MRI of a family with focal abnormalities of gyration

Focal abnormalities of gyration (FAG) are developmental disorders that may occur in isolated patients or, as in the case being reported, as part of a familial disorder. Analysis of individuals in a family spanning three generations was carried out using MRI. Abnormalities, present in all members of generations II and III, included focal cortical dysplasia (three patients), focal cortical infolding (two patients) and schizencephaly (one patient); associated minor anomalies, such as white matter abnormalities, were seen in the remaining three members of generations II and III. MRI recognition of FAG in the family being reported proved useful in defining their phenotypical expression and providing proper counselling for individual family members. Received: 22 August 1996 Accepted: 7 October 1996     

A tactile maze test in unilateral spatial neglect: the influence of vision and recording technique

Summary Right brain-damaged patients with left spatial neglect were examined on a tactile maze task. They started to explore the right side of the maze and their search times were longer on the left side. Their performance was the same whether blindfolded or not, which contrasts with the results of other studies and probably reflects differences in task demand. The present results do not support a previous observation that visual neglect can be compensated through the tactile modality. Our patients had markedly longer search times than normal controls in the right as well as the left hemifield, and search times in both hemifields were positively correlated. The outcome of the maze test in this context may therefore depend to a large extent on impaired topo graphical processing.     

氧化损伤与铅毒性研究进展

铅是一种对全身组织有广泛亲和力的毒物,作用的基点是体内一些生物大分子(蛋白质、脂类、核酸),进而使大分子受损,影响到细胞功能.     

小鼠持续性脑缺血后NMDA受体亚单位表达的变化

目的：研究小鼠持续性脑缺血后不同脑区NMDA受体亚单位表达的变化及其与病理损伤之间的联系。方法：采用大脑中动脉阻断法制作小鼠持续性脑缺血模型，取缺血后不同时间的皮层、海马、皮层下脑组织，用免疫印迹技术测定NMDA受体亚单位ζ1和ε1及ε2蛋白的含量。同时作冰冻切片和苏木素伊红染色，计算相应脑区神经元密度。结果：NMDA受体ζ1和ε1及ε2亚单位表达的改变发生于缺血后5h内，皮层下3个亚单位表达均明显增加，海马则各亚单位表达变化不一。脑梗塞灶和相关脑区神经元密度显著减小均出现于缺血后5h，相关脑区神经元死亡严重程度依次为皮层下组织和海马CA1区及大脑颞叶皮层Ⅲ－Ⅳ层。结论：小鼠持续性脑缺血，缺血侧脑组织NMDA受体亚单位ζ1和ε1及ε2表达的变化发生在明显的病理损害之前，表达变化程度因脑区不同，与相关脑区神经元损害的程度相应。     

Intrathecal vincristine: a fatal chemotherapeutic error with devastating central nervous system effects

Summary The devastating neuropathological changes wrought by the intrathecal administration of vincristine are reported, with a detailed account of the widespread lesions in the brain and spinal cord, found in post-mortem light- and electron-microscope studies.     

Compartment syndrome. Exclusively the result of increased pressure in the muscular compartment?

Summary The compartment syndrome (cs) is characterized by an increased tissue pressure in a limited space. Pathophysiologically, it is a multifactorial disease that is potentially induced by an initial trauma and develops according to the existence of cofactors. Cofactors are, for instance, the circulation of the patient and the initial treatment of the impending cs. In particular, the microcirculation is altered with endothelial destruction, development of a capillary leak, protein loss from intravasal space and the development of an interstitial and intracellular third space. An impaired drainage of the lymphatic and venous system causes a venous infarction. An arterial infarction results if the tissue pressure exceeds the arteriolar pressure. An accompanying ischemia reperfusion mechanism increases the trauma load. In disadvantageous cases, the patients are in danger of developing a multi-organ deficiency syndrome (MODS) by an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction, by intravasal volume loss and by a myonephropathic systemic reaction. Clinically, the patients suffer a disproportionate amount of pain, followed by neurological signs. Especially in noncompliant patients, tissue pressure measurement is useful. Resuscitation of the circulation as well as splitting of casts is important. In case of a manifest cs, dermatofasciotomy has to be performed as an emergency operation. Even if cs is diagnosed early and fasciotomy is carried out early, the development of sequellae cannot be avoided in every single case.      

Activity of lateral vestibular nucleus neurons during locomotion in the decerebrate Guinea pig

Summary The influence of locomotor activity upon neurons in the lateral vestibular nucleus was investigated in precollicularly-postmamillary decerebrate guinea pigs. Out of 95 recorded neurons, 24 were identified as vestibulospinal and 71 had no descending projections. Locomotor activity occurred either spontaneously or was prompted by electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region. Natural vestibular stimulation was supplied by tilting the animal about its longitudinal axis. Locomotor rhythmic limb muscle activity was accompanied by an increase in the firing frequency in the vast majority of investigated neurons. The increase in frequency was observed at the beginning of ipsilateral forelimb extensor muscle activity. Only in a few non-vestibulospinal neurons was the spontaneous activity depressed during locomotion. An increase in evoked responses was observed in almost all vestibulospinal neurons and in two thirds of the neurons without descending projections. A decrease in evoked responses was observed in one quarter of non-vestibulospinal neurons. During locomotion, the mean and maximal frequencies of evoked neuronal impulse activity changed, but the phase lag of these changes was not altered significantly. The results suggest an enhancement of vestibulospinal influences during locomotion, thus providing a high level of tonus in antigravitational muscles. This is interpreted as a mechanism to ensure that equilibrium is maintained during motion in different gaits and postures.     

环孢素A体外抗曼氏血吸虫雄虫的电镜观察

MF1小鼠感染曼氏血吸虫六周后,经主动脉和门静脉灌注收虫.配对的成虫暴露在不含环孢素A及分别含有1微克/毫升、10微克/毫升、20微克/毫升的环孢素A的199型培养液中体外培养.药物导致的虫体损害分别作扫描电镜和透射电镜观察.药物作用后,雄虫外质膜损伤,外皮层基质出现水肿和空泡,分泌体减少.进行性表皮损害、肿胀以及皮(?)缺损最终导致皮质膜和合胞体的崩溃.本结果表明,环孢素A抗曼氏血吸虫的作用方式是直接的.而外皮质似乎是药物首先攻击的部位.     

Acetylcholine produces stimulus-specific receptive field alterations in cat auditory cortex

Frequency receptive fields (RFs) were determined before and after pairing iontophorectic administration of acetylcholine (ACh) with a repeated single-frequency stimulus in the auditory cortex of barbiturate-anesthesized cats. In 58% of the cells, the paired ACh + tone treatment produced subsequent alterations of frequency RFs. In half of these cases, the RF modifications were highly specific to the frequency that had been paired with ACh. Atropine antagoized the frequency-effects of ACh, suggesting that they were mediated via muscarinic cholinergic receptors.