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At least 1,189 records · Page 66Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Vasoactive intestinal contractor: localization in the opossum esophagus and effects on motor functions.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vasoactive intestinal contractor (VIC), an endothelinlike peptide and a putative gastrointestinal hormone, contracts gastrointestinal smooth muscle. The aim was to study VIC in relation to esophageal function. METHODS: Intramural nerves in opossum esophageal smooth muscle strips were stimulated in the presence of various concentrations of VIC and were stained for VIC immunoreactivity. RESULTS: VIC caused an atropine-resistant increase in the amplitude of nerve-induced contractions of the circular muscle. VIC alone contracted longitudinal muscle, and this effect was nearly eliminated by 1 mmol/L atropine. VIC caused an atropine-resistant increase in the resting tone of the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, but it did not affect nerve-induced relaxation of that muscle. VIC-immunoreactive nerve fibers occurred in the longitudinal muscle layer, in the muscularis mucosae, and around the ducts of esophageal glands. A few such fibers were found in the circular muscle layer. Nerve fibers and cell bodies of the myenteric plexus showed VIC immunoreactivity. In the stomach, immunoreactive nerve fibers occurred in muscularis mucosae and circular muscle but not in longitudinal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: VIC is localized in neuronal elements of the opossum esophagus and excites contractions in esophageal smooth muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Intrastriatal infusion of liver growth factor stimulates dopamine terminal sprouting and partially restores motor function in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats.

Liver growth factor (LGF) is a mitogen for liver cells that shows biological activity in extrahepatic sites and may be useful for neuroregenerative therapies. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of the intrastriatal (IS) infusion of LGF in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease. Tyrosine hydroxylase-positive innervation was significantly increased in the dopamine-denervated striatum of rats receiving intrastriatal LGF infusions (160 ng/day/rat x 15 days) as compared with a vehicle-infused group. There was no evidence of dopaminergic neurogenesis in the striatum or substantia nigra in any experimental group at the times studied. However, in those animals undergoing IS-LGF infusion for 48 hr, we found a significant increase in both microglial proliferation and in the number of microglial cells that acquired the ameboid morphology. This is characteristic of activated microglia/macrophages that has been reported to play an important role in dopamine terminal sprouting. In summary, our study shows that IS infusion of LGF stimulates the outgrowth of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive terminals in the striatum of 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats. As apomorphine-induced rotational behavior was also reduced in these animals, we propose LGF as a novel factor that, when delivered to the striatum, may be useful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

The effect of healing oesophagitis on oesophageal motor function as determined by oesophageal scintigraphy and ambulatory oesophageal motility/pH monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Oesophagitis has been shown by standard manometry to be associated with impaired oesophageal motility, but it remains unclear if this abnormality improves with healing of oesophagitis. AIM: To determine if healing of oesophagitis improves oesophageal motility using solid bolus oesophageal transit scintigraphy and combined ambulatory oesophageal motility/pH monitoring. METHODS: Patients with grade II-III oesophagitis underwent ambulatory motility/pH monitoring (using a Konigsberg catheter with four pressure transducers at 5 cm intervals) and solid bolus scintigraphy before and after treatment with omeprazole 20 mg b.d. for 8-14 weeks. RESULTS: Three (11%) of the 28 patients failed to heal. Initial scintigraphy was abnormal in 18 (67%) of 27 patients (one refused scintigraphy). Twenty-three of the 25 healed patients had repeat studies showing no significant change in the number which were abnormal (16 (64%), P = 1.0) or the overall oesophageal transit time (P = 0.65). Due to intolerance of the technique, only 11 patients had ambulatory motility/pH performed both before and after healing, giving the study 90% power to detect a 5 mmHg increase in peristaltic amplitude. No significant improvement was seen in any motility or pH parameter after healing of oesophagitis. CONCLUSION: Analysis of oesophageal motility showed no improvement in peristaltic activity after healing of oesophagitis, suggesting that the abnormal motility is either a primary disorder or an irreversible consequence of mucosal damage.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Zonisamide improves motor function in Parkinson disease: a randomized, double-blind study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of daily doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg of zonisamide (ZNS) administered as adjunctive treatment in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-treatment, placebo-controlled study in Japan. Patients with PD who showed insufficient response to levodopa treatment were given placebo for 2 weeks and then treated for 12 weeks with 25, 50, or 100 mg/day of ZNS or placebo, in addition to levodopa, followed by a 2-week dose-reduction period. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in the total score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part III at the final assessment point. Secondary endpoints included changes from baseline in total daily "off" time; total scores of UPDRS Parts I, II, and IV; and Modified Hoehn and Yahr Scale score. Safety analysis was based on the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: There was significant improvement in the primary endpoint in the 25-mg and 50-mg groups vs placebo. The duration of "off" time was significantly reduced in the 50-mg and 100-mg groups vs placebo. Dyskinesia was not increased in ZNS groups. The incidence of adverse effects was similar between the 25-mg, 50-mg, and placebo groups but higher in the 100-mg group. CONCLUSIONS: Zonisamide is safe, effective and well tolerated at 25 to 100 mg/day as an adjunctive treatment in patients with Parkinson disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Motor function of the monkey globus pallidus. 2. Cognitive aspects of movement and phasic neuronal activity.

In order to study the role of the basal ganglia (BG) in cognitive aspects of movement, we recorded extracellularly from pallidal neurons in conscious monkeys while they performed a sequential wrist movement task consisting of a series of holds and ballistic jumps. The movement sequence had to be performed within specified time restraints and was predictable. We recorded the activity of 297 neurons whose discharges were related to the movement task. The movement-related response was found to be influenced by the contextual setting and by the degree of difficulty of the task in a subgroup of 82 neurons with a clear response to the first ballistic movement. Predictable and easy movements were usually represented by more prominent movement-related responses in 46% of these neurons; 35% of neurons from a different subset of 105 neurons also demonstrated a second phasic response just before the end of the final hold period of the task. This response was also found to be influenced by the predictability of the final hold period, both in its time duration and also by the direction of the following ballistic movement in double jump tasks. These findings were in keeping with a cognitive role for the BG in movement performance. In particular we suggest that the phasic neuronal activity was an internal cue generated by the BG for predictable movements of a subconscious nature which signals the end of a component of movement in a movement sequence. This cue is appropriately timed to terminate sustained neuronal activity in the SMA and to allow the next movement in the sequence to be executed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Effect of pharyngeal stimulation on the motor function of the esophagus and its sphincters.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Sensory impulses from the pharynx induce contraction of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), and inhibition of peristalsis. To determine 1) the magnitude of UES contractile response to threshold volume of fluid that induces LES relaxation and 2) the effect of rapid pharyngeal air stimulation on LES resting pressure and its concurrent influence on the UES and progression of esophageal peristalsis. METHODS: Eleven healthy volunteers (age, 31 +/- 2 y) were studied by concurrent UES, esophagealbody, and LES manometry. RESULTS: At a threshold volume of 0.3 +/- 0.05 mL, injections of water into the pharynx directed posteriorly, resulted in complete LES relaxation. Duration of these relaxations averaged 19 +/- 1 seconds. In 10 of 11 subjects, these relaxations were accompanied by a simultaneous increase in UES resting tone that averaged 142% +/- 27% above preinjection values. Pharyngeal stimulation by rapid air injection resulted in complete LES relaxation in 8 of the 11 subjects (threshold volume, 14 +/- 6 mL). Five of 8 developed a concurrent mild increase in resting UES pressure (17% +/- 6% above preinjection values) (P < .05). Pharyngeal water injection inhibited the progression of the peristaltic pressure wave at all tested sites and in all subjects, but pharyngeal air injection in only 2 of the 11 studied subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory effect of pharyngeal water injection on LES resting pressure is accompanied by a substantial contractile effect on the UES. Although stimulation of the pharynx by rapid air injection may induce LES relaxation, its inhibitory effect on esophageal peristalsis and stimulatory effect on UES pressure are negligible compared with that of water injection.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Glutamatergic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens can affect motor functions in opposite directions depending on the dopaminergic tone.

1. Intracerebral cannulas were implanted stereotactically into the nucleus accumbens, dorsal striatum or nucleus entopeduncularis of male NMRI mice. 2. Monoamine-depleted mice were injected intracerebrally with the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist AP-5, the non-competitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 or the AMPA-kainate receptor antagonist CNQX. A marked locomotor stimulation was produced when AP-5 was injected into the nucleus accumbens, but not when injected into the dorsal striatum. Likewise, CNQX stimulated locomotor activity when injected into the nucleus accumbens. Neither AP-5 nor CNQX produced behavioral stimulation following injection into the nucleus entopeduncularis. 3. The tone in the monoaminergic systems influences the potency of competitive and non-competitive NMDA antagonists differently with regard to stimulation of locomotor activity. In the case of the competitive NMDA antagonist AP-5 the potency was higher in monoamine-depleted than in monoaminergically intact mice. In contrast, the potency of the non-competitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 was higher in monoaminergically intact than in monoamine-depleted animals. 4. A unilateral injection of AP-5 into the nucleus accumbens caused the animals to rotate: The rotation was predominantly ipsilateral in monoaminergically intact animals, whereas monoamine-depleted mice rotated exclusively contralaterally. When AP-5 was given to monoamine-depleted mice treated with the D-2 agonist quinpirole the animals rotated ipsilaterally, whereas monoamine-depleted mice treated with the D-1 agonist SKF 38393 still rotated contralaterally after AP-5 treatment. These data show that glutamatergic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens can affect behavior in different directions depending on the degree of dopamine D-2 receptor stimulation.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗
PubMed1993

Effect of aging and bolus variables on pharyngeal and upper esophageal sphincter motor function.

Effect of aging, bolus volume, temperature, and consistency on the pharyngeal peristalsis, as well as the effect of aging on the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) resting pressure and its response to esophageal distension by air and balloon, were studied in 14 young and 12 healthy elderly volunteers. In both age groups there was no significant volume or temperature effect on amplitude, duration, or velocity of the pharyngeal peristalsis. Compared with water swallows, mashed potato swallows resulted in a significant increase in the amplitude and duration of the hypopharyngeal peristaltic pressure wave (P < 0.05). For water swallows, the amplitude and duration of the peristaltic pressure wave in the hypopharynx were significantly increased in the elderly compared with the young group (P < 0.01). UES resting pressure in the elderly measured 43 +/- 5 (SE) mmHg and was significantly less than that of the young (71 +/- 8 mmHg; P < 0.01). Magnitude of the UES pressure decrease because of esophageal distension by air, as well as magnitude of its pressure increase because of esophageal balloon distension, was similar among young and elderly. 1) Contrary to common expectations, the parameters of the pharyngeal peristaltic pressure wave do not deteriorate in the elderly in their seventh and eighth decade. 2) Compared with the young, hypopharyngeal pressure wave amplitude and duration are significantly increased in the elderly. This increase could be caused by an adaptation response to a pharyngeal outflow compromise. 3) Pharyngeal peristaltic pressure wave amplitude and duration, but not its velocity, are modulated by the bolus consistency. This modulatory mechanism is preserved in the elderly. 4) Although UES resting pressure is significantly decreased in the elderly, its pressure response to esophageal distension by air and balloon is preserved.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Preoperative mapping of cortical motor function: prospective comparison of functional magnetic resonance imaging and [15O]-H2O-positron emission tomography in the same co-ordinate system.

BACKGROUND: Two of the most widely accepted approaches to map eloquent cortical areas preoperatively are positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). As yet, no study has compared these two modalities within the same frame of reference in tumour patients. AIM: We employed [15O]-H2O-PET and fMRI in patients undergoing presurgical evaluation and compared the results with those obtained by direct electrical cortical stimulation (DECS). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with tumours of different aetiology near the central region were investigated. fMRI and PET were processed using the same methods, i.e. statistical parametric mapping (SPM) without anatomical normalization, and transformed into the same frame of reference. RESULTS: fMRI activity was found in more cranial and lateral sections, i.e. closer to the brain surface, in comparison with PET, which demonstrated parenchymal activation. The mean localization difference between fMRI and PET was 8.1 +/- 4.6 mm (range, 2-18 mm). fMRI and [15O]-H2O-PET could reliably identify the central sulcus, as demonstrated by DECS. CONCLUSIONS: fMRI and [15O]-H2O-PET demonstrate comparable results and are sensitive and reliable tools to map the central region, especially in cases of infiltrating brain tumours. However, fMRI is more prone to artefacts, such as the visualization of draining veins, which may explain the more cranial and lateral activation visualized by fMRI, whereas PET depicts capillary perfusion changes and therefore shows activation closer to the parenchyma.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Long latency cutaneous reflex effect on H-reflex recovery in hemiplegics and paraplegics: a longitudinal study for the assessment of motor function.

H-reflex recovery by twin pulses was recorded serially in 10 paraplegics for 5 months and in 23 hemiplegics for 2 months after the lesion. Fifty-one normal subjects acted as controls. The effect of cutaneous tactile stimulation was also studied simultaneously by applying electrical stimuli synchronized with twin pulses to the skin over the lateral border of small toe. In paraplegics, the H-reflex recovery curves recorded serially showed a highly depressed pattern during the first two weeks, an almost normal pattern during the second and third months and a significantly elevated pattern during the fourth and fifth months. Whereas cutaneous stimulation in control subjects produced a highly significant late inhibition of H-reflex recovery between 600 ms and 600 ms, in paraplegics it failed to produce any significant effect, except in two, who besides having a normal H-reflex recovery curve even during the first week, showed a substantial amount of cutaneous inhibition of H-reflex recovery, 4 months after the lesion. A highly depressed pattern of H-reflex recovery was observed on the affected side of the majority of hemiplegics during the first week after the lesion, many of them showing similar pattern on the "unaffected side" also. The serial study showed very good improvement in all hemiplegics both in terms of H-reflex recovery pattern and the amount of cutaneous inhibition. The observations in present study suggest preservation and/or restoration of supraspinal influences in many hemiplegics and in at least two paraplegics. The study also shows that a serial recording of H-reflex recovery curve and the amount of cutaneous reflex effect on it, is a very sensitive method of assessing the supraspinal influences on the spinal motoneurones and so can be of immense help in the diagnosis and prognosis in hemiplegics and paraplegics.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Patient-controlled interscalene analgesia with ropivacaine 0.2% versus bupivacaine 0.15% after major open shoulder surgery: the effects on hand motor function.

UNLABELLED: We compared the effects of patient-controlled interscalene analgesia with ropivacaine 0.2% and patient-controlled interscalene analgesia (PCIA) with bupivacaine 0.15% on hand grip strength after major open shoulder surgery. Sixty patients scheduled for elective major shoulder surgery were prospectively randomized to receive in a double-blinded fashion either ropivacaine or bupivacaine through an interscalene catheter. Before surgery, all patients received an interscalene block (ISB) with either 40 mL of 0.6% ropivacaine or 40 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine. Six h after ISB, the patients received a continuous infusion of either 0.2% ropivacaine or 0.15% bupivacaine for 48 h. In both groups, the PCIA infusion rate was 5 mL/h plus a bolus of 4 mL with a lockout time of 20 min. Strength in the hand was assessed preoperatively, 24 h, and 48 h after ISB and 6 h after stopping the infusion of local anesthetic. The presence of paresthesia in the fingers was checked. Pain relief was assessed using a visual analog scale; side effects were noted, and the patients rated their satisfaction 54 h after the block. A significant decrease of strength in the hand was observed in the Bupivacaine group 24, 48, and 54 h after ISB (P < 0.05). Paresthesia was more frequently reported in the Bupivacaine group for the second and third fingers 48 h after ISB (P < 0.05) and in the first three fingers 6 h after discontinuation of the local anesthetic infusion (P: < 0.05). The pain score was similar in the two groups at all times, and patient satisfaction was comparable between the two groups. We conclude that the use of the PCIA technique with ropivacaine 0.2% or bupivacaine 0.15% provides a similar pain relief after major shoulder surgery. However, ropivacaine 0.2% is associated with better preservation of strength in the hand and less paresthesia in the fingers. IMPLICATIONS: We compared the patient-controlled interscalene analgesia technique with ropivacaine 0.2% and bupivacaine 0.15% after major open shoulder surgery. For similar pain control ropivacaine is associated with better preservation of strength in the hand and less paresthesia in the fingers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Sparing of motor function after cortical injury. A new perspective on underlying mechanisms.

Historically, many theories have been offered to explain recovery of function following permanent brain injury. Because specific functional deficits often occur after injury to certain neuroanatomical locations, it has been tempting to suggest that within the brain, structure equals function (this interpretation, of course, has its roots in "phrenology", the 19th-century practice of detecting mental and behavioral traits by examining the skull's shape). Views that were common until recently emphasized structural and functional rigidity in the brain, which would seem to provide little opportunity for the occurrence of compensation. However, the observation that a considerable amount of spontaneous functional recovery occurs after many permanent brain lesions requires some explanation for the recovery that involves modification of intact portions of the brain. Recent research has provided data that reveal several forms of brain plasticity, including changes in neurotransmitter sensitivity, collateral sprouting, and diaschisis. Evidence supporting claims that beneficial behavioral recovery occurs through such physiological modifications in the brain are abundant in the literature, although, in general, there has not been any empirical establishment of causality.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Successful surgical treatment of idiopathic colonic dysmotility. The role of preoperative evaluation of coloanal motor function.

Identification of patients with severe idiopathic colonic dysmotility who would benefit from surgery can be difficult. Colonic transit studies and anorectal manometry were applied to 12 women with severe constipation before subtotal colectomy. Delayed transit was noted in all patients with most exhibiting left-sided colonic arrest. Mean anal resting pressure and rectal capacity were similar to that in healthy controls. Pathologic examination results revealed decreased argyrophilic neurons in the colonic myenteric plexus. At 24 months postoperatively, all patients were satisfied with their results and mean (+/- SEM) weekly bowel movement frequency was 17 +/- 3 (compared with 0.8 +/- 0.2 preoperatively). Preoperative coloanal function studies therefore aid in the selection of patients who will be successfully treated by surgery. Subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis is the preferred operation because dysmotility can originate from either side of the colon.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effect of Nissen fundoplication on esophageal motor function.

The effect of Nissen fundoplication on the compromised esophageal body function in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease is poorly understood. Stationary manometry of the distal esophageal body was performed in 50 normal volunteers and compared with that in 40 patients with increased esophageal acid exposure. The studies were performed before and 11 to 68 months (median, 30 months) after successful reflux control and healing of acute mucosal injury with Nissen fundoplication. Before the operation, patients had a lower mean amplitude of contractions, higher prevalence of low amplitude, and interrupted and simultaneous contractions in the distal esophagus compared with normal volunteers. Nissen fundoplication restored the lower esophageal sphincter to normal, increased contraction amplitude, and reduced the prevalence of low-amplitude contractions but did not improve contraction amplitude in patients with a mean amplitude below 35 mm Hg. Fundoplication improves esophageal contraction amplitude but should be performed before the mean contraction amplitude falls below 35 mm Hg.

Circadian Rhythm↗