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Biomedical subjects

N Toyonaga

Publications and source records attributed to N Toyonaga.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Accommodative response changes with age measured by pattern electroretinogram.

To evaluate whether the transient pattern electroretinogram reflects accommodation, we studied the amplitudes of the P-N component of transient pattern electroretinograms that were elicited in normal volunteers by reversing the checkerboard pattern. The stimuli were presented at a rate of three-reversals per second at a viewing distance of 20 cm. Each subject wore a lens that corrected for distance vision. The ophthalmic lenses were placed in front of the eye. A +12-diopter lens was used first, followed by lenses in decreasing 1-diopter steps, including minus lenses, until no response was recordable. The P-N amplitude was then plotted against increased accommodative stimulus. The graph showed a rapid increase to around 4 diopters, and then a slow decrease with increasing minus lens power. The gradually decreasing part of the graph became steeper under cycloplegic conditions. The amplitude of accommodative response was defined as the difference in diopters between the lens powers for eliciting an electroretinogram amplitude after cycloplegia was achieved and in the untreated pupil. The amplitude of accommodative response attenuated significantly in those subjects older than 40 years.

Accommodation, Ocular

Motion-reversal visual evoked responses.

Motion-reversal visual evoked responses (VERs) have remarkable waveform variability. In our opinion this is caused by the alternative predominance of either motion or pattern-onset/offset related components. The motion dependent component of motion-reversal VER closely resembles motion-onset VER (main negative peak with the latency of about 170 ms), the first positive peak (with the latency of about 100 ms) corresponds to the pattern-onset component and the second non-constant positive peak (with the latency of about 130 ms) seems to be identical with the pattern-offset positivity. The differences in expression of these components are dependent on some stimulus characteristics (mainly on the contrast of a structure, velocity of motion, retinal localization of the stimulus) and on substantial differences in the sensitivity of subjects to motion stimulation.

Adolescent

Clinical and electrophysiological findings in three patients with toluene dependency.

We recorded the electrophysiological findings of three patients with toluene dependency who developed visual disturbance. In five of six eyes the peak latency of the pattern visual evoked cortical potential was prolonged as compared with that of normal subjects. The amplitude and the latency of the a-wave of the electroretinogram were decreased in five of the six eyes and prolonged in four. Those of the b-wave in patients were less affected than the a-wave: in one of six eyes the amplitude of the b-wave was decreased and in two the b-wave latency was prolonged. The amplitudes of the oscillatory potentials were decreased in three of six eyes. The electroretinogram was investigated in one patient and showed little increase in amplitude during light stimulation, so that a lowered light peak to dark trough ratio was obtained. Our findings suggest that any part of the visual pathway, including the distal part of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium, might be impaired by the chronic inhalation of toluene vapors.

Adolescent

Projections from the superior colliculus to the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus in the hereditarily microphthalmic rat.

Projections from the superior colliculus (SC) to the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNv) were studied in hereditarily microphthalmic and normal rats by means of wheatgerm agglutinin conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). Unilateral injection of a tracer into the LGNv in normal rats revealed WGA-HRP positive neurons on both sides of the SC. In the ipsilateral SC, most of the labeled neurons were distributed in the upper part of the stratum opticum (SO) and the lower part of the stratum griseum superficiale (SGS). A few labeled neurons were also found in the same layers of the contralateral SC. After unilateral injections of the tracer into the LGNv of microphthalmic rats, labeled neurons appeared in similar layers of the SC on both sides. However, the number of labeled neurons in the ipsilateral SC decreased to 30% of normal, whereas on the contralateral side these neurons were apparently more numerous than those in normal rats. The soma size of the labeled SC neurons in microphthalmia was not significantly different from normal. These results indicate fundamentally that tecto-LGNv projecting neurons exist in microphthalmic rats despite the fact that they lack optic nerve afferents. Furthermore, the present results, taken together with our previous results, indicate that the diminution in the number of tecto-LGNd neurons was severest (3%), the tecto-LGNv neurons less severe (30%) and the tecto-LP neurons least severe (50% of that of normal).

Animals

Effects of aging on the temporal frequency characteristics determined by pattern visually evoked cortical potentials.

Pattern reversal visually evoked cortical potentials were recorded from 70 normal volunteers, aged from 4 to 70 years. Eleven reversal frequencies between 1 and 20 rev/sec were presented. The progressive reduction in the amplitude of the P100 component with age for lower frequency ranges was shown up to the age decade of 30-39 years and the temporal tuning curve became a constant pattern after 40 years. However, there was a trend that the maxima of the tuning curve shifted toward lower frequencies with age after 30 years.

Adolescent

Uncrossed retinal projection to the medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic system in the hereditary unilaterally microphthalmic rat.

The uncrossed optic projection to the medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic system was studied in adult rats with hereditary unilateral microphthalmia. The vestigial eye of the mutant completely lacks the optic nerve. After injection of HRP into the remaining eye the ipsilateral labeled fibers of the accessory optic system via the superior fasciculus distinctly covered the three terminal nuclei. No ipsilateral inferior fasciculus of the accessory optic system was labeled. Aberrant expansion of the uncrossed superior fasciculus fibers was observed in the medial terminal nucleus.

Animals

Pattern disappearance visually evoked cortical potential in the diseases of visual pathway.

Visually evoked cortical potentials in response to pattern-appearance, -disappearance, and -reversal stimuli were studied in normal subjects and in patients suffering from optic neuritis. It was found in normal subjects that pattern disappearance VECPs were as reliable as the pattern reversal ones. On the other hand, the appearance response showed interindividual differences which made its evaluation rather difficult. The same was true in the records of the patients. Both the mean peak latencies of the disappearance responses and those of the pattern reversal ones were prolonged significantly in optic neuritis, compared with those obtained from normal subjects. We concluded that the peak latencies of the disappearance response could be more confidently used than those of the appearance response for diagnosing optic neuritis.

Adult