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Biomedical subjects

H Witte

Publications and source records attributed to H Witte.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Heart rate fluctuations in rabbits during different behavioural states.

Heart rate fluctuations (HRF) were investigated in 18 adult female rabbits (Weisses Grosssilber) in chronical experiments at rest, during motor activity, passive and active avoidance. Pharmacological blockades of the neurovegetative transmission were used to determine the characteristics of neurovegetative mediation during the behavioural states examined. Mean heart rate was always increased during vagal blockade and decreased during beta-adrenergic blockade. At rest the HRF in rabbits are mainly vagally mediated. Vagal blockade reduced the overall heart rate variability by more than 50%. Vagal blockade did not abolish respiratory heart rate fluctuations. If the mean respiratory frequency is greater than half of the mean heart rate frequently occurring in rabbits, the respiratory HRF are generated not synchronously with respiration but in a slower frequency range according to the physiologic effect of "cardiac aliasing". The movement related heart rate increase was absent if the movements were performed during combined beta adrenergic and vagal blockade. The heart rate reaction during passive avoidance was characterized by a heart rate deceleration abolished by vagal blockade. Respiratory HR were increased. Furthermore, the heart rate was returned to the previous mean level and the slow HRF not induced by respiration increased, mediated by beta adrenergic activation. Vagal blockade and beta adrenergic blockade diminished the heart rate acceleration and reduced the overall heart rate variability by more than 50% during active avoidance. Combined vagal and beta-adrenergic blockade fully abolished the heart rate acceleration effect during active avoidance. The ratio of the vagal to sympathetic reaction components differed in behavioural types.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗

[Adaptative procedures for pre-processing of evoked potentials].

The investigation of evoked potentials requires suitable consideration of physiological and pathophysiological characteristics of spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of the brain. For this purpose a preprocessing strategy based on adaptive recursive estimation of statistical parameters was developed. In this way, artifact handling, classification, filtering and further preprocessing of spontaneous EEG and evoked potentials can be improved.

Algorithms↗

[EEG and evoked potential mapping].

By spectral EEG-mapping and EP-mapping, especially the topologic dimension of electrical brain activity can be evaluated for clinical use. On the other hand, this method allows the highest solution from all functional imaging procedures within the time dimension of brain activity. On the other hand, the ability of topological solution is limited. But the latter is probably better than hitherto assumed and surprisingly well at least regarding neonates. However, several methodological prerequisites described here must be fulfilled. From the pathophysiological point of view, the limits must be considered besides the diagnostic possibilities. Meanwhile, spectral EEG-mapping and EP-mapping are diagnostically used in all main fields of traditional EEG-analysis, like seizures and in the preadiagnostics of tumors a.o. Also in the diagnostics of cerebrovascular disease including transient ischemic attacks, the EEG-mapping and/or EP-mapping are useful within the total diagnostics. There is a similar situation in the diagnostics of degenerative brain disorders. But the significance of frequently described changes inpsychoses, partly also neuroses and other functional disorders is not clear. Altogether, this non-invasive, economically most favourable method for the functional imaging procedures in brain diagnostics is promising to extent the routine diagnostics also to a more precise manner.

Brain↗

Better quantification of neonatal respiratory sinus arrhythmia--progress by modelling and model-related physiological examinations.

A large interindividual variability of parameters quantifying respiratory sinus arrhythmia were found in a well defined group of healthy neonates during constant conditions of examination. Reasons for this can be found by means of a mathematical model which is based on physiological data. The results indicate sharp inconsistencies in the transfer function between respiratory movements and resulting respiratory sinus arrhythmia and are dependent on a relative frequency unit fN (ratio of mean respiration rate to mean heart rate). The values of the coherence (as a function of this relative frequency unit) between respiratory movements and heart rate are also distinguished by a systematic decrease from lower to higher fN values (fN = 0.1-0.5) and inconsistencies in modelling as well as in physiological examinations. The reasons for both effects can be demonstrated. The study is the basis of a new qualitative step of quantification of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in neonates by power spectral and coherence analyses.

Arrhythmia, Sinus↗

Cardiac aliasing--a possible cause for the misinterpretation of cardiorespirographic data in neonates.

Cardiac aliasing is a physiological phenomenon generating respiratory sinus arrhythmia in a frequency range lower than that of respiration if the mean respiration rate exceeds half of the mean heart rate. This was found in 8 out of 39 healthy fullterm newborns, 5 out of 33 fullterm and 3 out of 63 preterm newborns during intensive care. Quantification of cardiorespirographic data is considerably impaired in those cases when the mean respiration rate markedly exceeds half of the mean heart rate (two out of the 39 healthy full term newborns).

Arrhythmia, Sinus↗

Restricted cardiovascular and cerebral performance of intra-uterine growth retarded newborn piglets during severe hypoxia.

In 7 term born two-day-old intra-uterine growth retarded (IUGR) piglets cardio- and cerebrovascular, metabolic and EEG reactions were studied at rest and during severe hypoxia in comparison to 17 normal-weight piglets. In IUGR piglets even in control conditions a distinct cerebral blood flow (CBF) elevation, lower cerebrovascular resistance and oxygen consumption in the higher perfused brain regions at diminished arterial blood pressure were observed. Also the arterial glucose concentration was in the borderline hypoglycemic range, however, cerebral glucose delivery was nearly maintained. IUGR piglets survived a 1-h hypoxic period (paO2 = 25-30 mmHg) less frequently. The main reason was the distinctly restricted emergency reaction with a lack of arterial blood pressure increase and blood glucose elevation as well as a reduced (higher perfused brain regions) or absent CBF increase (lower perfused brain regions). Thereby, even in the early stage of hypoxia cerebral oxygen delivery in both brain compartments and oxygen consumption in the latter were decreased followed by a further decrease of the arterial blood pressure. The latter factor was essential for acute cardio-vascular-cerebral insufficiency.

Animals↗

[Pilot study of the spectral analysis of the bifrontal EEG in healthy and newborn infants at risk].

The importance of neonatal bifrontal EEG recordings which were easily obtainable during intensive care was tested to improve the possibilities of computer-assisted analysis and to characterize cerebral cortical function of newborns-at-risk. The EEG was computerized by spectral analysis in 9 healthy term newborns and 6 term newborns-at-risk according to the age related patterns. Surprisingly, newborns-at-risk with good outcome show significant higher EEG spectral power than controls. But a secure monitoring is unpossible by bifrontal recordings alone. It was concluded that: 1. the bifrontal EEG recordings should be replaced by at least two interhemispheric recordings for neonatal cerebral monitoring, 2. the pattern-related analysis is necessary and 3. the discontinuous EEG is most suitable to characterize newborns-at-risk.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗

Evidence of a previously undescribed form of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)--the physiological manifestation of "cardiac aliasing".

Within the fluctuations that occur in heart rate, there is a major component known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), which up to now has been defined as heart rate variability which is synchronous with respiratory movements. We have now discovered that RSA synchronous to respiratory movements is only one example of RSA. If a special relationship exists between mean heart rate (fHR) and mean frequency of breathing (fB) such that fB greater than 1/2 fHR, RSA can be observed in a frequency range which is lower than the frequency of breathing. The mathematical fundamentals of this physiological phenomenon are the same as those for the "aliasing"-effect in signal sampling. Therefore, we have called this phenomenon "cardiac aliasing". We have been able to experimentally demonstrate this, up to now unknown, phenomenon in adult rabbits and dogs as well as in human neonates.

Animals↗

A method for the biocybernetic physiological investigation of postural motor control and its disorders in children.

On a biocybernetic basis, a method for the investigation of human postural motor control with optimal multifrequent binary test-signals is described. The examinations presented demonstrate that a comprehensive and quantitative characterization of normal postural motor control and its disorders is possible by means of this method in children. The examination time is short, the motor task used is simple, and the load is physiologically adequate and standardized.

Child↗

Objective characterization and differentiation of sleep states in healthy newborns and newborns-at-risk by spectral analysis of heart rate and respiration rhythms.

Best parameters of power and coherence spectra of heart rate fluctuations (HR) and respiration rhythms (RR) were established to differentiate sleep states in healthy newborns and newborns-at-risk by means of multivariate variance and discriminant analysis. Nine healthy newborns and 20 newborns with low risk features were examined polygraphically. Long-term-variability of both HR and RR and coherence between HR and RR in the frequency range of 0.26-0.97 Hz, corresponding to Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, allow the best differentiation of neonatal sleep states S 1 and S2. Differentiation of healthy newborns and newborns-at-risk by these parameters was not possible. Thus, in studies dealing with low risk features in newborns sleep states must be previously classified. State 1 and 2 represent different autonomic organisations. State 1 is a neuro-vegetative, relatively stable state. State 2 shows cyclic increases of coherence between HR and RR within the frequency range of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia. These properties are related to autonomic brain stem functions and were absent in 6 out of the 20 newborns-at-risk.

Heart Rate↗

Differentiation of healthy newborns and newborns-at-risk by spectral analysis of heart rate fluctuations and respiratory movements.

Neonatal heart rate and its interaction with respiration were computerized by spectral and coherence analysis (FFT) to differentiate healthy newborns (n = 9) from newborns with mild neonatal risk (n = 20). An increased mean heart rate and decreased total variability have been found in newborns-at-risk. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia is diminished in newborns-at-risk possibly caused by an impairment of autonomic brain stem function. Furthermore, Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia holds a central position in differentiating healthy newborns and newborns-at-risk with and without neurological abnormalities during the first year of life. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia is diminished in newborns-at-risk showing these abnormalities. None of the parameters discriminates between the two groups of risk infants. The final prognostic value of our results must be confirmed in further clinical follow-up examinations.

Arrhythmia, Sinus↗

[Neuroautonomic organization of cardiac rhythm and of nonrhythmic oscillations in the frequency of cardiac contractions and respiration].

In 25 chronic adult rabbits, the functional organization of neurally mediated short-term rhythms and patterns of the heart rate (HR) were investigated. The respiration-unrelated arrhythmia seems to be vagally mediated only, being abolished with atropine. The respiration-related arrhythmia exists not only within the range of respiratory frequency but also in lower frequencies as discovered by spectral and coherence analysis. During motor activity, there is a systematic correlation among increasing premotor, motor and amygdaloid multispike activities, increasing HR and depressed HR-rhythms with limbic initiation of motor and concomitant autonomic patterns, "Immobile confrontations" alone produces vagally induced HR-decrease and increased amplitudes of vagal HR-rhythms with a concomitant cortical multispike depression, a mirror image of the autonomic patterns after nociceptive stimulation.

Action Potentials↗