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E Miyashita

Publications and source records attributed to E Miyashita.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Gamma-band oscillations in the "barrel cortex" precede rat's exploratory whisking.

Cortical oscillations have been reported in relation to animal behavior and may have important roles in neuronal information processing such as "binding". We considered oscillatory activities in the primary somatosensory cortex of rats as a preparatory state for sensory processing and investigated the temporal relationship between gamma oscillation (25-45 Hz) onset in the somatosensory cortex (the barrel cortex) and rat's whisking as tactile exploratory behavior. The gamma oscillations of local field potentials preceded the whisking in 52/83 cases (63%). The mean lead time of the oscillations, defined as time from the oscillation onset to the whisking, was 268 ms (+/- 123, S.D.). These preceding gamma oscillations lasted to the onset of whisking. Furthermore, we investigated the temporal relationship during the other two behavioral states: a still but alert state and a state with tactile stimulation of the whiskers. In the state with tactile stimulation, gamma oscillations followed the stimulation, and in the still but alert state, significant gamma oscillation was not observed. The gamma oscillations that precede the whisking are thought to reflect anticipatory activities in the barrel cortex for the subsequent somatosensory input from the whiskers, which could represent a mechanism for rapid processing of expected sensory information.

Animals↗

The demonstration of serum interleukin-8 and superoxide dismutase in Adamantiades-Behçet's disease.

Serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) production was measured in 43 Adamantiades-Behçet's disease (A-BD) patients and in 46 healthy volunteers using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean serum IL-8 level of the patients (14.6 +/- 3 pg/ml) was significantly higher than that of controls (10.8 +/- 3 pg/ml, P < 0.05). Since IL-8 is known to have proinflammatory properties, it may play some role in the pathogenesis of A-BD. We also investigated the activity of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the 43 patients with A-BD and in the 46 healthy volunteers. Serum SOD activity was markedly increased in the patients with A-BD (13.1 +/- 3%), especially in active A-BD, compared with that in the healthy volunteers (6.7 +/- 3%, P < 0.01). Our results suggest the involvement of IL-8 and SOD in the pathogenesis of A-BD as seen in other inflammatory diseases.

Adult↗

Quadrupedal locomotor movements in monkeys (M. Fuscata) on a treadmill: kinematic analyses.

Three adult Japanese monkeys (M. fuscata: body weights 4.5-8.5 kg) were trained to walk quadrupedally on a surface of a moving treadmill (walking length and width: 150 cm and 60 cm, treadmill speed: 0.4-1.7 m s-1. At any different constant treadmill velocity, the monkeys exhibited a diagonal pattern of locomotor movements. Side views of locomotor patterns were photographed (10 frames s-1 and videotaped (250 frames s-1. Depictions of representative locomotor patterns and stick figures of forelimb, hindlimb and trunk movements were made from the serial photographs and videotapes, respectively. Similarities and differences in the kinematics of non-human primate locomotor movements are discussed in relation to those of subprimate terrestrial animals.

Animals↗

Tactile experience determines the organization of movement representations in rat motor cortex.

We mapped movement representations in motor cortex of rats that had their mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) clipped continually for various periods during their development. In animals clipped since birth, and in adult animals clipped for 5 days, there was a significant reduction in the ratio of whisker to forelimb representation areas. Allowing the whiskers to regrow for at least 72 h resulted in normal-appearing representation patterns. The plasticity of motor representations induced by whisker clipping, and that following whisker regrowth, were not age dependent. These findings indicate that a relatively innocuous procedure that restricts sensory and motor functions results in pronounced, and reversible, changes in the functional organization of the motor cortex.

Age Factors↗

The 'functional connection' of neurones in relation to behavioural states in rats.

In order to investigate whether dynamics of neuronal networks change during differing behavioural states, the 'functional connection' between neurones in the rat vibrissal sensorimotor system during two different behavioural states (active vs passive whiskering) were revealed using time-dependent scatter diagrams. The functional connection between neurones in the vibrissal motor (MCx) and sensory (SCx) cortices and the superior colliculus (SC) changed depending on the behavioural state. In the rat vibrissal system, the pattern of correlated activities among neurones in the MCx, SCx and SC may play an important role in determining behaviour.

Animals↗

Basic neurophysiology of primate locomotion.

To initiate and terminate bipedal and quadrupedal locomotor movements, a smooth transition to and from standing is necessary. For this, integration of postural and locomotor control systems is required. Recent studies in nonhuman primates and other quadrupedal animals such as cats have clearly shown that there exist significant analogies between the primate species investigated (Macaca mulatta, Macaca fascicularis, and marmosets) and the cats regarding the spinal stepping generator or central pattern generator (CPG), supraspinal descending pathways which activate CPG, and the midbrain and brain stem postural and locomotor control structures. Further studies aimed at elucidating the differences and similarities in the manner of locomotor control among different animal species will help us in understanding the control mechanisms involved in both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotor movements in nonhuman primates.

Animals↗

Usefulness of the endotoxin test for assessing CAPD peritonitis by gram-negative organisms.

The endotoxin (ET) in cloudy peritoneal fluid was measured, and the usefulness of the method was examined. Thirteen continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with an episode of peritonitis from December, 1993 to December, 1995 were studied. The peritoneal fluid was collected without contamination from the bags and divided into two batches. The ET was measured in one of them with the limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, and the other was cultured for bacteria. Among the 13 patients ET was positive in 7 Gram-negative bacteria were identified in all 7 cases. Two of these patients were transferred to hemodialysis. On the other hand, gram-positive bacteria were cultured in only four episodes of the 6 ET-negative patients, all of which were treated successfully with vancomycin. Microbiological culture of the dialysate is still necessary for the treatment of peritonitis. But it takes 24-48 hours to obtain microbiological results. The result of the ET test can be given within one and one half hours (and it has 100% sensitivity and specificity for gram-negative peritonitis) at presentation in the episodes. Therefore, the ET test of the dialysate is very effective for the therapy of peritonitis in CAPD.

Adult↗

The superior colliculus relays signals descending from the vibrissal motor cortex to the facial nerve nucleus in the rat.

Electrical stimulation of the vibrissal motor cortex (VMCx), the superior colliculus and the facial nerve nucleus elicits vibrissal movements. A possibility of the superior colliculus as one of the relay nuclei between the VMCx and the facial nerve nucleus was investigated by injecting an anterograde neural tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L), into the physiologically identified VMCx and a retrograde tracer, cholera toxin B subunit (CTb), into the facial nerve nucleus in Wistar rats. In the lateral half of the superior colliculus, the termination field of axons from the VMCx overlapped with the distribution field of projection neurons to the facial nerve nucleus. In some cases, PHA-L-labeled terminal swellings were closely apposed to the somas of CTb-labeled neurons. We conclude that signals descending from the VMCx are relayed through the lateral half of the superior colliculus to the facial nerve nucleus.

Animals↗

Evaluation of the functional connectivity in the nervous system using time dependent scatter diagrams.

We investigated spike trains of the feline nervous system, which are considered to be non-stationary point processes characterized by changes of the functional interneuronal connectivities. Ordinary long-term averaged correlation methods are useful as processing time series data as a quasi-stationary point process, but not as a non-stationary point process. We depicted the joint impulse configuration scatter diagram proposed by D. H. Perkel et al. for subsets of the neural spike-train to find changes of functional connectivities. The time-dependent scatter diagram was generated by arranging these scatter diagrams in chronological order. Time-dependent scatter diagrams were generated for spike trains derived from the anterior ectosylvius sulcus, the coronal sulcus, the lateral bank of the presylvius sulcus, the medial wall of the presylvius sulcus, and the medial wall of the cruciate sulcus. The patterns of time-dependent scatter diagrams for these cortices are considered to change in relation to eye movement. Changes of these patterns correspond to those of the functional connectivities related to the dynamics of eye movement in the neural system.

Animals↗

Input-output organization of the rat vibrissal motor cortex.

The afferent and efferent connections of the vibrissal area of the rat motor cortex (VMCx) were investigated by injecting Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) or wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase into the physiologically defined VMCx. The VMCx formed reciprocal connections with the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, lateral and ventrolateral orbital cortex, retrosplenial cortex, and perirhinal cortex. These corticocortical afferents originated from cell bodies in layers II-III and V, and some afferents originated from cell bodies in layer VI of the primary sensory cortex. All of the VMCs efferents terminated in layers I and V or layers I-III and V. The VMCx also formed reciprocal connections with the ventrolateral, ventromedial and centrolateral nucleus, the lateral portion of the mediodorsal nucleus and the posterior complex of the thalamus. It projected bilaterally to the caudate putamen, primarily ipsilaterally to the superior colliculus, anterior pretectal nucleus, and pontine nucleus, and mainly contralaterally to the oral part of the spinotrigeminal nucleus and the reticular formation around the facial nerve nucleus. Finally, injections of PHA-L into the superior colliculus demonstrated that this structure projected contralaterally to the lateral part of the facial nerve nucleus. These data suggest that the VMCx plays a key role in sensorimotor integration, through its extensive interconnectivity with numerous brain structures, and may modulate orientation behaviors by relaying processed information to the superior colliculus.

Animals↗

Nucleus Z: a somatosensory relay to motor thalamus.

1. It was the aim of this study to show that nucleus Z of the cat medulla acts as a relay between the spinal cord and the ventral lateral (VL) nucleus of the motor thalamus. For this purpose, extracellular recordings were made from neurons that were antidromically identified by stimulation in the rostral thalamus, particularly VL, and orthodromically activated by electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and/or natural stimulation of the hindlimb. The electrophysiological work was complemented by anatomic work. Here, wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) was injected into nucleus Z and the termination sites of bulbothalamic projections were anterogradely labeled. 2. A total of 120 neurons were antidromically identified as projecting to thalamus: 101 to VL and 19 outside VL. The recording sites in nucleus Z were marked by dye injection or by electrolytic lesion. They were confined to a small region (roughly 1 mm in diameter), 2.8-3.7 mm rostral to obex, 2.9-3.8 mm lateral from the midline, and from the surface of the medulla to a depth of 1 mm. The antidromic latencies ranged between 0.8 and 3.2 ms, with no difference in latencies associated with location of neurons in nucleus Z or thalamic projection sites. 3. Injection of WGA-HRP labeled fibers and axon terminals in the contralateral thalamus. Terminal labeling was densest in the lateral parts of the mid- and caudal region of the VL nucleus and, to a lesser extent, in the adjacent rostrodorsal part of the ventro-posterior lateral (VPL) nucleus. The sites of terminal labeling in VL corresponded with location of antidromic stimulation sites. 4. Orthodromic activation of nucleus Z neurons was tested in response to electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral dorsolateral funiculus (which includes the dorsal spinocerebellar tract) and/or the dorsal columns. All neurons responded to stimulation of the dorsolateral funiculus (45/45). The responsiveness of 44 neurons was tested to stimulation of the dorsal columns. Only 8 of 44 tested responded with a discharge. The orthodromic latencies of unitary discharges ranged from 1.1 to 4.4 ms to stimulation of the dorsolateral funiculus, and from 1.1 to 4.9 ms to stimulation of the dorsal columns. Most responses are likely to be monosynaptic. Differences in latencies were not associated with location of recording sites or thalamic projection sites of nucleus Z neurons. 5. The responsiveness of many neurons (n = 84) was tested to natural stimulation of the ipsilateral hindlimb (which provides the sensory input to nucleus Z).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Projection from the sensory to the motor cortex is important in learning motor skills in the monkey.

1. The projection from the somatosensory cortex to the primary motor cortex has been proposed to play an important role in learning novel motor skills. This hypothesis was examined by studying the effects of lesions to the sensory cortex on learning of new motor skills. 2. We used two experimental paradigms to reveal the effects of lesions on learning of new motor skills. One task was to catch a food pellet falling at various velocities. The other task was to catch a food pellet from a rotating level. Both tasks required acquisition of novel motor skills. 3. The training was started after a lesion of the hand area in the somatosensory cortex of one hemisphere. In both tasks, monkeys had severe difficulty in learning the new skills with the hand contralateral to the ablated somatosensory cortex, compared with the hand contralateral to the intact hemisphere. 4. After acquisition of the motor skill in the hand contralateral to intact hemisphere, lesion of the somatosensory cortex hand area did not abolish the learned motor skill. 5. In control experiments, monkeys were trained to pick up a food pellet from a rotating board. This task did not necessitate acquisition of new motor skills, but could be performed by utilizing existing motor skills. Lesion in the somatosensory cortex before or after the training did not affect the execution of this task by either hand. 6. It is concluded that the corticocortical projection from the somatosensory to the motor cortex plays an important role in learning new motor skills, but not in the execution of existing motor skills.

Afferent Pathways↗

Dorsal column input to thalamic VL neurons: an intracellular study in the cat.

This study investigated the role of the ventral lateral (VL) nucleus of the thalamus as a lemniscal relay to motor cortex. Intracellular recordings were obtained from thalamic VL relay neurons in cats anesthetized with chloralose, following stimulation of the dorsal column nuclei. VL neurons were identified by their short-latency input from the cerebellar nuclei, their antidromic activation from motor cortex and their anatomical location. A total of 105 neurons was studied. The occurrence of temporal facilitation to double volleys was also examined. It was found that 80/105 (75%) neurons responded with excitation and/or inhibition to stimulation of the dorsal column nuclei. The latencies of the postsynaptic responses ranged from 2.0 to 20 ms (median 10.0 ms). The latencies of nearly all responses (79/80) were greater than 3 ms and nearly all responses (45/47) which were tested for it, displayed temporal facilitation to double shock stimulation, consistent with polysynaptic transmission. Effective stimulation sites were found in the gracile and cuneate nuclei. Recording sites were located throughout VL, including the "border region" with the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL). There was no obvious topographic relationship between location of recording site and latency or polarity (excitation versus inhibition) of the synaptic responses. This is consistent with dorsal column input diffusely distributed over VL. When the recording electrodes penetrated VPL, characteristics of the EPSPs were indicative of monosynaptic transmission (short latency, no temporal facilitation). This clear transition from VL to VPL suggests that it is not necessary to define, on physiological grounds, a separate "border region" between these two nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anesthesia, General↗

Minimal stimulus parameters and the effects of hyperpolarization on the induction of long-term potentiation in the cat motor cortex.

The aim of the research program of which the present work is a part is to understand the neural mechanisms involved in motor learning and memory. One of the mechanisms postulated to be involved in this process is the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the motor cortex. LTP can be induced in motor cortical neurons by tetanic stimulation of their afferents from the somatosensory cortex. In the present study, the effects of different stimulating parameters on the induction of LTP were examined, using in-vivo, intracellular recordings from anesthetized cats. The expression of LTP was documented by measuring the amplitude and rise-time of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) before and after tetanic stimulation. The minimal tetanic stimulation capable of systematically inducing LTP was found to consist of a train of stimuli at 50 Hz, 5 s. Shorter trains of stimulation produced only a short-lasting, transient potentiation. In different cells, identical stimulation parameters resulted in different degrees of potentiation of synaptic responses. Following all the stimulation trains examined, EPSP amplitudes were transiently depressed before reaching potentiated levels. The duration of this depression was directly correlated with the duration and the frequency of the tetanic stimulation. In all the cells in which LTP was induced, the variability in the amplitudes of potentiated EPSP was significantly greater than that of control EPSP amplitudes. Hyperpolarization of the postsynaptic cell, during the delivery of the tetanic stimulation, inhibited the induction of LTP. These phenomena are discussed in relation to the postulated mechanisms of LTP induction in the cortex.

Afferent Pathways↗

Changes of duodenal pH and pancreatic exocrine function after upper G-I intraluminal ethanol administration.

Using 3 outbred dogs with pancreatic, gastric and jejunal fistulas, we examined changes in pancreatic exocrine secretion, duodenal pH and plasma CCK concentration after intragastric or intrajejunal administration of ethanol. Intragastric administration of 20% or 40% ethanol significantly lowered the pH in the duodenal cavity, and pancreatic fluid secretion and bicarbonate excretion were stimulated. Intrajejunal administration of ethanol elicited stronger responses. Plasma CCK concentration was not changed or was only slightly lowered by ethanol administration in the digestive tract. It is assumed that stimulation of pancreatic exocrine secretion was mediated by the secretion of gastric acid.

Animals↗

Projections from eye movement-evoking cerebral cortices to the striatum and claustrum in the cat.

Projection fields in the striatum and claustrum from eye movement-evoking cerebral cortices (EMECs) in the cat were investigated using the WGA-HRP tracing method under electrophysiological guidance to place WGA-HRP in the appropriate sites. The EMECs in the frontal cortex, which are located in the medial wall under the cruciate sulcus (CRUo), the medial and lateral banks of the presylvian sulcus the the knee portion of the coronal sulcus (CORo), projected to the rostral part of the striatum. The EMEC in the temporal cortex, which is located in the ventral bank of the anterior ectosylvian sulcus, projected to the middle part of the striatum. Concerning the EMECs in the frontal cortex, the medially situated CRUo projected to the dorsomedial portion of the striatum, and the laterally situated CORo projected to the ventrolateral portion of the striatum. The dorsal half of the claustrum had reciprocal connections with all of the EMECs.

Animals↗

Mechanism for acute reduction of 1,5-anhydroglucitol in rats treated with diabetogenic agents.

The mechanism for acute reduction of plasma 1,5-anhydroglucitol (AG) in experimental diabetic rats was studied. Acute AG decrease was induced not only by diabetogenic agents, such as streptozotocin (STZ) and alloxan, but also by phloridzin, which caused glucosuria but not hyperglycemia. A similar reduction also occurred in hyperglycemia induced by glucose injection. The AG reduction induced by STZ was completely abolished by bilateral nephrectomy or by euglycemia with insulin treatment. The decrease of plasma AG was well correlated with the degree of urinary excretion of AG, which in turn reflected the degree of urinary glucose excretion, irrespective of the kind of agent causing the glucosuria. Under conditions of continuous glucose infusion, AG concentration decreased not only in plasma but also in various tissues and organs. The amount of AG lost was estimated to be almost equal to that excreted into urine during the period of infusion. These observations suggest that the degree of reduction of plasma AG depends simply on the urinary excretion of glucose, and it was assumed that the urinary excretion of 0.5 mg AG corresponds to the urinary excretion of 100 mg glucose during a short period after the onset of glucosuria.

Alloxan↗