PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

M Sedgwick

Publications and source records attributed to M Sedgwick.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Somatosensory evoked potentials in acute neurological decompression illness.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were recorded on posterior tibial nerve stimulation during compression in 21 episodes of acute neurological decompression illness (DCI) involving 20 patients. A further two cases were monitored immediately after treatment only. The results were compared with previously published normal data from this laboratory and with recordings obtained during the compression of four normal volunteers. Compression had no effect on SSEPs in normal subjects: SSEP latency abnormalities were found in 17 of the episodes of DCI. An SSEP improvement at final recording was noted in 7 of the 11 episodes which were monitored during treatment and classified initially as neurophysiologically abnormal. SSEPs may assist in the diagnosis of DCI.

Adult

Effect of manipulation and fractionated finger movements on subcortical sensory activity in man.

Previous studies have shown that the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) recorded from the scalp are modified or gated during motor activity in man. Animal studies show corticospinal tract terminals in afferent relays, viz. dorsal horn of spinal cord, dorsal column nuclei and thalamus. Is the attenuation of the SEP during movement the result of gating in subcortical nuclei? This study has investigated the effect of manipulation and fractionated finger movements of the hand on the subcortically generated short latency SEPs in 9 healthy subjects. Left median nerve SEPs were recorded with electrodes optimally placed to record subcortical activity with the least degree of contamination. There was no statistically significant change in amplitude or latency of the P9, N11, N13, P14, N18 and N20 potentials during rest or voluntary movement of the fingers of the left hand or manipulation of objects placed in the hand. The shape of the N13 wave form was not modified during these 3 conditions. It is concluded that in man attenuation of cortical waves during manipulation is not due to an effect of gating in the subcortical sensory relay nuclei.

Adolescent

Transient memory loss for people.

A patient had transient memory loss for close family members. She could not even recognise their names as familiar. Her everyday memory was relatively preserved and she retained a clear recollection of the episode. Standard and sleep deprived EEG showed a mild abnormality of the left temporal lobe. Neuropsychological testing found evidence for a mild verbal memory impairment. The findings provide further evidence for the fractionation of transient forms of amnesia, support the dissociation of semantic/retrograde amnesia from episodic/anterograde amnesia, and offer evidence in favour of a left temporal lobe site for retrieval of past memories relating to the identification of people.

Adult

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of UK-68,798, a new potential class III antiarrhythmic drug.

1. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of UK-68,798, a novel selective potential class III antiarrhythmic agent, were studied in 18 patients with coronary artery disease. Three groups of four patients received intravenous doses of 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 micrograms kg-1 respectively over 10 min. 2. UK-68,798 caused a mean increase in electrocardiographic QTc interval of 41, 40 and 81 ms, and in uncorrected QT interval of 36, 52 and 83 ms at the three dose levels. There were no significant effects on heart rate, blood pressure, PR interval and QRS duration. UK-68,798 was well tolerated with no significant adverse effects. 3. A dosing regimen using a loading infusion of two thirds of the total dose over 15 min with the remainder given over the following 45 min in six patients produced stable plasma concentrations and lengthening in QTc during the maintenance infusion. 4. There was a linear correlation between plasma concentration and change in QTc. The drug exhibited first-order kinetics with a mean clearance of 4.7 +/- 1.2 ml min-1 kg-1 and a mean terminal plasma half-life of 9.7 h. 5. UK-68,798 warrants further study as a selective potential Class III antiarrhythmic agent.

Adult

Focal reflex epilepsy with myoclonus; electrophysiological investigation and therapeutic implications.

A middle-aged man suffering from myoclonic jerks of the right arm and leg and occasional grand mal seizures was investigated electrophysiologically. The EEG showed a left central spike focus which could be activated by any stimulus which distorted the biceps, triceps or brachioradialis muscles but skin stimulation was ineffective. Electrical nerve stimulation subthreshold to the alpha motoneurone fibres evoked cortical spikes and myoclonic jerks. The evidence supports the hypothesis that the myoclonus was triggered by muscle spindle afferent fibres (Ia) which projected to an epileptogenic focus in the sensori-motor area. A marked improvement of symptoms was achieved by a combination of baclophen and dipropylacetate.

Animals