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Biomedical subjects

Katsunori Matsuoka

Publications and source records attributed to Katsunori Matsuoka.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

An algorithm for detecting startle state based on physiological signals.

To construct safe workspaces or daily life environments, it is important to develop a technology for automatically recording dangerous environmental situations. Based on increased finger skin conductance and decreased instantaneous heart (pulse) rate, we developed an algorithm for detecting the startle state of humans when encountering dangerous situations. The parameter values in the algorithm were optimized by tuning them with experimental results obtained in a virtual reality system, in which dangerous scenarios were presented to 21 subjects. The detection sensitivity of the optimized algorithm was 100% during a static standing condition and also while cycling. The detection specificity attained 90% and 87% for the static and exercising conditions, respectively. The optimized algorithm was applied to a real world situation such as car driving, and relatively high sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 80% were obtained.

Adolescent↗

The effect of center frequency and bandwidth on the auditory evoked magnetic field.

Auditory evoked magnetic fields in relation to the center frequency of sound with a certain bandwidth were examined by magnetoencephalography (MEG). Octave band, 1/3 octave band, and 130 Hz bandwidth noises were used as the sound stimuli. All signals were presented at 60 dB SPL. The stimulus duration was 500 ms, with rise and fall ramps of 10 ms. Ten normal-hearing subjects took part in the study. Auditory evoked fields were recorded using a 122 channel whole-head magnetometer in a magnetically shielded room. The latencies, source strengths and coordinates of the N1m wave, which was found above the left and right temporal lobes around 100 ms after the stimulus onset, were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the middle frequency range had shorter N1m latencies and larger N1m amplitudes, and that the lower and higher frequency stimuli had relatively delayed N1m latencies and decreased N1m amplitudes. The N1m amplitudes correlated well to the loudness values in the frequency ranges between 250 and 2000 Hz. The source locations of N1m did not reveal any systematic changes related to the center frequency and bandwidth.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Effects of the critical band on auditory-evoked magnetic fields.

Changes in the bandwidth affect the perceived loudness of a stimulus even when the level of the stimulus remains fixed. If the bandwidth of a sound is varied while maintaining the overall intensity, the loudness remains constant as long as the bandwidth is less than the critical bandwidth. If the bandwidth is increased beyond the critical bandwidth, the loudness increases with increasing bandwidth. Human cortical responses as a function of stimulus bandwidth were examined by recording auditory-evoked magnetic fields. The results showed that the N1m magnitudes, that is, the estimated equivalent current dipole moments, increased with increasing bandwidth when the bandwidth was increased beyond the critical bandwidth.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Closed-loop analysis of cardiovascular variability in rats under restraint stress.

Causal transfer function analysis was applied to the heart rate variability and blood pressure variability in normotensive male Sprague-Dawley rats those were measured before, during, and after acute restraint stress. The causal transfer gain (CTG) from systolic blood pressure (SBP) to RR interval (RRI) and CTG from RRI to SBP were estimated. The mean value of the CTG from SBP to RRI in the low-frequency (LF) band (0.27-0.74 Hz) was significantly lower during the restraint period than during the baseline period and remained significantly lower during the recovery period. The mean value of the CTG from RRI to SBP in the LF band, in contrast, was significantly higher during the restraint period than during the baseline period, and during the recovery period it tended to return relatively rapidly to the baseline level. Arterial pressure tended to increase only at the onset of the restraint stress and then to decline not only during the restraint period but also during the recovery period, finally leveling off significantly below the baseline level. These results suggest that restraint stress suppresses the baroreflex control gain not only during the restraint period but also during the recovery period and that this results in the arterial hypotension during the recovery period.

Animals↗

Causal coherence analysis of heart rate variability and systolic blood pressure variability under mental arithmetic task load.

Causal coherence analysis based on a closed-loop bivariate autoregressive model was applied to heart rate variability and systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability during mental arithmetic tasks to clarify how mental task load affects the linear closed loop interaction between cardiac and vascular systems. Thirteen normal male subjects performed a mental arithmetic task, button press task, and rest task while measuring their RR interval (RRI) and SBP. The mean value in the low frequency (LF) band (0.04-0.15Hz) of the squared causal coherence function from SBP to RRI during the mental arithmetic task was significantly higher than during the other two control tasks. Conversely, the LF band of the squared causal coherence function from RRI to SBP during the mental arithmetic task tended to be lower than during the rest task. These results suggest that mental arithmetic tasks enhance linear causal coupling from the vascular to cardiac system, and conversely weaken that from the cardiac to vascular system.

Adolescent↗

Effect of prolonged free-walking fatigue on gait and physiological rhythm.

This study examined the ways in which gait patterns and physiological rhythms such as those of muscle activity (tibialis anterior (TA) and biceps femoris (BF)) and cardiac activity are affected by the fatigue induced by prolonged free walking. Twelve normal subjects who walked for 3 h at their preferred pace were divided into two groups according to whether their mean gait cycle time (reciprocal of stride rate) during the second 90 min was higher (Group A: n=8) or lower (Group B: n=4) than that during the first 90 min. For Group A, the level of subjective fatigue during the walking task was significantly higher and the heart rate at rest was significantly lower than Group B. In Group A, prolonged walking significantly decreased the mean power frequency of the electromyography from TA, increased the variability of gait rhythm, decreased the largest Lyapunov exponent of the vertical component of back-waist acceleration, and decreased the amplitude of the vertical component of back-waist acceleration. Taking the onset timings of these changes into account, we propose that subjects who tire easily during prolonged walking first show local muscle fatigue at TA followed by instability of gait rhythm and then they slow their gait rhythm to enhance local dynamic stability. For both groups we constructed a physical fatigue index described by linear regression of gait and physiological variables. When we compared the subjective fatigue level with the fatigue level predicted using the index, we obtained a relatively high correlation coefficient for both groups (r=0.77).

Adult↗

Visual-vestibular conflict induced by virtual reality in humans.

Conflicting inputs from visual and vestibular afferents produce motion sickness and postural instability. However, the relationship of visual and vestibular inputs to each other remains obscure. In this study, we examined the development of subjective sickness- and balance-related symptoms and objective equilibrium ataxia induced by visual-vestibular conflict (VVC) stimulation using virtual reality. The subjective symptoms evaluated by Graybiel's and Hamilton's criteria got gradually worse during the VVC. The objective postural instability was not observed during the VVC, but it occurred immediately after the VVC. There was a time lag between the subjective symptoms and objective ataxia induced by VVC. Our study suggests that the VVC inputs are processed in different pathways causing subjective autonomic symptoms and postural instability in humans.

Adult↗