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Biomedical subjects

J D Pickard

Publications and source records attributed to J D Pickard.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Redefining the functional organization of working memory processes within human lateral prefrontal cortex.

It is widely held that the frontal cortex plays a critical part in certain aspects of spatial and non-spatial working memory. One unresolved issue is whether there are functionally distinct subdivisions of the lateral frontal cortex that subserve different aspects of working memory. The present study used positron emission tomography (PET) to demonstrate that working memory processes within the human mid-dorsolateral and mid-ventrolateral frontal regions are organized according to the type of processing required rather than according to the nature (i.e. spatial or non-spatial), of the information being processed, as has been widely assumed. Two spatial working memory tasks were used which varied in the extent to which they required different executive processes. During a 'spatial span' task that required the subject to hold a sequence of five previously remembered locations in working memory a significant change in blood-flow was observed in the right mid-ventrolateral frontal cortex, but not in the anatomically and cytoarchitectonically distinct mid-dorsolateral frontal-lobe region. By contrast, during a '2-back' task that required the subject to continually update and manipulate an ongoing sequence of locations within working memory, significant blood flow increases were observed in both mid-ventrolateral and mid-dorsolateral frontal regions. When the two working memory tasks were compared directly, the one that emphasized manipulation of information within working memory yielded significantly greater activity in the right mid-dorsolateral frontal cortex only. This dissociation provides unambiguous evidence that the mid-dorsolateral and mid-ventrolateral frontal cortical areas make distinct functional contributions to spatial working memory and corresponds with a fractionation of working memory processes in psychological terms.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Monitoring of brain metabolism during aneurysm surgery using microdialysis and brain multiparameter sensors.

The aim of the study was to monitor brain metabolism during aneurysm clipping using microdialysis and multiparameter sensors, particularly to investigate the effects of temporary clipping of vessels. Microdialysis catheters (n = 10) and Paratrend brain multiparameter (O2, CO2, pH and temperature) sensors (n = 15) were inserted into the cerebral cortex via a specially designed triple bolt prior to craniotomy. Baseline brain O2 levels ranging from 15-45 mmHg (2.0-6.0 kPa) and glucose levels from 0.5-3 mmol l-1 were stable during uneventful periods. The mean lactate/pyruvate (L/P) ratio ranged from 32 to 65 (normal < 30), indicating a tendency towards anerobic metabolism in all patients. Overall, short periods of temporary clipping (< 3 min; n = 6) were well tolerated producing no significant reduction in brain O2 (pre-clip mean 23 mmHg (3.0 kPa) vs. post-clip mean 20 mmHg (2.6 kPa)) or elevation of the L/P ratio (pre-clip mean 42 vs. post-clip mean 43). Two patients with prolonged temporary clipping showed derangements in the Paratrend parameters associated with increases in the L/P ratio. The results demonstrated that the monitored variables remained stable during uneventful procedures, including transient temporary clipping, but adverse events such as prolonged temporary clipping resulted in pronounced changes in brain metabolism. Monitoring of metabolism during aneurysm surgery may be of benefit in selected patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Head injuries in four British neurosurgical centres.

An issue in the design of trials in traumatic brain injury is whether variation amongst centres in 'conventional' management could mask the impact of a powerful new pharmacological agent. We report the results of an observational study of 988 patients admitted to one of four British neurosurgical units between 1986 and 1988 within 3 days of a severe head injury. The centres fell into two pairs on the basis of the 'intensity' of management. In Edinburgh and Southampton, more frequent use of intracranial pressure monitoring, ventilation and osmotic diuretics was made than in Glasgow and Liverpool. The odds ratio for an independent outcome at 6 months in Edinburgh or Southampton, relative to Glasgow or Liverpool, controlling for case mix, was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.03-1.98, p = 0.033). Thus, there is weak evidence of an association between the approach to management and clinical outcome at 6 months.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1999

The continuous assessment of cerebrovascular reactivity: a validation of the method in healthy volunteers.

UNLABELLED: Using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, we investigated the moving correlation between slow waves in arterial blood pressure (ABP) and blood flow velocity (FV) at different levels of cerebrovascular vasodilation provoked by changing PETCO2. Fourteen healthy volunteers were examined. The FV in middle cerebral arteries, PETCO2, and ABP were recorded during normocapnia, hypercapnia, and hypocapnia. The moving correlation coefficients between ABP and mean FV (FVm) or systolic FV (FVs) during spontaneous fluctuations in ABP were calculated for 3-min epochs and averaged for each investigation, thus yielding the mean index (Mx) and systolic index (Sx). As a reference method, Aaslid's cuff tests were performed to obtain the rate of regulation (RoR). RoR, Mx, and Sx significantly depended on PETCO2 (analysis of variance, P < 0.00001). At high PETCO2, cerebrovascular reactivity was disturbed as reflected in RoR values of < 0.17/s for all volunteers and increased values of Mx (> 0.4 in 86% of volunteers) and Sx (> 0.2 in 79% of volunteers). Overall, there was a reasonably good correlation of both Mx and Sx with RoR (R2 = 0.65 and 0.58, respectively). IMPLICATIONS: Indices derived from the correlation between spontaneous fluctuations of blood flow velocity wave form and arterial blood pressure may be used for the noninvasive continuous monitoring of cerebrovascular reactivity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Cerebral vasodilatation causing acute intracranial hypertension: a method for noninvasive assessment.

Deep spontaneous vasodilatatory events are frequently recorded in various cerebral diseases, causing dramatic increases (A-waves) in intracranial pressure (ICP) and subsequently provoking ischemic brain insults. The relationship between fluctuations in CBF, ICP, and arterial blood pressure (ABP) is influenced by properties of cerebrovascular control mechanisms and the cerebrospinal pressure-volume compensation. The goal of this study was to construct a mathematical model of this relationship and to assess its ability to predict the occurrence and time course of A-waves. A group of 17 severely head-injured patients were included in the study. In our model ICP was derived from the ABP waveform using a linear signal transformation. The transformation was modified during the simulation by a relationship between ABP and flow velocity, i.e., by the characterization of the cerebrovascular bed. In this way the ICP could be calculated from the ABP waveform. This model was verified by comparison of simulated and directly measured ICP during A-waves recorded in seven of the patients. In all simulations, plateau elevations of ICP were well replicated. The mean absolute error between real and simulated ICP was 8.3 +/- 5.4 mm Hg at the baseline and 7.9 +/- 4.3 mm Hg at the top of plateau waves. The correlation coefficient between real and simulated increase in ICP was R = 0.98; P < .001. Similarly, correlation between real and simulated increase in pulse amplitude of ICP was highly significant (R = 0.94; P < .001). The mathematical model of the relationship between ABP, flow velocity, and ICP is of potential clinical use for the noninvasive detection of A-waves in patients in whom invasive ICP assessment is not conducted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Effects of brain ventricular shape on periventricular biomechanics: a finite-element analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A computer simulation based on the finite-element method was used to study the biomechanics of acute obstructive hydrocephalus and, in particular, to define why periventricular edema is most prominent in the anterior and posterior horns. METHODS: Brain parenchyma was modeled as a two-phase material composed of a porous elastic matrix saturated by interstitial fluid. The effects of the cerebrovascular system were not included in this model. The change in the shape of the ventricles as they enlarged was described by two variables, i.e., the stretch of the ependyma and the concavity of the ventricular wall. The distribution of stresses and strains in the tissue was defined by two standard mechanical measures, i.e., the mean effective stress and the void ratio. RESULTS: With obstruction to cerebrospinal fluid flow, the simulation revealed that the degree of ventricular expansion at equilibrium depended on the pressure gradient between the ventricles and the subarachnoid space. Periventricular edema was associated with the appearance of expansive (tensile) stresses in the tissues surrounding the frontal and occipital horns. In contrast, the concave shape in the region of the body of the ventricle created compressive stresses in the parenchyma. Both of these stresses seem to be direct consequences of the concave/convex geometry of the ventricular wall, which serves to selectively focus the forces (perpendicular to the ependyma) produced by the increased intraventricular fluid pressure in the periventricular tissues. CONCLUSION: The distribution of periventricular edema in acute hydrocephalus is a result not only of increased intraventricular pressure but also of ventricular geometry.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1999

Critical closing pressure in cerebrovascular circulation.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebral critical closing pressure (CCP) has been defined as an arterial pressure threshold below which arterial vessels collapse. Hypothetically this is equal to intracranial pressure (ICP) plus the contribution from the active tone of cerebral arterial smooth muscle. The correlation of CCP with ICP, cerebral autoregulation, and other clinical and haemodynamic modalities in patients with head injury was evaluated. METHOD: intracranial pressure, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity were recorded daily in ventilated patients. Waveforms were processed to calculate CCP, the transcranial Doppler-derived cerebral autoregulation index (Mx), mean arterial pressure (ABP), intracranial pressure (ICP), and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). RESULTS: Critical closing pressure reflected the time related changes in ICP during plateau and B waves. Overall correlation between CCP and ICP was mild but significant (R=0.41; p<0.0002). The mean difference between ABP and CCP correlated with CPP (R=0.57, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for prediction 25 mm Hg). The difference between CCP and ICP, described previously as proportional to arterial wall tension, correlated with the index of cerebral autoregulation Mx (p<0.0002) and CPP (p<0.0001). However, by contrast with the Mx index, CCP-ICP was not significantly correlated with outcome after head injury. CONCLUSION: Critical closing pressure, although sensitive to variations in ICP and CPP, cannot be used as an accurate estimator of these modalities with acceptable confidence intervals. The difference CCP-ICP significantly correlates with cerebral autoregulation, but it lacks the power to predict outcome after head injury.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Specific patterns of cognitive impairment in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Eleven patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) were selected from an initial cohort of 43 patients. The patients with NPH fell into two distinctive subgroups: preshunt, group 1 (n=5) scored less than 24 on the mini mental state examination (MMSE) and were classified as demented and group 2 (n=6) scored 24 or above on the MMSE and were classified as non-demented. METHODS: All patients were neuropsychologically assessed on two occasions: preshunt and then again 6 months postshunt. Group 1 completed the mini mental state examination (MMSE) and the Kendrick object learning test (KOLT). In addition to the MMSE and KOLT, group 2 completed further tasks including verbal fluency and memory and attentional tasks from the CANTAB battery. Nine of the 11 patients also underwent postshunt MRI. RESULTS: Group 1, who, preshunt, performed in the dementing range on both the MMSE and KOLT, showed a significant postoperative recovery, with all patients now scoring within the normal non-demented range. Group 2, although showing no signs of dementia according to the MMSE and KOLT either preshunt or postshunt, did show a specific pattern of impairment on tests sensitive to frontostriatal dysfunction compared with healthy volunteers, and this pattern remained postoperatively. Importantly, this pattern is distinct from that exhibited by patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. Eight of the nine patterns of structural damage corresponded well to cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are useful for three main reasons: (1) they detail the structural and functional profile of impairment seen in NPH, (2) they demonstrate the heterogeneity found in this population and show how severity of initial cognitive impairment can affect outcome postshunt, and (3) they may inform and provide a means of monitoring the cognitive outcome of new procedures in shunt surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The presence of subarachnoid blood following head injury is a significant risk factor for poor outcome. Treatment aims to prevent and treat secondary hypoxia, hypotension, intracranial haematoma, epilepsy and infection. There is good evidence for the benefit of nimodipine in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Its role in preventing cerebral ischaemia following trauma is currently under investigation.

Calcium Channel Blockers↗
PubMed1999

Vascular components of cerebrospinal fluid compensation.

OBJECT: The aim of the study was to assess how cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure-volume compensation depends on cerebrovascular tone. METHODS: In 26 New Zealand White rabbits, intracranial pressure (ICP), arterial blood pressure, and basilar artery blood flow velocity were measured continuously. Saline was infused into the cranial subarachnoid space to assess CSF compensatory parameters: the resistance to CSF outflow, the elastance coefficient, and the amplitude of the ICP pulsatile waveform. Infusions were repeated on two different levels of CO2 concentration in the arterial blood (PaCO2), at normotension and hypotension, and after the death of the animal. An increase in PaCO2 from a mean of 27 to 48 mm Hg was accompanied by an 18% increase in the resistance to CSF outflow (p<0.005) and a 64% increase (p<0.05) in the elastance coefficient. A decrease in arterial blood pressure from a mean of 100 to 51 mm Hg caused a 25% decrease in CSF outflow resistance (p<0.01) but did not affect the elastance coefficient. Postmortem, a 23% decrease in the CSF outflow resistance was associated with a 102% decrease in the elastance coefficient. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrovascular parameters have a limited but significant impact on CSF infusion studies. The vascular component of ICP may be identified as a significant factor contributing to this phenomenon. During infusion studies, physiological parameters influencing vascular conditions should be maintained as stable as possible.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Hemodynamic characterization of intracranial pressure plateau waves in head-injury patients.

OBJECT: Plateau waves of intracranial pressure (ICP) are often recorded during intensive care monitoring of severely head injured patients. They are traditionally interpreted as meaningful secondary brain insults because of the dramatic decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). The aim of this study was to investigate both the hemodynamic profile and the clinical consequences of plateau waves. METHODS: One hundred sixty head-injured patients were studied using continuous monitoring of ICP; almost 20% of these patients exhibited plateau waves. In 96 patients arterial pressure, ICP, and transcranial Doppler (TCD) blood flow velocity were studied daily for 20 minutes to 3 hours. Sixteen episodes of plateau waves in eight patients were recorded and analyzed. The dramatic increase in ICP was followed by a profound fall in CPP (by 45%). In contrast, flow velocity fell by only 20%. Autoregulation was documented to be intact both before and after plateau but was disturbed during the wave (p < 0.05). Pressure-volume compensatory reserve was always depleted before the wave. Cerebrovascular resistance decreased during the wave by 60% (p < 0.05) and TCD pulsatility increased (p < 0.05). Plateau waves did not increase the probability of an unfavorable outcome following injury. CONCLUSIONS: The authors have confirmed that the plateau waves are a hemodynamic phenomenon associated with cerebrovascular vasodilation. They are observed in patients with preserved cerebral autoregulation but reduced pressure-volume compensatory reserve.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Magnetic resonance imaging compatibility testing of intracranial pressure probes. Technical note.

There is increasing recognition that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy may provide important information in the assessment of patients with acute brain injury. However, optimum care of the acutely head injured patient requires monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP). Although many monitoring modalities have been integrated into commercially available MR-compatible systems, there have been no reports of commonly used intraparenchymal ICP sensors in an MR environment. The authors describe the use of an ICP micromanometer probe in an MR environment, with a fiberoptic connection that interfaces the probe with a commercially available MR-compatible monitoring system. Phantom studies were performed to demonstrate the safety and compatibility of the modified MR system at 0.5 tesla. The safety of the device was assessed in relation to its interaction with the static, gradient, and radiofrequency fields used in MR imaging. The MR compatibility was documented by demonstrating that its performance was unaffected by the operation of imaging sequences and by showing that there was no degradation of the diagnostic quality of imaging data obtained during ICP monitoring.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1998

Continuous monitoring of cerebrovascular pressure-reactivity in head injury.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebrovascular vasomotor reactivity reflects changes in smooth muscle tone in the arterial wall in response to changes in transmural pressure or concentration of carbon dioxide in blood. We have investigated whether slow waves in ABP and ICP may be used to derive an index which reflects reactivity of vessels to changes in arterial blood pressure. METHODS: A method for the continuous monitoring of the association between slow spontaneous waves in ICP and AP has been adopted in a group of 98 head injured patients. ABP, ICP and transcranial Doppler blood flow velocity (FV) in the middle cerebral artery was recorded daily (20 to 120 minutes time periods). A Pressure-Reactivity Index (PRx) was calculated as a moving correlation coefficient between 40 consecutive samples of values for ICP and ABP averaged over 5 seconds. A moving correlation coefficient between spontaneous fluctuations of mean FV and CPP (Mx), which was previously reported to describe cerebral blood flow autoregulation, was also calculated. In an additional 25 patients, PRx was calculated and recorded continuously along with mean ICP, ABP and parameters describing ICP waveform. RESULTS: A positive PRx correlated with high ICP (r = 0.366; p < 0.001), low admission GCS (r = 0.29; p < 0.01), and poor outcome at 6 months after injury (r = 0.48; p < 0.00001). During the first two days following injury, PRx was positive (p < 0.05) in patients with unfavourable outcome. The correlation between PRx and Mx (r = 0.63) was highly significant (p < 0.000001). Continuous recordings demonstrated that PRx was able to indicate individual thresholds of vascular reactivity for CPP, ICP, and ventilation parameters. CONCLUSION: Computer analysis of slow waves in ABP and ICP is able to provide a continuous index of cerebrovascular reactivity to changes in arterial pressure, which is of prognostic significance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Increase in transcranial Doppler pulsatility index does not indicate the lower limit of cerebral autoregulation.

INTRODUCTION: Transcranial Doppler pulsatility index was reported clinically to increase when cerebral perfusion pressure decreased, hypothetically marking the lower limit of cerebral autoregulation. We sought to investigate the relationship between pulsatility index, cerenbrovascular resistance, and cerebral perfusion pressure in various states of autoregulation in an animal model of moderate intracranial hypertension. METHOD: Eight New-Zealand White Rabbits were studied with basilar artery blood flow velocity (ultrasound Doppler) and cortical blood flow (laser Doppler) monitored continuously during subarachnoid saline infusion to increase intracranial pressure (< 55 mm Hg). Four animals demonstrated a stable cortical blood flow, and four demonstrated decreasing blood flow when cerebral perfusion pressure decreased. RESULTS: Pulsatility index showed the same pattern of increase when cerebral perfusion pressure decreased, independent on whether cortical blood flow was stable or falling. The percentage rate of increase in the pulsatility index was not different in autoregulating and non autoregulating animals. The rate of decrease in cerebrovascular resistance was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in non-autoregulating than in autoregulating animals. CONCLUSION: The increase in transcranial Doppler pulsatility index when cerebral perfusion pressure falls cannot be interpreted as a phenomenon able to mark the lower limit of cerebral autoregulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Assessment of cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with carotid artery disease using near-infrared spectroscopy.

The aim of this study was to assess Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a tool for testing CO2 reactivity in patients with carotid occlusive disease. One hundred sixty patients were examined (age range 44 to 85 years). Monitored parameters included transcranial Doppler flow velocity (FV), changes in concentration of oxy-(HbO2) and deoxy (Hb) haemoglobin, cutaneous Laser Doppler blood flow (LDF), endtidal CO2, ABP, and SaO2. Hypercapnia was induced using a 5% CO2 air mixture for inhalation. To estimate the skin flow contribution to NIRS during reactivity testing, the superficial temporal artery was compressed, and the NIRS changes in response to the fall in LDF recorded. FV and HbO2 derived reactivity values were related to the severity of the stenosis (p = 0.0001 and 0.021 respectively). The correlation between the two modalities was significant (r = 0.47, p < 0.000001). The average estimated skin contribution to NIRS changes was 16.5%. Reproducibility of HbO2-reactivity was similar but worse than FV reactivity (19.1% and 13.8% variation respectively). The clinical correlations improved when our method of correction for skin influence was used. NIRS shows potential as an alternative technique for testing CO2 reactivity in patients with carotid disease provided the conditions are carefully controlled and the contribution from extracranial tissue is taken into account.

Adult↗