This study were to perform for verifying the activation areas in the human's brain during mastication by using functional-MRI (f-MRI) device on the basis of hypothesis regarding anatomical-physiological parts of brain processing the information of motor and sensory function, and to perform further more for a providing basic provisional foundation about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of abnormal occlusion as applying functional MRI. Generally healthy 10 volunteers who have a normal occlusion were selected. The half of members of volunteers was female. Age distributions were approximately alike. Before taking a f-MRI, sufficient practice was carried out as strict standards and made volunteers be not sensible to sweet taste of gum through chewing gum for 30 minutes before taking a f-MRI. Functional images for all volunteers were firstly obtained, and then anatomical images were next. The functional images consisted of echo-planar image volumes which were sensitive to BOLD (blood oxygenation level-dependent) contrast in axial orientation. The volume covered the whole brain with a 64×64 matrix and 42 slices. Images with 64 volumes were acquired under periodic mastication. The orofacial sensorimotor cortex was primary responsible cerebral part during mastication and insula. And also supplementary motor area and cerebellum in brain were intimately connected with mastication. Other numerous anatomical parts of brain were activated in each volunteer during mastication, but there was no statistical significance in this experiment. Differences according to gender and age were no significance in this study. The f-MRI device showed the accurate and detailed image in activation area of brain through valuable device. It suggested that f-MRI might be helpful to establish the basis of funtional standard occlusion depend on activation area of brain.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modulates cortical excitability beyond the duration of the rTMS trains themselves. Depending on rTMS parameters, a lasting inhibition or facilitation of cortical excitability can be induced. Therefore, rTMS of high or low frequency over motor cortex may change certain aspects of motor learning performance and cortical activation. This study investigated the effect of high and low frequency subthreshold rTMS applied to the motor cortex on motor learning of sequential finger movements and brain activation using functional MRI (fMRI). Three healthy right-handed subjects (mean age 23.3) were enrolled. All subjects were trained with sequences of seven-digit rapid sequential finger movements, 30 minutes per day for 5 consecutive days using their left hand. 10 Hz (high frequency) and 1 Hz (low frequency) trains of rTMS with 80% of resting motor threshold and sham stimulation were applied for each subject during the period of motor learning. rTMS was delivered on the scalp over the right primary motor cortex using a figure-eight shaped coil and a Rapid(R) stimulator with two Booster Modules (Magstim Co. Ltd, UK). Functional MRI (fMRI) was performed on a 3T ISOL Forte scanner before and after training in all subjects (35 slices per one brain volume TR/TE = 3000/30 ms, Flip angle , FOV 220 mm, matrix, slice thickness 4 mm). Response time (RT) and target scores (TS) of sequential finger movements were monitored during the training period and fMRl scanning. All subjects showed decreased RT and increased TS which reflecting learning effects over the training session. The subject who received high frequency rTMS showed better performance in TS and RT than those of the subjects with low frequency or sham stimulation of rTMS. In fMRI, the subject who received high frequency rTMS showed increased activation of primary motor cortex, premotor, and medial cerebellar areas after the motor sequence learning after the training, but the subject with low frequency rTMS showed decreased activation in above areas. High frequency subthreshold rTMS on the motor cortex may facilitate the excitability of motor cortex and improve the performance of motor sequence learning in normal subject.

집행기능은 뇌손상환자의 회복을 촉진시키는데 중요한 역할을 하며, 그 손상 기전에 대한 이해는 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 기능적 자기공명 영상 기법을 이용하여 집행기능 수행에 관여하는 대뇌 활성화 영역을 파악하고자 실시하였다. 10명의 정상성인(남자 4, 여자 6)이 실험에 참여하였으며, 모두 폐쇄공포증이 없고 금속을 삽입한 수술의 경험이없는 평균 나이 24.5 세였다.기능적 자기공명영상 실험을 위한 과제는 단어-색체 검사 과제를 30초간의 자극제시 시간에 맞게 수정하여 제시한 후, SPM 99 프로그램을 이용하여 영상 재정렬(realignment), 표준화(nomalization)를 실시한 후 시간 순서대로 격자화하고, 각 영상 픽셀의 신호강도의 유의한 차이가 있는지를 알아보기 위해 휴지기와 활성기로 나누어 독립표본 t-검정(p<.05)을 실시하여 활성화 영상을 생성시켰다. 이를 표준 해부학적 영상에 중첩시켜 유의수준 95%에서 뇌 활성화영상을 얻었다. 기능적 자기공명 영상결과 집행기능과 관련 있는 내측 전전두엽, 전 대상회, 두정엽, 시각 전두영역,측두엽 등에서 활성화 우위를 보였다. 집행기능을 수행하는 뇌 활성화 영역을 확인하면 뇌가소성을 증진시키는 효과적인 인지 치료방법을 개발하는데 매우 유용하게 사용될 것이다.