasma ghrelin levels were compared between 47 individuals with chronic alcoholism during a period of abstinence and 50 control subjects. RESULTS: Fasting plasma ghrelin levels were higher in alcohol abstainers than those in controls. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between ghrelin levels and the duration of abstinence. In addition, daily alcohol intake prior to abstinence was inversely related to ghrelin levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ghrelin plays a role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence, particularly during the abstinence period, in individuals with chronic alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dimensional complexity of the EEG in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Recent electrophysiological studies have reported evidence of information processing abnormalities in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study is to examine dynamical complexity of the EEG in PTSD patients, which is thought to reflect information processing of the brain. Resting EEG recordings (32,800 data points acquired continuously from 82 s of an EEG record) were obtained in 16 channels of 27 patients with PTSD from a mixed civilian trauma population and 14 healthy subjects. The correlation dimension (D2) of the EEG was used to quantify the complexity of the cortical dynamics underlying the EEG signal. The PTSD patients were found to have lower D2 values than those of the healthy subjects in most channels (Fp1, F8, C4, P4, T3, T4, T5, T6, and O1), indicating that PTSD patients have globally reduced complexity in their EEG waveforms. This study supports the hypotheses that PTSD patients exhibit disturbed cortical information processing, and that non-linear dynamical analysis of the EEG can be a tool for detecting changes in neurodynamics of the brain in PTSD.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of total sleep-deprivation on waking human EEG: functional cluster analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on brain functions with an identification procedure for strongly interactive brain regions, relying on functional cluster (FC) analysis in multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) data. METHODS: EEGs from 16 electrodes in 18 healthy, right-handed, young male volunteers were recorded before TSD (after normal sleep) and after 24 h of experimentally induced sleep deprivation. We estimated cluster index to characterize joint interactions among many brain regions in order to determine if a particular FC is present or not, and if so, its anatomy. RESULTS: As a result, we confirmed the presence of FC and found different FC patterns in both before and after TSD. The C3 and F7 locations were outside the cluster under the TSD condition, but belonged to the cluster with C4 and F8 before the TSD condition, and the F3/F4, and O1 locations were new entries to the functional cluster during sustained wakefulness. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the neuronal activities of the C3 and F7 location are functionally unrelated, whereas the F3/F4 locations are functionally involved with the C4, F8, and O1 locations after 24 h TSD. Our results suggest that FC changes with elapsed awake time and reflects the change of brain function due to TSD. SIGNIFICANCE: This paper shows the existence of FC both before and after TSD, and the anatomy of each FC is different. So FC analysis would be a potential tool to investigate the simultaneous neuronal activity of human EEGs.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Effects of alcohol hangover on cytokine production in healthy subjects.

A hangover is the syndrome of physical and mental symptoms that occurs 8 to 16 h after alcohol consumption with a zero level of alcohol. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of the alcohol hangover on cytokine production in healthy subjects. The hangover state was defined as 13 h after drinking 1.5 g/kg of alcohol (blood alcohol level=0). A venous blood sample was taken from 20 healthy adult men before consumption of alcohol and during the hangover state. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated and stimulated with phytohemagglutinin. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the production of the following cytokines: interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). We found that the concentrations of IL-10, IL-12, and IFN-gamma were significantly increased during the hangover state compared with the concentrations in normal conditions. These results support the suggestion that the dysregulated cytokine pathway (IL-10, IL-12, and IFN-gamma) is associated with the symptoms of hangovers.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

A naturalistic study of risperidone treatment in seven affiliated university hospitals in Korea.

This retrospective naturalistic study, conducted on patients with schizophrenia, was undertaken to examine the differences in the clinical characteristics of subjects who were treated with risperidone, but who were discontinued soon after administration, and those who were maintained on the drug for a long-term period. Data on 210 of 580 inpatients with schizophrenia who were treated with risperidone and whose complete medical records were available, were analyzed. Patients maintained on risperidone for at least 2 years were assigned to a 'long-term maintenance' (LTM) group and those who were discontinued within 6 months of risperidone administration were assigned to an 'early drop-out' (ED) group. The parameters used for comparisons included the patients' demographic characteristics, the presence/absence of physical or psychiatric comorbidities, the severity of the psychopathology, the typology of the schizophrenia, the nature and subjects' responses to previous antipsychotic treatments (if any) and dosages of risperidone treatment. Of the 210 subjects, 67 (31.9%) belonged to the ED group, whereas 143 (68.1%) were maintained on risperidone at 2 years. There were no significant differences in the demographics, nor in the severity of the psychopathology, nor were there significant differences in the starting or maximal dosages of risperidone administered between the two groups. Exposure to any previous antipsychotic and the longest maintained final dosage of risperidone were significantly different in the two groups. We believed that a multicenter-based retrospective naturalistic study would provide useful information about the efficacy and other practical aspects of antipsychotic administration.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The effects of alcohol hangover on cognitive functions in healthy subjects.

A hangover is characterized by the constellation of unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that occur between 8 and 16 h after drinking alcohol. We evaluated the effects of experimentally-induced alcohol hangover on cognitive functions using the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery. A total of 13 normal adult males participated in this study. They did not have any previous histories of psychiatric or medical disorders. We defined the experimentally-induced hangover condition at 13 h after drinking a high dose of alcohol (1.5 g/kg of body weight). We evaluated the changes of cognitive functions before drinking alcohol and during experimentally-induced hangover state. The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery was administrated in order to examine the changes of cognitive functions. Cognitive functions, such as visual, memory, and intellectual process functions, were decreased during the hangover state. Among summary scales, the profile elevation scale was also increased. Among localization scales, the scores of left frontal, sensorimotor, parietal-occipital dysfunction, and right parietal-occipital scales were increased during the hangover state. These results indicate that alcohol hangovers have a negative effect on cognitive functions, particularly on the higher cortical and visual functions associated with the left hemisphere and right posterior hemisphere.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Complexity changes of the EEG induced by alcohol cue exposure in alcoholics and social drinkers.

BACKGROUND: An understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying alcohol craving is important in the effective treatment of alcohol dependence. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of the electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the changes in electrical brain activity of alcoholics when exposed to alcohol-specific cues. METHODS: Fifteen adult alcoholic subjects (four women) with a mean age of 35 (SD = 4.5) and 10 healthy social drinking controls (three women) with a mean age of 34 (SD = 5.6) were recruited. Subjects were serially rated for alcohol craving after presentations of pictures of control nonalcoholic and alcohol beverages. After the picture presentation, the EEG was recorded (16,384 data points for each epoch) with eyes closed. The dimensional complexity (D2) was estimated as a measure of complexity of the EEG. RESULTS: Alcoholic subjects exhibited a significant increase in the D2 values of the EEG in frontal (F3, F4), right posterior temporal (T6), and occipital (O1, O2) regions after viewing alcohol cues compared with viewing other beverage cues. These results indicate that more complex (or higher) cortical activity is induced over specific brain regions of alcoholic subjects by alcohol-specific cues. Changes in subscale of alcohol craving between nonalcoholic and alcohol pictures were correlated with changes in D2 values in the left frontal (F3) region in alcoholic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, when subjects are exposed to alcohol cues, changes in the EEG complexity are induced in frontal, right posterior temporal, and occipital areas, which may be key brain structures for alcohol craving. In addition, nonlinear measures like the D2 are useful in evaluating alcohol cue-induced brain activity from the EEG.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Nonlinear dynamics of the EEG separated by independent component analysis after sound and light stimulation.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a multiscaled signal consisting of several time-series components each with different dominant frequency ranges and different origins. Nonlinear measures of the EEG reflect the complexity of the overall EEG, but not of each component in it. The aim of this study is to examine effect of the sound and light (SL) stimulation on the complexity of each component of the EEG. We used independent component analysis to obtain independent components of the EEG. The first positive Lyapunov exponent (L1) was estimated as a nonlinear measure of complexity. Twelve subjects were administered photic and auditory stimuli with a frequency of 10 Hz, which corresponded to the alpha frequency of the EEG, by a sound and light entrainment device. We compared the L1 values of the EEGs and their independent components between baseline and after the SL stimulation. We detected that the L1 values of the EEG decreased after the SL stimulation in all channels except C3 and F4, indicating that the complexity of the EEG decreased. We showed that alpha components increased in proportion but decreased in complexity after the SL stimulation. The beta independent components were found to decrease in proportion and complexity. These results suggest that decreased complexity of the EEG after the SL stimulation may be principally caused by decreased complexity and increased proportion of the alpha independent components. We showed also that theta components increased in complexity after the SL stimulation. We propose that nonlinear dynamical analysis combined with independent component analysis may be helpful in understanding the temporal characteristics of the EEG, which cannot be detected by conventional linear or nonlinear methods.

Acoustic Stimulation↗