Effect of 5-hydroxytryptophan [5-HTP) on sleep in parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) pretreated birds.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Mexicano.
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Due to the recent advances in knowledge on the function of the limbic system it would be wise to consider this system as being widely distributed throughout the diencephalic and mesencephalic levels as well as the forebrain. Numerous regions have been discovered that are related to the limbic structures in anatomical and functional respects. According to Koikegami et al. (1967), it would be adequate to divide this system into two main categories--the major limbic rim or the structure proper and the paralimbic structures. The former defined phylogenetically and ontogenetically as those structures around the third ventricle such as: the hippocampus, septum, dentate gyrus, fimbria hippocampi, anterior and posterior cingulate gyri, area paraolfactoria, amygdala and Diagonal Band of Broca. The paralimbic structures may represent those brain regions, which have direct connections or functional correlations with the limbic formation proper. These areas include the posterior orbital gyrus, insula, nucleus accumbens, head of the caudate, nucleus habenula, nucleus interpendencularis, nucleus pulvinaris thalami, intralaminar and anterior thalamic nucleus, preoptic area, hypothalamic nuclei, mammillary body, subthalamus, limbic midbrain area of Nauta, temporal lobe pole, superior temporal gyrus, praecuneus, nucleus dorsalis et profundis tegmenti of Gudden and claustrum. In the present paper we will deal with the projections of the nucleus accumbens. This nucleus was described by Meynert (1872) as the anterior polar region of the caudate nucleus. Kappers describes the nucleus accumbens in 1908 as the nucleus accumbens septi and considers it as a part of the striatum. Later on, the histological studies of Brochaus (1942) relate a part of the nucleus with olfactory functions, and he describes another part, which is very well developed in microsmatic mammals and in anosmic mammals like the dolphin. Szteyn (1960) describes two main areas, the accumbens septi and the accumbens caudate. Nevertheless, the accumbens constitutes a very important region of the paralimbic system and seems to play an important role in some behavioral patterns.
The ability of four hallucinogenic compounds--ketamine, phencyclidine, quipazine, and SKF-10 047--to produce some specific electrical pattern in portions of the limbic system and the hemispheric lateralization of such effects were studied in cats with permanently implanted electrodes. Electronic frequency and area integrators were used to analyze the results, and the percentage change in electrographic alterations was calculated. All compounds studied produced trains of spike and wave complexes in the cingulum, rapid discharges in the amygdala complex, and slow-wave synchronous activity in the septal nucleus. Those changes predominated in the left hemisphere. At small but hallucinatory concentrations of these drugs, the cortical EEG was not affected. Exploratory movements directed toward nonexistent objects, classified as hallucinatory-like behavior, appeared simultaneous with these changes in the EEG recordings. We concluded that there could exist a relationship between the appearance of spike and wave complexes in the limbic system without epileptic signs (twitching or myoclonus) and the presence of hallucinations, and that there is a left side hemispheric lateralization of the electrographic effects, viewing cerebral dominance phenomena as a functional and fluctuating state.
Each cerebral hemisphere processes environmental information in a different but complementary manner. Structures located in the left hemisphere are assumed to participate in symbolic-logic thinking. Time perception may be considered among such thinking processes. The present study evaluates bilateral occipito-central EEG activity in healthy, right-handed subjects which was produced while they performed a visuomotor monitoring task. The task consisted of two stages. The first stage involved the subject's learning a fixed time interval (10 sec) and the measurement of their reaction time. Subjects responded to an isolated light stimulus by pressing a button with the dominant hand. In the second stage, the subjects accuracy in estimating interval-length was evaluated. Two forms of EEG analysis were used, frequency and alpha ratio, each of which was measured both prior to and subsequent to the motor response. A reversal group was used to carry out a complementary test. Subjects responded in the first block of experiments with the non-dominant (left) hand and with the dominant hand in the second. Results showed that left hemisphere activity was continuous during the interval-learning stage and with optimal reaction times and remained continuous when estimation values approximated the real interval. In addition, in optimal reaction time and near to optimal time estimation responses, the left side showed lower frequency and alpha ratio than did the right. Finally a progressive enhancement in both parameters from the right hemisphere was related to deterioration in test performance. Results from the reversal group did not differ from those of the first group. As evaluated by gross measurements of the EEG, a predominant participation of the left hemisphere in time processing is concluded.
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Ketamine is an anaesthetic interacting with several neurotransmitters. Among others, ketamine exerts some cholinergic actions (ACh). This paper presents the results of studying the interaction of ketamine with ACh in two animal species. Atropine slightly increased the time of immobility produced by ketamine injections in rats. Meanwhile, neostigmine slightly decreased such immobility. Ketamine resulted similar in behavioral actions and shared some electroencephalographic (EEG) actions of scopolamine in cats. The most striking interaction consisted on an antagonism of ketamine on the action of anticholinesterase agents. In both species, ketamine blocked the EEG and the behavioral toxic effects of neostigmine and physostigmine. Notwithstanding, the anticholinesterase agents were unable in reducing the actions of ketamine. This partial cholinergic agonist action of ketamine support certain but limited use of the anesthetic against insecticidal anticholinesterase poisoning.