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Biomedical subjects

D Popivanov

Publications and source records attributed to D Popivanov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Spatio-temporal characteristics of SEP to tibial nerve stimulation.

Source derivation techniques have recently been applied to analyse the spatial distribution of brain potentials. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to tibial nerve stimulation recorded at 8 sites were analysed by using 2 source derivation techniques: Laplacian and criterion, presented by Kossev et al. (1988). First SEP recorded as a function of time were averaged and thus their basic components P39, N49, P58 were enhanced. In most of the subjects these components had maximal amplitudes at Ez rather than Cz. These sites were taken as nodes and the source derivation techniques were applied for all SEP components. Spatial derivatives (potential gradients) between adjacent leads were also computed. The current density at the nodes for different time points of SEP was obtained using Laplacian technique. For the chosen electrodes places and subjects it was found that the maximal source density did not correspond always to the SEP peak amplitudes. According to the criterion used it might be supposed that the generators of P39, N49 and P58 were located close to the scalp surface. Because of the significant individual variety of the results obtained more research is needed for choosing the appropriate scalp sites and for the contribution of the base line when measuring the SEP amplitudes.

Adult↗

Effect of body and foot positions on the somatosensory evoked potentials.

Somatosensory evoked potentials in response to stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve at the ankle were recorded during sitting and standing with variable foot positions. During standing a decrease in the amplitude of the early positive component was observed. The deviation of the foot from a horizontal position was associated with an increase in the amplitude of the early negative component. The combined influence of body and foot positions showed a decrease in the amplitude of both early and late components. The standing position induced changes in more components than the varied foot positions. This suggests that maintenance of the standing posture is a more complex task than the maintenance of the foot position itself.

Adult↗

Allylglycine and brain excitability. Electrophysiological investigation in cats.

The effect of DL-allylglycine (DL-AG) in two doses (40 and 60 mg/kg i.v.) was studied on cats under acute conditions. DL-AG provoked the appearance of epileptiform EEG patterns either spontaneous or in response to intermittent light stimulation with a frequency of 5-25 Hz. The effect was dose-dependent. The paroxysmal EEG was restricted to or began in the cortex and later it appeared in the thalamus and mesencephalic reticular formation. This finding together with the observation that after DL-AG the visual evoked potentials increased in the primary visual cortex and decreased in the centre median nucleus and in the reticular formation support the view about the role of the cortex in the increased brain excitability and in the increased photosensitivity after allylglycine. The photosensitive of spontaneous epileptiform EEG activity in cats pretreated with DL-allylglycine could be an useful experimental model of epilepsy for assessing the efficacy of anticonvulsant drugs.

Allylglycine↗

Computer detection of EMG edges for synchronization of movement-related brain potentials.

A software-oriented technique is proposed for detection of both the start and the end of interference EMG for synchronization of single-trial movement-related brain potentials before their averaging. An iterative procedure is used on the basis of comparison of the cumulative sums of the rectified EMG segments preceding and following the time point detected by an appropriately chosen threshold. The choice of the parameters for the adjustment of the technique and the final decision for/against acceptance of the detected points are done by the experimenter in dialogue regime. In practice, after the first several trials, the procedure can be automated. In this case the number of erroneous detections, rejected by the experimenter, is small. The technique, realized on MINC 23, has been in use for a long time. Its accuracy and possibility for automation make it reliable and quick enough for various tasks related to voluntary movements and the brain potentials accompanying them.

Brain↗

Somatosensory evoked potentials upon electrical stimulation triggered by voluntary movement.

The autotriggered signal was presented with a varying delay. SEP obtained without movement of the thumb (control series), SEP of autotriggered stimuli and movement-related brain potentials (MRBP) without stimuli were registered. The EEG was recorded from C3 + 2 and C3 = 2. The following results were obtained: the amplitude of all components diminished when the stimulation was autotriggered compared to the control series; the suppression was most pronounced with a stimulus delay about 150-200 ms; the effect of the suppression did not disappear up to 500 ms after the beginning of the movement.

Brain↗

Changes in the Bereitschaftspotential due to subsequent voluntary autotriggered stimulus.

The Bereitschaftspotential (BP) has been studied in two different tasks: simple voluntary isometric flexion/opposition of the thumb and same movement, followed by a mild electrical shock over the median nerve, autotriggered by the movement itself. When the two tasks were organized in separate series, the subject being told about the outcome of the movement beforehand, it was found that: The BP started later; Its amplitude was smaller; The maximum negatively (N2) was smaller, when expecting electrical shock compared to simple voluntary contraction. The decrease was more pronounced over the postcentral areas. When the sequence of the autotriggered electrical shocks was equiprobably intermixed with the simple voluntary presses in single series it was found that virtually no difference existed between different potential measures. This differential influence of equal physical requirements with different subjective sequels upon the potentials related to voluntary movements implied the preferential role of the subject's attitude and state of preparedness upon the brain potentials. Both the elevated stress level and the selective suppression in specific cortical areas might take place in tasks with predictable unpleasant electrical shock.

Action Potentials↗

Evoked potentials and rhythmic afterpotentials in relation to pre-stimulus EEG activity during quiet waking state.

The relationship between the frequency-characterized EEG activity preceding the stimulus presentation and the amplitude-characterized evoked potentials (EPs) and rhythmic afterreactions (RARs) was investigated. The experiments were performed on the somatosensory cortex of cats during quiet waking state. It was found that upon one and the same parameters of stimulation the amplitude of the EPs and the RARs depended significantly on the frequency of the spontaneous EEG activity recorded one second before the stimulus. A decrease of the frequency of the on-going EEG favoured the appearance of the high-amplitude early and late components of the evoked potentials and of the rhythmic afterpotentials. Conversely, the probability of appearance of low-amplitude EPs increased and that of RARs decreased when the frequency of the on-going EEG increased.

Animals↗

Synchronization of movement-related cerebral potentials for averaging.

A software-oriented technique is proposed for synchronization of the individual movement-related cerebral potentials on the basis of the first derivative of the mechanogram. All procedures are computer performed using neither trigger device nor time-reverse averaging later on. The main advantages of the technique over the trigger approach are demonstrated when determining onset of both commencement and termination of the sustained contraction. Besides the objectivity and high accuracy, the proposed technique gives an additional possibility to determine movement parameters together with cerebral potential characteristics and to sort out the movement-related EEG records in greater details.

Brain↗

Electrophysiological effects of propranolol and carbachol locally injected into nucleus raphe dorsalis in cats.

The effect of propranolol and carbachol injected directly into nucleus raphe dorsalis (RD) on the evoked potentials, their recovery cycles and on the spontaneous EEG activity recorded in the RD and the visual and somatosensory cortical regions was investigated. It was found that the changes in these electrophysiological parameters induced by propranolol and carbachol were similar and showed an increase in the excitability level in both the RD and the neocortex, mainly in the somatosensory cortex. The activating effect of carbachol was much more pronounced as compared with that of propranolol. The results are discussed in relation to the possible interactions between various neurotransmitter systems within the RD as well as to the data about the presumed role of this nucleus in some behavioral and/or electrophysiological manifestations. The findings suggest that raphe dorsalis participates in the regulation of the cortical excitability and apparently represents a system which modulates the transMission and integration of sensory information.

Animals↗

Brain potentials related to voluntary sustained effort.

The task of the present study was the investigation of the brain potentials while performing a complex motor task, including voluntary sustained contraction (thumb opposition to the index finger). The fast press of a transducer was sustained for periods of 1.5, 5 or 10 seconds, followed by fast release. Potentials related to the start of the contraction were registered (Bereitschaftspotential, N2, etc.) with considerable interindividual variability. The end of the contraction was preceded, too, by a slow potential, similar to Bereitschaftspotential, with prevailing positivity over frontal areas and negativity over postcentral areas; N2 at the release was well expressed, regardless of the polarity of the preceding slow potential. During the sustained contraction a steady positivity was registered. The presence of potentials related to the start as well as to the end of the voluntary effort suggests the existence of two separate commands. The positivity sustained throughout the contraction, strongly expressed frontally and decreasing postcentrally, implies a decisive role for central processes including the organization and preprogramming of the motor task, but not direct reflection of feedback kinaesthetic afferentation.

Action Potentials↗

Interaction of visual evoked potentials in groups of stimuli with different interstimulus intervals in cats. I. Experimental design. Dispersion analysis.

Quantitative estimation of excitability is performed at present in a pair of stimuli by studying the so-called recovery cycles. Random mixing of the interstimulus intervals and their appropriate grouping (grouped pairs) can provide new information about the course of excitability in time. An experimental setup is described in which by planning of the experiment (BIB-design) the interstimulus intervals are randomized and all components of the evoked potentials (EP) are placed under equal conditions with respect to the influence of the preceding intervals. The effects of the interstimulus intervals simultaneously on different components of visual evoked potentials in cats are estimated by means of dispersion analysis. The results show the existence of a significant effect only on definite amplitudes of the EP (predominantly with great latencies). The interactions of the effects of definite interstimulus intervals are determined, which permits the assumption of an interaction among different components of EP.

Animals↗

Brain macropotentials associated with distinct phases of voluntary sustained isometric contraction in man.

Brain potentials recorded from the scalp during voluntary sustained isometric contraction have been consistently found to accompany both the beginning and the termination of the contraction. This study attempts to evaluate the dependence of the potentials related to the voluntary termination of a sustained effort on the physical parameters of the motor task and also to further investigate the relationship between potentials related to the initiation and to the termination of action. Brain potentials from healthy male volunteers performing hand-grip squeeze were time-locked to (1) beginning of contraction; (2) execution of an additional effort; and (3) the moment of voluntary relaxation, and then averaged. The waveshape and amplitude of the entire potential curve preceding and following the decision to act were evaluated with best-fit mathematical approximation procedures. Few correlations between the various descriptive parameters of the three types of potentials were found. The brain potentials accompanying beginning of the contraction from state of rest differed significantly from those accompanying execution of an additional effort and both potentials preceding initiation of voluntary effort differed from potentials preceding decision to terminate the action. It is hypothesised that brain macropotentials are linked to separate underlying commands for initiation and termination of voluntary action.

Adult↗