In the study the changes of scalp potential and cardiac autonomic nervous system during volitional control of heart beat are explored with the wavelet packet parameters and approximate entropy (ApEn) of Electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability. The results show that volition can control heart beat and the changes of brain activity are earlier than that of autonomic activity. But its control of heart beat is very different from the motor nervous system because different cortical positions are respectively concerned during the quick and slow control of heart beat. The pre-central areas of brain are correlated with parasympathetic activity by which HR is controlled to slow down. The post-central areas of brain are correlated with sympathetic activity by which HR is controlled to accelerate.
Autonomic Nervous System ; physiology ; Consciousness ; physiology ; Electroencephalography ; Heart Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Scalp

OBJECTIVE: To study the variation of latency and amplitude of the event related potential (ERP) and its distribution in human scalp when the normal subjects were stimulated with different visual fields. METHODS: The ERP recorded in scalp with the stimulation of 10 degrees visual field and 60 degrees visual field respectively in 20 healthy volunteers with normal visual function. RESULTS: Two different visual field stimulation may evoke the different exogenous components P1 (70-125 ms), N1 (90-170 ms), P2 (140-220 ms) and endogenous components N2 (190-280 ms) and P3 (290-430 ms). The latencies of all the components evoked by 10 degrees visual field were shorter than that of the 60 degrees visual field while the amplitudes of N1 and N2 were lower and appeared over the extensive encephalic region; and the amplitudes of the P1, P2 and P3 were higher and appeared in occipitotemporal, prefrontal and occipital region, respectively. CONCLUSION Two different visual field stimulation may evoke all the ERP components with significant differences in the latency, amplitude and distribution. The differences may reflect the different visual information integration and processing in human brain during the different visual field stimulation.
Adult ; Brain/physiology* ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Electrooculography ; Evoked Potentials, Visual/physiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Photic Stimulation ; Reaction Time/physiology* ; Reference Values ; Scalp/physiology* ; Visual Field Tests/methods* ; Visual Fields/physiology* ; Visual Perception/physiology* ; Young Adult

The salient pathological findings following acute blunt cord trauma, now documented by a number of investigators, are hemorrhagic necrosis of central gray matter and increased catecholamine, especially dopamine concentration of the traumatized cord level, which have progressive and, according to some authors, reversible nature. But paraplegia and disappearence of sensory evoked potential (SEP) are the obvious clinical conditions appeared immediately after blunt cord trauma which are sudden events not progressive ones. These phenomena are clearly results of neuronal conduction block of white matter at the traumatized cord level. Dohrmann et al. demonstrated in their electron microscopic studies that the myelinated nerve fibers of the traumatized cord level with 300 gm-cm force are resemble those of a control animal until 15 to 20 minutes after impact. At this point, we can imagine 2 phase of pathophysiological process of acute blunt cord trauma, ie ; 1. Initial alterations of normal cord physiology. 2. Secondary or aggrevating processes to the initial alterations of normal physiology. There are a number of reports and arguements about so called secondary aggrevating processes but neither explanations nor experimental studies about those immediate pathologic clinical phenomena. As the initiation of the investigations about the immediate physiological alterations, we planned this experiment to observe radioactive potassium uptake of the white matter of the blunty traumatized spinal cord. At first, we carried dorsal laminectomy out on the T2 and T6 level of adult Mongoreal dogs and injected K42 Cl, 500 micro Ci into the right atrium via catheterized antecubital vein. At 6 seconds after injection of K42, 5cc bolus of saturated KCI was shot intravenously via same route to produce instant cardiac arrest. As rapidly as possible, the cord of T2 and T6 were excised and dissection of white matter was done which was facilitated by use of loupe. After tissue weighing, tissue indicator was counted with Well-type Scintillating Counter. As a result, the radioactivity of T6 white matter (cpm/mg) was 77% (SD=2.04) of that of T2, which was essentially same as the regional blood flow rates measured by Bingham et al. with fractional indicator technique. Secondly, we elicited seizures on the animals by electrical stimuli delivered to the electrode attached on the bifrontal scalp. Seizure duration was 3 minutes and at the time of termination of tonic phase 500 micro Ci of K42 Cl was injected. 6 seconds later cardiac arrest was produced and radioactivity of the white matter T2 and T6 were measured with same way described above. Radioactivity of the white matter of T2 and T6 were measured with same way described above. Radioactive potassium uptake of the white matter of T2 and T6 were 57.82% (SD=2.62) and 61.38% (SD=3.69) to those of control animal. This result can be explained as a greatly increased K+ ion concentration in the interstitial space of white matter during the convulsive seizure. Next time, the animals were laminectomized on the level of T2 and T6, and 500 gm-cm force was impacted on the T6 exposed cord while T2 segment served as non-traumatized control. 15 minutes after impact, 500 micro Ci of K42 was injected and at 6 seconds after injection cardiac arrest was produced. And radioactivity of white matter was measured. The K42 uptake of the T6 white matter was 171%(SD=24) to that of T2, which was thought as a reflextion of increases regional blood flow. Alteration of blood-brain barrier resistance must be influenced upon the K+ ion uptake but they may be masked by increased blood flow, which was supported by a biphasic curve obtained from time-lag experiments, ie; decreased uptake in 1 1/2 hour group, increased uptake in 2 1/2 hour group and approach to the base line in the 4 hour group. Another experimental study to discover so called immediate physiological changes will be presented in the next report.
Adult ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Catheters ; Dogs ; Dopamine ; Electrodes ; Evoked Potentials ; Heart Arrest ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Masks ; Necrosis ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; Neurons ; Paraplegia ; Physiology ; Potassium ; Radioactivity ; Regional Blood Flow ; Research Personnel ; Scalp ; Seizures ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Veins

OBJECTIVETo induce the hair follicle regeneration in mice ear by microencapsulated dermal papillae cells (DPs) and to investigate the permeability of fluorescein in APA microencapsulation to search the ideal diameter of microencapsulation.

METHODSThe DPs were encapsulated with alginate-polylysine-alginate by a high-voltage electric field droplet generator. The microencapsulated dermal papilla cells were xenotransplanted into the mice ears. After 6 week, the histological examination was made by microscopy. The diffusion way and speed of fluorescein into the microencapsulations were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The comparison of fluorescein intensity was made in APA microencapsulations with different diameters.

RESULTSFully developed hair follicles could be easily identified in the skin of implanted site following xenotransplantation of microencapsulation DPs, which were different from the control groups in configuration, number, size and differentiation degree. The fluorescein was diffused gradually into the microencapsulations with a shape of concentric circularity. The fluorescein intensity inside three groups of APA microencapsulations was: small > middle > big.

CONCLUSIONSThe microencapsulated DPs retain the physiological function to induce the follicle regeneration. The APA microencapsulations with 400um diameter could ensure the nutrition and metabolite to pass in and out freely, and isolate the immunocompetent substance absolutely.

Alginates ; chemistry ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Transplantation ; Cells, Cultured ; Ear ; Female ; Fluorescein ; chemistry ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Polylysine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Scalp ; cytology ; transplantation