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Biomedical subjects

D Bowsher

Publications and source records attributed to D Bowsher.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1970

Place and modality analysis in nucleus of posterior commissure.

1. Single units (157) responsive to somatic stimulation in the nucleus of the posterior commissure were examined in the cat under chloralose anaesthesia. 87.3% responded to stimulation of all four limbs, 2.4% to three limbs, 8.7% to two limbs and 2% to one limb.2. 44.7% of units could be activated by phasic hair movement; 52.4% responded additionally to auditory stimuli and 34.6% to visual stimuli, although there are marked differences in degree of heterosensory convergence between hair-sensitive units and others.3. Analysis by spike numbers and latencies show marked preference for contralateral limbs.4. Results are compared with those obtained under identical experimental conditions from units of the gigantocellular bulbar reticular formation, and show that anatomically discrete areas of the reticular formation are capable of differential analysis of afferent input.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

Place and modality analysis in caudal reticular formation.

1. Evoked potentials and unit responses were studied under chloralose anaesthesia in a restricted region of the caudal bulbar reticular formation of the cat which is known anatomically to receive a preferential spinal input.2. Responses were analysed in terms of place and sensory modality and show varying degrees of place and modality convergence, as well as preferential responses for certain loci of stimulation.3. Evidence is presented which suggests that some unit responses are generated in dendrites.4. The response properties of the whole population are compared with those obtained from other reticular regions in previous identical experimental series. It is shown that the integrated activity of the ascending reticular formation acting as a whole would enable the organism to discriminate, to a greater or lesser degree, place and modality from the convergent peripheral input to the reticular formation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pain pathways and mechanisms.

The current concepts of the anatomy of the pain pathways have been described and the mechanism by which they function has been discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A prospective study of painful symptoms, small-fibre function and peripheral vascular disease in chronic painful diabetic neuropathy.

Fifty diabetic patients with chronic painful sensorimotor neuropathy were studied prospectively to clarify the natural history of this condition and the roles of small-fibre damage and concomitant peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Initially, 30 patients had no significant PVD (ankle:brachial Doppler ratio > 1.0). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (0-10 cm), and small-fibre function by thermal limen (TL), heat-pain threshold (HPT), and weighted pinprick threshold (PPT). At follow-up, on average 3.6 years later (range 3.0-4.1), 11 patients had died (6 with PVD) and contact had been lost with 6. Pain scores fell in subjects without PVD (n = 24; median (range), from 4.8 (0.5-10.0) to 2.0 (0.0-9.2) cm, p < 0.001) and also in those with PVD (n = 9; from 5.1 (2.0-8.2) to 2.1 (0.0-8.0) cm, p < 0.05). Seven patients (5 without PVD) became painfree; at presentation, these 7 patients had experienced pain for a shorter period of time. Despite this symptomatic improvement, small-fibre function generally deteriorated in both groups, with significant worsening (p < 0.05) of HPT and PPT in patients without PVD, and in HPT and TL in patients with PVD. Neuropathic pain therefore tends to improve with time and can resolve completely. By contrast, small-fibre function continues to deteriorate, indicating that these peripheral measures do not predict the evolution of painful symptoms. The presence or absence of PVD does not appear to affect the natural history of neuropathic pain or its symptomatology.

Adult↗