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Biomedical subjects

M Hunter

Publications and source records attributed to M Hunter.

172 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Intermanual transfer in the monkey as a function of amount of callosal sparing.

The effects of commissure section, task difficulty and overtraining on the intermanual transfer of tactile learning have been examined. Twenty-one rhesus monkeys were allocated to 4 groups. One group was subjected to complete transection of the corpus callosum, massa intermedia and posterior commissure. Some of this group also sustained a cerebellar section. A second group received a similar division of the commissures but with part of the posterior body of the corpus callosum left intact. A third group received similar division of the commissures but with the posterior commissure left intact. The fourth group formed an unoperated control group. Animals with only the posterior commissure left intact showed little or no transfer. Animals with partial callosal lesions showed significantly greater transfer than animals with total transections, but were impaired relative to the unoperated controls. Estimates have been made of the number of callosal fibres left intact in the animals with partial callosal lesions. These estimates have been correlated with transfer. The correlation was significant on only one task. Neither task difficulty nor overtraining were found to affect transfer significantly. The comparison of transfer of the submodalities of size and roughness was inconclusive.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multi-barrelled K channels in renal tubules.

Most ion-channels have several kinetically distinct open and closed states. However, a number of groups have reported the presence of sub-conductance states within the open states. It is not clear whether these sub-conductance states represent a partially-occluded open state (with restricted diffusion), or whether they indicate the presence of parallel conductive units. Here we present evidence for the presence of four parallel, equally-conductive subunits that make up a K-selective channel in the apical membrane of early distal tubule in the kidney of Amphiuma. The overall open probability of the channel is controlled by a main gate, the kinetics of which can be described by a simple two-state (open or closed) model. This main gate acts either to occlude or to expose the four subunits in unison. The subunits seem to gate independently both of the main gate and of one another, their open probability obeying the binomial distribution.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patch clamp studies of the amphibian nephron.

Transepithelial transport, intracellular ion activities and membrane potentials are all affected by changes in the conductive properties of the membranes of polarised epithelial cells. Conventional electrophysiological techniques have already determined the major conductances of the apical and basolateral membranes of the various nephron segments. These conductances are presently being studied at the molecular level with the aid of the patch clamp technique. In the case of the amphibian nephron, single-channel studies have been carried out in the proximal and early distal (diluting) segments. Almost all of the channels described so far have been selective for potassium, and the properties of these channels are described in this review. In addition, the basic electrophysiological and transport properties of these two general nephron segments are briefly described. From the physiological stand-point, the results of single-channel studies are providing us with information concerning the regulation of the conductances by intracellular mediators, allowing us to make predictions about the effects of various perturbations on cell membrane conductances. On the other hand, biophysical analysis is giving information ranging from the voltage dependence and ion selectivity of the channels to clues concerning their submicroscopic structure.

Amphibians↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Left anterior lobectomy and category-specific naming.

Damasio and colleagues (1996) have proposed that the left anterior temporal region supports knowledge pertaining to living objects, whereas more posterior temporal regions play a critical role in naming nonliving things. Accordingly, one might expect that left-sided anterior temporal lobectomy should have a more profound effect on the naming of living as opposed to nonliving things. As part of a multicenter collaborative project, seventy-nine patients (all left-hemisphere speech dominant) were tested pre- and post-left-temporal lobectomy on a task that required naming of living and nonliving items equated for name frequency, familiarity, and visual complexity. Consistent with the proposals of Damasio et al. (1996), left temporal lobectomy impaired naming ability, particularly for living things. When individual outcomes were considered, twice as many patients showed a relative decline in naming living as opposed to nonliving things.

Adult↗