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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[Effect of intravenous administration of diltiazem on cerebral blood flow and brain function].

The effect of intravenous administration of diltiazem on cerebral circulation and brain function were studied in animals. Diltiazem, at a dose of 150 micrograms/kg BW, was administered intravenously over a period of 5 minutes beginning 30 minutes after ligation of the right brachiocephalic artery in 9 cats in order to investigate its effects in the acute stage of cerebral ischemia. In 5 animals, mean arterial blood pressure was recorded and blood flow in the basilar artery was measured transdurally by use of an ultrasonic Doppler flow-meter. Mean arterial blood pressure began to elevate immediately after ligation of the right brachiocephalic artery, but the degree of elevation was minimal. It began to fall during diltiazem injection and returned to the preadministration value 30 minutes after injection. Basilar artery flow decreased slightly during injection of diltiazem, but began to increase after completion of injection. The increase relative to the preadministration value was 62 +/- 31% 10 minutes after injection, 88 +/- 38% 20 minutes after, and 24 +/- 53% 30 minutes after. The short latency somatosensory evoked potentials (short latency SEP) recorded in the other 2 animals showed no noticeable change either in amplitude or latency during the same procedures. In 1 of 2 animals in which brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) were monitored, the latency of peak IV increased after ligation of the right brachiocephalic artery, and decreased 20 minutes after injection of diltiazem.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Concussive methods of pre-slaughter stunning in sheep: assessment of brain function using cortical evoked responses.

Averaged cortical evoked responses were used to evaluate brain function in anaesthetised sheep. Effects on both evoked somatosensory responses (SERs) and visual evoked responses (VERs) were examined. Following capitive bolt stunning, SERs and VERs were abolished instantaneously and did not reappear for the duration of the experiment. Similar results were found when animals were shot while conscious. It was concluded that captive bolt stunning in sheep produces an immediate, profound and long lasting brain failure and is therefore an effective preslaughter stunning method.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of a high-intensity radiation exposure on the brain function of monkeys. The postradiation changes in brain bioelectrical activity].

In experiments with Macaca fascicularis it has been found that changes in the total bioelectric activity of the brain within the EEG range that occur during the first 60 min following whole-body irradiation with a dose of 45 Gy (6.5 Gy/s) are interrelated with the dynamics of nervous and psychic activity of the exposed animals, exhibit a definite stereotype of their development (disorganization of rhythms: generalized synchronization of biopotentials; and development of synchronous processes), and coincide in time with the main stages of the development of the clinical picture of the acute postirradiation period (noncoordinated stimulation, sopor or coma, and partial recovery).

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Noninvasive study of critical thresholds of intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure for cerebral circulation and brain function.

To ascertain the critical thresholds of intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) for cerebral circulation and brain function, the extra- and intracranial haemodynamics and electrical brain responses were evaluated noninvasively with Doppler ultrasonography and multimodality evoked potentials (MEP's) in 50 patients with severe head injury. Both extra- and intracranial blood flow velocities changed monotonically depending on the changes in ICP and CPP. They were decreased when ICP increased to 20-30 mmHg and when CPP decreased to 40-50 mmHg. The changes in elasticity index of the pulse wave of the common carotid artery was proportional to those of blood flow velocities. The frequency and degree of abnormalities of MEP's were proportionally increased with the rise of ICP and reduction of CPP. When ICP increased to higher than 31 mmHg, MEP's were classified as moderately or severely abnormal in more than 76% of the recordings. These results indicate that noninvasive study by use of Doppler ultrasonography and MEP's can provide valuable information on critical brain ischaemia and brain dysfunction in patients with acute intracranial hypertension.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Computerized Electroencephalogram. A model of understanding the brain function in childhood psychosis and its treatment.

Computer analysis of the electroencephalogram (CEEG) in psychotic children before and after pharmacotherapy, normal children of schizophrenic mothers, and matched normal children of normal parents indicated significant intergroup differences. The psychotic children had more slow, as well as very fast, EEG waves. With drug therapy the EEG showed a partial "normalization," as fast EEG activity decreased. The EEG and auditory evoked potential of children of schizophrenic mothers were strikingly similar to those of psychotic children and schizophrenic adults, with significant decreases of the average EEG amplitude and the evoked potential latencies. Psychotic children were distinctly differentiated from the normal children by discriminant function analysis of the EEG and EP. Quantitative analysis of brain functions in the mentally ill can help determine the neurophysiological correlates of behavior, a more scientific diagnostic classification, prognosis, and selection of therapy.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1986

Brain functional asymmetry and neural organization of linguistic competence.

Neural organization of linguistic competence in the light of brain functional asymmetry was studied in patients after unilateral electroconvulsive therapy. We have gathered further evidence that the cerebral hemispheres play essentially different roles: the right hemisphere operates largely with extralinguistic reality and is responsible for the ideational (intentional) level, initiating the process of speech production. It relates sign to its referent; its syntax is the word order. The left hemisphere interrelates signs; it refines and ultimately completes the process of speech production. The right hemispheric linguistic competence demonstrates the most universal linguistic abilities, whereas left hemispheric competence probably reveals the features of national languages.

Brain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of somatosensory evoked responses in carotid surgery for monitoring brain function.

One of the problems in carotid surgery is the intra-operative detection of brain ischemia. None of the methods applied so far have been successful. Experience has shown that the results were unsatisfactory. Experimental studies have detected a strong correlation between regional cerebral blood flow and somatosensory evoked potentials. At the Surgical Clinic of the University of Cologne, 60 patients had continuous intraoperative monitoring of somatosensory evoked responses during carotid endarterectomy. Our previous experiences suggest that monitoring of somatosensory evoked responses during carotid endarterectomy provides a suitable method for the registration of brain function. Furthermore it is possible to pinpoint the causes of ischemia and to immediately begin treatment based on the causes of ischemia.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Biochemical and neuropsychological effects of elevated plasma phenylalanine in patients with treated phenylketonuria. A model for the study of phenylalanine and brain function in man.

Phenylketonuria provides a human model for the study of the effect of phenylalanine on brain function. Although irreversible mental retardation is preventable through newborn diagnosis and dietary phenylalanine restriction, controversy exists regarding the effects of increased concentrations of phenylalanine in older patients. We have studied ten older, treated, phenylketonuric patients using a triple-blind, multiple trials, crossover design. Each patient was tested at the end of each of three 1-wk periods of high or low phenylalanine intakes. Tests included a repeatable battery of neuropsychological tests, analysis of plasma amino acids, and measurement of urine amino acids, phenyl organic acids, dopamine, and serotonin. In all 10 patients plasma phenylalanine rose (900-4,000 microM). In 9 of 10 patients there was an inverse relationship between plasma phenylalanine and urine dopamine excretion. When blood phenylalanine was elevated, these patients had prolonged performance times on neuropsychological tests of higher but not lower integrative function. Urinary serotonin fell during phenylalanine loading in six patients. The concentration of phenylacids in the urine was not proportional to the plasma phenylalanine at concentrations below 1.5 mM. In one patient, neither performance time nor dopamine excretion varied as blood phenylalanine rose or fell. We interpret these data as follows: blood phenylalanine above 1.3 mM impairs performance on neuropsychological tests of higher integrative function, this effect is reversible, and one mechanism may involve impaired biogenic amine synthesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Role of the supraoptic decussation in the development of asymmetry of brain function in the chicken.

The supraoptic decussation plays an important role in the development of asymmetry of brain function for visual discrimination learning in the chicken. Lesioning the decussation on day 2 has no effect on the asymmetry normally revealed by unilaterally treating either the left or right forebrain hemisphere with cycloheximide on day 4 of life. However, the lesion removes the asymmetry revealed by cycloheximide treatment on day 8 and reverses that revealed by treatment on day 10, albeit to a lesser extent. The asymmetry of learning performance between the left and right eyes present in untreated chickens tested monocularly in the second week of life is also removed by lesioning the supraoptic decussation. Thus, in the first week of life functional asymmetry is present but not dependent on left-to-right side coupling via the supraoptic decussation. The difference between lesioning during the first and second week of life may relate to the relative degree of maturation in the supraoptic decussation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Improvement of brain function in hemodialysis patients treated with erythropoietin.

To evaluate the effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) on brain function, 15 chronic hemodialysis patients were studied by event-related P300, stimulus-related evoked potentials, and trailmaking before (hematocrit 22.7%) and after rHuEPO (hematocrit 30.6%). P300 peak latency elicited by a tone discrimination paradigm improved (391 before vs. 366 ms after; Cz = vertex; P less than 0.01) confirming beneficial effects on cerebral cognitive processing. P300 amplitude (13.6 vs. 15.8 microV; P = 0.06) and trailmaking tended to improve (55 vs. 43 s). P300 measures were influenced by low hemoglobin levels before rHuEPO (P less than 0.01), suggesting that severe anemia may contribute to uremic brain dysfunction. Furthermore, decrease of stimulus-related auditory brainstem I-V interpeak latency (4.28 before vs. 4.17 ms after; P less than 0.05) and increase of somatosensory N20/P25 amplitude (4.8 vs. 7.0 microV; P less than 0.05) pointed to improvement of sensory pathways by mechanisms unrelated to cognition. Brain dysfunction in chronic hemodialysis patients may, beside other factors, in part be caused by severe anemia and can be improved by rHuEPO treatment.

Anemia↗
PubMed1988

Blood glucose and brain function: interactions with CNS cholinergic systems.

We recently found that glucose injections attenuate amnesia and hyperactivity produced by scopolamine, a muscarinic antagonist. The present study examined whether glucose would augment behavioral effects produced by a muscarinic agonist, physostigmine. In experiment I, doses were first determined for which neither glucose (10 mg/kg) nor physostigmine (0.05 mg/kg) altered scopolamine-induced hyperactivity. However, combined glucose-physostigmine injections significantly reduced scopolamine hyperactivity. Experiment II evaluated the effects of glucose on physostigmine-induced tremors. Glucose (10, 100, and 250 mg/kg) or saline injections were given 20 min before physostigmine injections (0.4 or 0.05 mg/kg). Observations of glucose effects on the severity of physostigmine-induced tremors were then obtained at 5-min intervals for 25 min after physostigmine injections. Glucose (100 mg/kg) significantly facilitated the onset of tremors when injected before either dose of physostigmine, and augmented (at 100 and 250 mg/kg) tremor severity when injected before the lower dose of physostigmine. These findings indicate that glucose can facilitate the actions of a cholinergic agonist on two behaviors, locomotor activity and tremors, adding support to the view that circulating glucose levels can modulate central cholinergic function. More generally, the results provide additional evidence that circulating glucose levels can influence brain function.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Iron in brain function and dysfunction with emphasis on Parkinson's disease.

Metals such as lead, zinc, copper, aluminum and manganese have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, until fairly recently the role of iron in brain function was rather obscure, because little attention was paid to its metabolism in the brain. It is now apparent that maintenance of brain iron homoeostasis is important for the normal functioning of his organ. Most of the studies have been directed towards the cognitive and attentional deficit resulting from nutritional iron deficiency. Evidence so far suggests subsensitivity of striatal dopamine neurotransmission. By contrast the selective increase in free iron in the substantia nigra pars compacta of parkinsonian brains is thought to initiate oxidative stress, from iron-induced liberation of cytotoxic oxygen free radicals. Such radicals are known to promote membrane fluidity, alteration in cellular calcium homoeostasis, lipid peroxidation and finally cell death in systemic organs. Evidence supporting similar processes being responsible for nigrostriatal dopamine neuron degeneration in Parkinson's disease is now becoming available. Such possibilities afford the development of neuroprotective drugs as a means to retard the progression of this disorder. These include other selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitors, iron chelators with the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, selective calcium channel antagonists and mitochondrial electron transport system protectors.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1992

Functional brain imaging in pediatrics.

With the development of noninvasive tomographic imaging techniques, it is now possible to measure local chemical and physiologic functions in various body organs. Studies of local cerebral glucose metabolism in infants and children using positron emission tomography (PET) have provided important information on human brain functional development and plasticity. The clinical application of functional neuroimaging techniques in the management of pediatric neurologic disorders has yielded encouraging results. In children with intractable epilepsy being considered for surgical intervention, PET is highly sensitive in localizing focal areas of cortical dysplasia, heterotopias, and other migrational defects corresponding to surface electrographic localization of epileptogenic regions. Expanding PET technology provides a new approach that holds great promise in the diagnosis and management of brain disorders in children.

Brain↗
PubMed1988

Effect of tunicamycin on the expression of functional brain neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-operated channels in Xenopus oocytes.

The role of N-glycosylation on the expression of functional brain neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-operated channels was studied by injecting Xenopus oocytes with mRNA from rat brain or chick optic lobe, and culturing them in the presence or absence of tunicamycin, an inhibitor of asparagine linked glycosylation. Electrophysiological recordings were then made to assess the amounts of functional receptors and channels present in the oocyte membrane. The appearance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors and voltage-activated Na+ channels was profoundly reduced. In contrast, the functional expression of kainate receptors, and voltage-activated K+ and Ca2+ channels was much less affected. Thus, it seems that kainate receptors, and K+ and Ca2+ channels can be expressed and function normally without being glycosylated. On the other hand, GABA receptors and Na+ channels may need to be N-glycosylated in order to function properly, or to ensure their correct insertion into the membrane.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1992

[Effects of propentofylline (HWA285) on recovery of brain function following total cerebral ischemia (TCI) in dogs].

We examined the effects of a xanthine derivative, propentofylline, on recovery of brain function following TCI in 23 adult mongrel dogs. TCI was produced by clamping ascending aorta with aortoatrial bypass formation. The dogs were divided into 3 groups: preischemic administration (0.3 mg.kg-1.min-1, 30 min), post-ischemic administration (0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1, 6h) and control. The progress of recovery of EEG, respiration, reflexes, motor functions, arousal state and behavior were observed for 7 days after TCI and the latter 5 functions were analysed using neurologic deficit score (NDS). Propentofylline shortened the time necessary for reappearance of EEG after the starting of recirculation but could not improve the NDS.

Animals↗