A Preliminary Study for the Effect of Multidivisional Program for Social Skill Improvement on Senile Dementia / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Aging population correspond with an increase in the numbers of dementia patients. Dementia decreases the quality of life of patients and care-givers. However, current pharmacological treatment is limited by modest efficacy and adverse effect. Nonpharmacological treatment for dementia has been considered to be a substitute treatment. Recently we developed a special planned program for dementia with depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate therapeutic effect of this program. METHODS: We included patients aged 65 and older who diagnosed dementia with depression in a geriatric institution from April to June, 2006. We surveyed their sex, age, education period, and histories of hypertension, smoking, and alcohol intake. Patients in experimental group carried out our program, including cooking, painting, recreation, and activity, 9 times for 60 minutes a session. All included patients were checked Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) and Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) before starting program and after 3 months when programs finished. RESULTS: There was no difference in demographic factors between two groups. K-MMSE was significantly improved in experimental group compared with control group (P = 0.01). And, the KGDS was significantly improved in experimental group compared with control group (P = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Multidivisional program for social skill improvement was effective on treatment for patients of dementia with depression. Nonpharmacological treatment for dementia with depression would be developed and studied to enhance the qualities of life of patients and care of dementia.

Calcium Ion Dynamics after Dexamethasone Treatment in Organotypic Cultured Hippocampal Slice

It is imperative to analyse brain injuries directly in real time, so as to find effective therapeutic compounds to protect brain injuries by stress. We established a system which could elucidate the real time Ca2+ dynamics in an organotypic cultured hippocampal slice by the insults of artificial stress hormone, dexamethasone. The real time Ca2+ dynamics could continuously be detected in cornus ammonis 3 (CA3) of the organotypic hippocampus for 8 hours under confocal microscopy. When dexamethasone concentration was increased, the Ca2+ was also increased in a dose dependent manner at 1~100 microM concentrations. Moreover, when the organotypic cultured hippocampal slice was treated with a glutamate receptor antagonist together with dexamethasone, the real time Ca2+ dynamics were decreased. Furthermore, we confirmed by PI uptake study that glutamate receptor antagonist reduced the hippocampal tissue damage caused by dexamethasone treatment. Therefore, our new calcium ion dynamics system in organotypic cultured hippocampal slice after dexamethasone treatment could provide real time analysis method for investigation of brain injuries by stress.