Electromyographic studies of neck muscles in the intact cat

Summary Substance P (SP)-, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-, and cholecystokinin (CCK)-like immunoreactive (LI) neurons were found in the superior colliculus (SC) of the rat, and examined to ascertain whether they sent projection fibers to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd). Immunocytochemical staining with antisera against SP, VIP, and CCK showed that many immunoreactive neuronal cell bodies were located in the superficial layers of the SC, especially in the stratum griseum superficiale. The pattern of distribution of these immunoreactive neuronal cell bodies in the SC was similar to that of neuronal cell bodies which were retrogradely labeled with WGA-HRP (wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate) injected ipsilaterally into the LGNd. On the other hand, SP-, VIP- and CCK-LI axons were seen most densely in the lateral part of the LGNd, especially in the small-celled LGNd zone adjacent to the optic tract, where anterograde labeling was also observed after injection of WGA-HRP ipsilaterally into the superficial layers of the SC. When a lesion was produced by kainic acid injection into the superficial layers of the SC, axons showing SP-, VIP-, or CCK-LI in the LGNd ipsilateral to the lesion were markedly depleted. The results indicate that SC-LGNd projection neurons contain SP, VIP, and/or CCK in the rat.     

Selective electromyography of dorsal neck muscles in humans

The patterns of activation of splenius capitis, semispinalis capitis, transversospinalis, and levator scapulae muscles were studied during various head-neck positions, movements, and isometric tests in 19 healthy human subjects. Myoelectric activities were recorded with intramuscular bipolar wire electrodes. Cervical computerized tomography of each subject was performed before the electromyography session in order to guide electrode insertion. Head motion was recorded using an electromechanical device. This report demonstrates that head motion results from a complex interaction of active muscular forces, passive ligamentous forces, and gravity. Splenius capitis has two main functions, i.e., cervical extension and ipsilateral rotation. Semi spinalis capitis and the transversospinalis are mainly extensors, and levator scapilae acts primarily on the shoulder girdle. Splenius capitis, semispinalis capitis, and transversospinalis play a subordinate part in ipsilateral tilting. In addition, most subjects' semispinalis capitis were gradually recruited during ipsilateral rotation. No signal was detected from the transversospinalis during rotation tests.     

Effect of neck posture on patterns of activation of feline neck muscles during horizontal rotation

The electromyographic (EMG) patterns of neck muscles were recorded during whole-body horizontal rotation in head-free, alert cats and head-restrained, decerebrate cats. In some trials the cervical column of the animal was oriented vertically, whereas in others it was oriented more horizontally. In alert cats making head movements that compensated for the motion of the platform, neck muscles with modulated patterns of activity could be divided into a subset whose individual EMG patterns changed significantly when the neck posture was altered (including longissimus capitis, obliquus capitis superior and scalenus anterior) and a subset whose individual EMG patterns were invariant regardless of neck posture (including obliquus capitis inferior, levator scapulae and complexus). In head-restrained, decerebrate cats, electromyograms from all implanted muscles were modulated similarly in phase with the platform position. Changing the orientation of the neck had little effect upon these EMG patterns evoked by the horizontal vestibulocollic reflex. One decerebrate cat with strong extensor tone was tested further under head-free conditions. There was very little compensatory head movement, but individual neck muscles displayed patterns of activity that were more similar to those observed in alert, head-free animals.     

Torque vectors of neck muscles in the cat

Summary Anatomical texts describe the neck musculature without measurements of muscle locations or quantitative estimates of pulling actions (torques). This study is based on measurements in stereotaxic coordinates of cat neck muscle origins and insertions, and neck intervertebral rotation axes. Torque vectors in three dimensions were calculated for 14 pairs of dorsal and ventral muscles that insert on the skull or first cervical vertebra. Predicted torque vectors were in general agreement with qualitative statements in the literature. Biventer cervicis and the rectus capitis major, medius, and minor muscles act mainly to raise the head, and longus capitis acts almost exclusively to lower the head. Longissimus capitis, sternomastoid, and cleidomastoid act mainly to roll the head. Complexus acts about equally to raise the head and roll it. Splenius and occipitoscapularis have torque in all three coordinate directions. Torques were altered by changing the pitch of the head with respect to the neck. The calculated neck muscle torques did not correspond to previously reported directions of neck muscle excitation during the vestibulocollic reflex. The neck musculature appears to be a complex, multidimensional system that presents interesting problems in motor control.     

Functionally complex muscles of the cat hindlimb

The biceps femoris (BF) muscle is divided into three neuromuscular compartments defined by the innervation patterns of the main nerve branches (English and Weeks 1987). The goals of this study were i) to determine how different regions of the biceps femoris muscle are activated in the intact cat during a broad range of limb movements evoked by perturbations of stance posture, and ii) to determine the relationship between the anatomical compartments of biceps femoris and the functional units as defined in this task. Cats were trained to stand on a moveable platform with each paw on a triaxial force plate. The animal's stance was perturbed by linear translation of the platform in each of sixteen different directions in the horizontal plane. EMG activity was recorded from eight sites across the width of the left biceps femoris muscle. During quiet stance only the anterior compartment was tonically active, presumably contributing to hip extensor torque in the maintenance of stance. During platform translation, evoked EMG activity was recorded from each electrode pair for a wide range of directions of perturbation; as direction changed progressively, the amplitude of evoked activity from any electrode pair increased to a maximum and then decreased. When the EMG amplitude was plotted in polar coordinates as a function of translation direction, the region of response formed a petal shaped area in the horizontal plane, termed the EMG tuning curve. The compartments of the BF muscle were not activated homogeneously. The tuning curve of the anterior BF compartment was similar to that of other hip extensors, and coincided with the region of postero-lateral force production by the hindlimb against the support. The tuning curve of the middle BF compartment was shifted in a counterclockwise direction from that of the anterior compartment, but overlapped extensively with it; the middle BF tuning curve was similar to that of anterior gracilis. The tuning curve of the posterior biceps compartment was rotated further counterclockwise and overlapped very little with that of the middle BF compartment. The posterior BF was activated in a pattern similar to that of other knee flexors. The functional units of BF activation were not identical with the neuromuscular compartments defined by the main nerve branches. As direction of the perturbation changed, the region of BF that was activated moved progressively across the muscle. This progression of the active region was continuous across BFa and BFm, whereas there was a jump, or discontinuity at the border between BFm and BFp.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Functionally complex muscles of the cat hindlimb

Several cat hindlimb muscles that exhibit differential activation (activity that is restricted to a specific region of muscle) during natural movements were studied to determine the possible roles of 1) non-uniform distribution of histochemically-identified muscle fiber-types (semitendinosus, ST; tibialis anterior, TA) or 2) mechanical heterogeneity (biceps femoris, BF; tensor fasciae latae, TFL). Using chronic recording techniques, electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from multiple sites of each muscle during treadmill locomotion, ear scratch, and paw shake. Standard histochemical analysis was performed on each muscle to determine fiber-type distribution. The histochemically regionalized muscles (ST and TA) were differentially active during slow locomotion; the deep regions (high in type I [SO] fibers) were active, but the superficial regions (high in type IIB [FG] fibers) were inactive. Vigorous movements (fast locomotion, ear scratch, paw shake) produced additional, synchronous activation of the superficial regions. In all movements, ST and TA activation patterns were consistent with the existence of identically timed synaptic inputs to all motoneurons within each motoneuron pool, resulting in an orderly recruitment of each whole pool. The differential activation recorded from ST and TA during slow locomotion was presumably a consequence of the non-uniform distribution of the different muscle fiber types. In contrast, differential activation of the histochemically nonregionalized, mechanically heterogeneous muscles (BF and TFL) resulted from non-synchronous activation of different muscle regions. The selective activation of BF or TFL compartments was indicative of differential synaptic inputs to, and selective recruitment of, subpopulations of the motoneuron pool, with each motoneuron subpopulation exclusively innervating physically separate regions of the muscle consistent with the regions defined by the neuromuscular territories of the major nerve branches supplying each muscle. Individual neuromuscular compartments of BF and TFL differ in their mechanical arrangements to the skeleton and in their contribution to mechanical action(s) at the hip and knee joints. Selective neural activation of mechanically distinct compartments within a mechanically heterogeneous muscle can provide highly advantageous mechanical "options" for animals that perform kinematically diverse movements. With regard to EMG recording techniques, the results of this study emphasize the need for carefully chosen EMG sampling sites and the value of knowing the muscle histochemistry, neuromuscular and musculoskeletal anatomy and possible mechanical functions prior to recording EMG.     

Co-contraction of cervical muscles during sagittal and coronal neck motions at different movement speeds

Muscle co-contraction is important in stabilizing the spine. The effects of movement speed and direction on the cervical co-contraction were, however, not yet investigated. Surface electromyographies of three paired cervical muscles were measured in 17 young healthy subjects. The subjects performed voluntary neck movements in sagittal and coronal plane at fast, medium, and slow speeds. The co-contraction ratio was defined as the normalized integration of antagonistic electromyographic activities divided by that of total muscle activities. The results showed that the co-contraction ratio at fast speed (0.42 +/- 0.21) was smaller than that at medium (0.45 +/- 0.20) and slow (0.46 +/- 0.19) speeds (P 相似文献   

Functionally complex muscles of the cat hindlimb

Similarities between the muscle synergies associated with the flexion reflex and locomotion in reduced preparations have suggested that spinal circuits subserving these two motor tasks might share common interneurons. To test this hypothesis in functionally complex muscles, we studied the interaction between low-threshold cutaneous afferents and the locomotor central pattern generator (CPG) during treadmill locomotion in awake, intact cats. Electrical stimuli were delivered via implanted nerve cuff electrodes at all phases of locomotion, and EMGs were recorded from fourteen intramuscular subregions in eight bifunctional thigh muscles (adductor femoris, biceps femoris, caudofemoralis, gracilis, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, tensor fasciae latae, and tenuissimus). In addition, the EMG patterns recorded during locomotion were compared with those recorded during two other centrally driven rhythmical behaviors, scratching and paw shaking, to determine whether the functional relationships among these intramuscular subregions were fixed or task dependent. Four of the five broad, bifunctional muscles studied (biceps femoris, gracilis, semimembranosus, and tensor fasciae latae) had functional subunits that could be differentially activated in one or more of the three movements studied; adductor femoris was consistently uniformly activated despite its distributed skeletal attachments. The pattern of recruitment of the intramuscular functional subunits was movement-specific. The locomotor CPG and cutaneous reflex pathways both similarly subdivided some bifunctional muscles, but not others, into intramuscular subregions. The results of the present study confirm that some combinations of muscle subregions and cutaneous nerves constitute simple reciprocal categories of flexors and extensors, as described originally by Sherrington (1910). "Typical" low threshold excitatory or inhibitory reflex responses were produced in muscles or muscle subregions that were recruited as "net" flexors of extensors, respectively. However, muscles with complex activation patterns during walking often had very individualized, complex reflex responses during locomotion that did not conform to the background locomotion synergies. All of the reflex responses observed were mediated by low threshold cutaneous afferents. These data indicate that there are multiple, low threshold, excitatory and inhibitory cutaneous reflex pathways that have highly specialized connections with flexor and extensor muscles and even their intramuscular subregions. It is also clear that the premotoneuronal circuits mediating these cutaneous reflex effects are not necessarily synonymous with those of the locomotor CPG. These two systems do interact powerfully, however, suggesting some convergence. The nature of the convergence between the CPG and the many independent subsets of spinal interneurons mediating cutaneous reflexes is specialized and muscle subregion-specific.     

Horizontal eye position-related activity in neck muscles of the alert cat

Summary The activity of neck muscles was recorded in the alert, head-fixed cat together with the horizontal and vertical components of eye movements. Electromyographic activity of obliquus capitis cranialis and caudalis, and longissimus capitis, is closely related to horizontal eye position in the orbit both during spontaneous eye movements and vestibular nystagmus. The activity of splenius also shows this relationship but the coupling is less tight, probably because of the postural function of this muscle.Supported by INSERM PRC grant no. 50-7723     

Functionally complex muscles of the cat hindlimb

Summary The cat sartorius (SA) can be divided functionally into an anterior (SAa), knee extensor portion and a medial (SAm), knee flexor portion; it can be further subdivided anatomically by multiple nerve branches into parallel longitudinal columns that terminate in a distributed insertion at the knee with a continuous range of moment arms. Thus, SA may be controlled by a discrete number of motoneuron task groups reflecting a small number of central command signals or by a continuum of activation patterns associated with a continuum of moment arms. To resolve this question, the activation patterns across the width of the SA were recorded with an electrode array during three kinematically different movements — treadmill locomotion, scratching and paw shaking, in awake, unrestrained cats. Uniformity of activation along the longitudinal axis was also examined because individual muscle fibers do not extend the length of the SA. In addition, the cutaneous reflex responses were recorded throughout all regions of the SA during locomotion. Two fascial surface-patch arrays, each carrying 4–8 pairs of bipolar EMG electrodes, were sutured to the inner surface of the SA, one placed proximally and the other more distally. Each array sampled separate sites across the anterior to medial axis of SA. During locomotion, two basic EMG patterns were observed: the two burst-per-step-cycle pattern typical of SAa and the single burst pattern typical of SAm. There was an abrupt transition in the pattern of activation recorded in the two parts of SA during locomotion, and no continuum in the activation pattern was observed. Stimulation of both sural and saphenous cutaneous nerves during locomotion produced reflex responses that were uniformly distributed throughout SA, in contrast to the regional differences noted during unperturbed walking. Similarly, during scratching and paw shaking all parts of the SA were active simultaneously but with regional differences in EMG amplitude. The abrupt functional border between SAa and SAm coincided with the division of the SA into a knee flexor vs. a knee extensor. In all cases, the quantitative and qualitative differences in SAa and SAm EMGs were uniformly recorded throughout the entire extent of SAa or SAm; i.e., there was no segregation of activity within either SAa or SAm. Furthermore, the time course of EMG from each proximal recording site was nearly identical to the corresponding distal site, indicating no segregation of function along the longitudinal axis of SA. These results indicate that SAa and SAm constitute the smallest functional modules that can be recruited in SA. The functional subdivision of the SA motor nucleus is reflected in the central pattern generators for these movements to permit a task-dependent recruitment of any combination of SAa and SAm. Our data indicate that the number of task groups even in an anatomically and functionally complex muscle like the SA is small and appears to be related to the kinematic conditions under which the muscle operates.     

Electromyographic basis of inaccurate movement; its dependence upon the mode of muscle contraction

Summary The electromyographic basis of inaccurate performance was investigated in two rapid precision-grip skills controlled by concentric and eccentric muscle contractions respectively. Surface electromyograms, recorded from the first dorsal interosseous (DI), adductor pollicis (AP) and abductor pollicis brevis, were utilised to identify changes in the timing and intensity of muscle activation which may be responsible for inaccurate performance. The results showed that when fast precision-grip skills were controlled by concentric DI and AP muscle contractions, variations in the intensity of muscle contraction were responsible for inaccurate performance. However, when these skills were controlled by eccentric DI and AP muscle contractions, inaccurate performance resulted from variations in the timing of muscle activation. It was concluded that the nature of the deficiency in the patterns of muscle activation resulting in inaccurate performance was dependent upon the type of muscle contraction used in the skill.     

Habitual level of physical activity and muscle fatigue of the elbow flexor muscles in older men

Reduced muscle performance, related to the loss of muscle mass and strength, is a common and natural part of ageing. Nevertheless, it is generally believed that regular participation in activities of moderate intensity may slow down these age-related changes. This study investigated the relationship between the habitual level of physical activity (PA), assessed by the modified Baecke Questionnaire, and the mechanical and fatigue characteristics of the right elbow flexor muscles, m. biceps brachii and m. brachioradialis, in men over the age of 55 years. Muscle fatigue was quantified both by measuring the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque before and after a sustained isometric contraction at 25% MVC until exhaustion, and also by the temporal changes observed in the surface electromyographic (EMG) signal recorded during the fatigue task. Results showed a decreased MVC torque at the end of the fatiguing contraction. After 20 min of recovery, the MVC force was still significantly lower than the pre-fatigue value, except for the most active subjects. Typical myoelectrical indications of fatigue were also observed: a shift in the frequency spectrum of the signal towards lower frequencies accompanied by an increase in the EMG amplitude. We concluded from this study that the level of PA was related to the absolute isometric MVC values and the measurement of neuromuscular efficiency after 20 min of recovery, but did not influence the indications of muscle fatigue during an isometric fatigue task. Electronic Publication     

Electromyographic activity of the respiratory muscles in hyperbaric conditions

Divers are known to have difficulty breathing in conditions of increased respiratory gas density. This report presents results obtained from electromyographic studies of the inspiratory muscles in conditions imitating a pressure chamber using neon and helium. Electromyographic investigations of the respiratory muscles allows the roles of these muscle in the respiratory act to be assessed and the present study is an attempt to demonstrate the possible neurophysiological mechanisms of respiratory diffuculty in highpressure conditions. Translated from Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal imeni. I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 84, No. 7, pp. 679–686, July, 1998.     

Electromyographic fatigue thresholds of the superficial muscles of the quadriceps femoris

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the thresholds of neuromuscular fatigue determined simultaneously from the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles using the electromyographic fatigue threshold (EMG_FT) test, Eight adult volunteers [mean (SD) age, 33 (10) years] served as subjects for this investigation. The results of a one-way repeated measured ANOVA indicated that there was a significant (P < 0.05) difference among the mean EMG_FT values for the VL [248(31)W], VM [223(43)W] and RF [220(30)W] muscles. Tukey post-hoc comparisons indicated that the EMG_FT for the RF was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of the VL. These findings suggested that during cycle ergometry there is a dissociation in neuromuscular fatigue characteristics of the superficial muscles of the quadriceps femoris group.     

Automatic postural responses in the cat: responses of hindlimb muscles to horizontal perturbations of stance in multiple directions

Summary The effect of the direction of unexpected horizontal perturbations of stance on the organization of automatic postural responses was studied in cats. We recorded EMG activity in eight proximal and distal muscles of the hindlimb along with vertical forces imposed by the limbs in awake behaving cats while they stood on an hydraulic platform. Postural responses to motion of the platform in 16 different horizontal directions were recorded. Vertical force changes were consistent with passive shifts of the center of mass and active correction of stance by the animals. When the perturbation was in the sagittal plane, vertical force changes began about 65 ms following initial platform movement. When the perturbation contained a component in the lateral direction, latency for vertical force changes was about 25 ms and an inflection in the vertical force trace was observed at 65 ms. No EMG responses were observed with latencies that were short enough to account for the early force component and it was concluded that this force change was due to passive shifts of the center of mass. The amplitude of the EMG responses of each muscle recorded varied systematically as perturbation direction changed. The directions for which an individual muscle showed measurable EMG activity were termed the muscle's angular range of activation. No angular range of activation was oriented strictly in the A-P or lateral directions. Most muscles displayed angular ranges of activation that encompassed a range of less than 180°. Onset latencies of EMG responses also varied systematically with perturbation direction. The amplitude and latency relationships between muscles, which made up the organization of postural responses, also varied systematically as perturbation direction was changed. This result suggests that direction of perturbation determines organizational makeup of postural responses, and for displacements in the horizontal plane, is considered a continuous variable by the nervous system.     

Kinematics of the freely moving head and neck in the alert cat

 In this study we examined connections between the moment-generating capacity of the neck muscles and their patterns of activation during voluntary head-tracking movements. Three cats lying prone were trained to produce sinusoidal (0.25 Hz) tracking movements of the head in the sagittal plane, and 22.5o and 45o away from the sagittal plane. Radio-opaque markers were placed in the cervical vertebrae, and intramuscular patch electrodes were implanted in five neck muscles, including biventer cervicis, complexus, splenius capitis, occipitoscapularis, and rectus capitis posterior major. Videofluoroscopic images of cervical vertebral motion and muscle electromyographic responses were simultaneously recorded. A three-dimensional biomechanical model was developed to estimate how muscle moment arms and force-generating capacities change during the head-tracking movement. Experimental results demonstrated that the head and vertebrae moved synchronously, but neither the muscle activation patterns nor vertebral movements were constant across trials. Analysis of the biomechanical model revealed that, in some cases, modification of muscle activation patterns was consistent with changes in muscle moment arms or force-generating potential. In other cases, however, changes in muscle activation patterns were observed without changes in muscle moment arms or force-generating potential. This suggests that the moment-generating potential of muscles is just one of the variables that influences which muscles the central nervous system will select to participate in a movement. Received: 27 August 1996 / Accepted: 18 December 1996     

Daily durations of spontaneous activity in cat’s ankle muscles

 For an understanding of how various degrees of altered use (training, disuse) affect the properties of skeletal muscles, it is important to know how much they are used normally. The main aim of the present project was to produce such background knowledge for hindlimb muscles of the cat. In four adult female cats, each one being studied in several experimental sessions, ankle muscles were chronically implanted with electrodes for electromyographic (EMG) recording. The muscles recorded from were: extensor digitorum longus (EDL), peroneus longus (PL), tibialis anterior (TA), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SOL). For PL, TA and LG, there were anterior as well as posterior recording sites. During 24-h experimental sessions, the studied animal stayed, together with another cat, in a box large enough for playing and walking around. Using telemetric techniques, samples of EMG signals were recorded on tape for 4 min every 30 min. In an off-line analysis, measurements were made of the total accumulated duration of activity from each one of the studied muscle regions. These ”duty times” were expressed as a percentage of total sampling duration. When averaged over the whole 24-h experimental period, the mean duty times per muscle region varied from 1.9% for EDL up to about 13.9% for SOL. Also, among predominantly fast muscles of mixed-fibre composition (i.e. all studied muscles except SOL), marked and statistically significant differences in duty time were found, mean values varying fivefold from 1.9% (EDL) to 9.5% (PL, posterior site). For all three muscles with simultaneous recordings from different sites, consistent and statistically significant differences in daily duty time were found between anterior and posterior regions (anterior less than posterior for TA and PL; anterior more than posterior for LG). We also measured the extent to which each 4-min sampling period was filled with activity (if any). As compared to muscles with a low mean 24-h duty time, those with high duty times were not active during more sampling periods per day, but, whenever being used, their activity lasted relatively longer. Such results were consistent with the view that differences in mean 24-h duty time might largely reflect differences in the extent to which the various muscles and muscle regions were used for long-lasting stabilizing contractions. Received: 15 July 1996 / Accepted: 29 November 1996     

Organization of segmental input from neck muscles to the external cuneate nucleus of the cat

Summary The musculotopic organisation of projections to the external cuneate nucleus (ECN) from the neck muscles splenius (SP) and biventer cervicis (BC) was examined electrophysiologically. These muscles are divided into a number of serially arranged compartments and are supplied by nerves from different cervical segments. About one-third of ECN neurons receive input from a single nerve. The majority of ECN neurons, however, receive input from more than one nerve in each muscle. ECN neurons are also limited in their ability to follow high frequency nerve stimulation and they frequently exhibit non-linear following. The connections and characteristics of ECN neurons suggest that a minority of neurons in the nucleus have the potential for the faithful transmission of afferent signals, but the majority have the potential to transform incoming patterns of muscle receptor discharge.     

Interaction between the muscles of the neck and the extraocular muscles of the myopic eye

Summary The functional relationships between the extraocular muscles of the myopic eye and the muscles of the neck were studied by means of electromyography, with the aim of demonstrating a possible alteration of the posture of the head due to abnomal tonus of the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid mm. in subjects with defective vision. The study was conducted in a group of 10 subjects with normal vision and a group of 10 myopic subjects, between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Electromyographic recordings of the relevant muscles were made during varied eye movements. Analysis of the results demonstrated a marked difference in tonic activity of the named muscles between the myopic and the normal groups. The findings suggest that, in the correction of visual defects, attention should be paid to postural adjustment of the neck by means of a series of programmed exercises directed towards the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid mm.

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Etude EMG des interactions entre les muscles du cou et les muscles intrinsèques de l'oeil myope

Résumé Les relations fonctionnelles entre les muscles extrinsèques de l'oeil myope et les muscles du cou ont été étudiées par électromyographie, dans l'espoir de démontrer une altération éventuelle de la posture de la tête due à une anomalie du tonus des mm. trapèze et sterno-cléï-do-mastoöidien chez les patients dont la vision est mauvaise. L'étude a été menée sur 10 sujets à vision normale et 10 sujets myopes, âgés de 20 à 40 ans. Les enregistrements électromyographiques de ces muscles ont été effectués en cours de mouvements oculaires variés. L'analyse des résultats montre une difference importance dans l'activité tonique de ces muscles entre les sujets normaux et myopes. Ces constatations incitent à porter attention à l'ajustement postural du cou lors de la correction des défauts visuels, grâce à une série d'exercices programmés portant sur les mm. trapèze et sterno-cléidomastoïdien.

     

Eye movements evoked by microstimulations in the brainstem of the alert cat

Summary This study maps the eye movements evoked by microstimulations in the medulla of 9 alert cats. Trains of square waves (20 A amplitude, 0.2 msec duration, 200 Hz) were delivered through glass-covered tungsten microelectrodes (0.5–1 M). Movements of both eyes were recorded by the magnetic field/eye coil technique. Stimulation of the prepositus hypoglossi nucleus (PH) evoked nystagmus with ipsilaterally-directed slow phases followed by after-nystagmus with contralaterally-directed slow phases. Stimulation of the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) induced nystagmus whose slow phases were more often ipsilaterally-directed but at time contralaterally-directed. At nearly all sites where we stimulated the reticular formation underlying prepositus and vestibular nuclei (from P4.5 to P12), we recorded versional conjugate movements. They were most often ipsilaterally-directed. Some microstimulations in the region of the medial longitudinal fasciculus evoked recentering eye movements: regardless of the initial position of the gaze (to the left as well as to the right), microstimulations given at the same place induced a movement of both eyes toward their neutral position. The amplitude of this movement was proportional to the eccentricity of the pre-stimulation position of the gaze.