The International journal of neuroscience
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed in 10 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the findings were evaluated. Four patients had asymmetrical areas of increased signal intensity in the white matter. All patients showing abnormal MRI were young, had a longer clinical course, and clinically were more disabled. These MRI abnormalities were related to the pathological changes in the central white matter of patients with ALS and possible explanations for these findings in ALS are discussed.
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Immunoendocrinology is a rapidly expanding field, uncovering numerous bilateral interactions between the immune system and neuroendocrine circuits. Various hormones and neurotransmitters appear to modulate cells of the immune system and likewise cytokines control the function of neuroendocrine system. In the present paper, we discuss some lines of evidence indicating that an immunoendocrine feedback loop, which we term 'immune-hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal system' is an integral part of the regulation of self tolerance. The finding that pathology of this immunoendocrine feedback loop is related to development of autoimmunity may lead to new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.
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The epileptogenic effect of the short-acting hypnotic agent etomidate was investigated in WAG/Rij rats. Animals of this inbred strain show spontaneous spike-wave discharges and are regarded as a model for absence epilepsy. A dose-dependent increase in the total amount of spike-wave activity was found, when etomidate was injected intraperitoneally in doses of 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg. ⋯ During spike-wave activity, animals were motionless and, certainly at 10 mg/kg of etomidate, were unresponsive to stimuli. For surgical anesthesia, a still higher dose of etomidate is necessary (20 mg/kg). It is concluded that etomidate facilitates the generation of spike-wave activity in rats with spontaneous absence seizures, presumably through its GABA-mimetic action.
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The sleep pattern of 13 prepubertal children, nonmedicated, rigourously diagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was recorded for two consecutive nights. Analyses of sleep pattern variables revealed a marked reduction of sleep onset latency (p less than .01), a great number of nocturnal awakenings (p less than .01), and a high increase of Delta sleep percentage (p less than .01) for the ADD children compared to normals. ⋯ Those ADD/H children had a greater sleep fragmentation and a lesser degree of sleep efficiency. These findings would support the hypothesis that ADD is related to a deficient control of arousal level and, on the other hand, suggest that ADD/H and ADD/WO are different clinical entities.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effects of the transcendental mediation technique and progressive muscle relaxation on EEG coherence, stress reactivity, and mental health in black adults.
Eighty-three black college students, staff and adults were pretested on EEG coherence, skin potential (SP) habituation to a series of loud tones, psychometric measures of mental health (Tennessee Self-Concept Empirical Scales and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and IQ. They were then randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups: the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM); Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PR); or cognitive-behavioral strategies (C). Approximately one year later, they were posttested. ⋯ The coherence increases during TM were most marked in the right hemisphere (F4C4). TM showed faster SP habituation at posttest compared to pretest (p less than .047) whereas PR did not (data was missing for C). None of the groups showed longitudinal changes in EEG, perhaps due to lack of regularity of participation in the treatment programs.