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Biomedical subjects

R A Andersen

Publications and source records attributed to R A Andersen.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

The efferent projections of the central nucleus and the pericentral nucleus of the inferior colliculus in the cat.

The efferent projections of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) and the pericentral nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICP) were examined by placing restricted injections of anterograde tracers at electrophysiologically defined loci in the inferior colliculus (IC) of the cat. It was found that single loci in the ICC projected bilaterally onto the ventral division of the medial geniculate body (MGB) in the form of caudorostrally oriented sheets of terminals. The ICC loci also projected bilaterally onto the MGB in the form of caudorostrally oriented columns of terminals; these columns had their caudal aspects located in the medial and their rostral aspects located in the deep dorsal nucleus of the dorsal division. The caudal aspect of the sheets of terminals in the ventral division was folded and passed through both pars lateralis and pars ovoidea of the ventral division. Every component of the ICC-to-MGB projection was cochleotopically ordered. Periodic discontinuities of two types were noted in the projections of ICC onto pars lateralis (VI) of the ventral division. The one type of periodic discontinuity sometimes approximated bands oriented caudorostrally in the caudal aspect of VI. The second type of discontinuity was of very thin parallel columns of more intense labeling oriented rough dorsoventrally and oblique or normal to the first type of discontinuity. Injections in the ICP produced autoradiographic labeling in the caudal dorsal nucleus (Dc) of the dorsal division of the MGB. Thus the ICC-to-MGB and ICP-to-MGB projections are segregated. The efferent connections of the IC with other brainstem auditory structures were noted.

Animals↗

The topographic organization of corticocollicular projections from physiologically identified loci in the AI, AII, and anterior auditory cortical fields of the cat.

The connections of the three auditory fields AI, AII, and the anterior auditory field (AAF) with the inferior colliculus (IC) were studied using anterograde tracing techniques. Microinjections of tracers were placed at physiologically identified loci after these fields had been functionally mapped using microelectrode recording techniques. This methodology ensured that the injections were well within the borders of each cortical field that was studied and enabled the elucidation of the topographies of the projections of AI and AAF onto the IC with respect to their cochleotopic organizations. The projection of loci in AI to the caudal aspect of the IC was in the form of sheets of terminals in the dorsomedial division of the central nucleus bilaterally and the pericentral nucleus ipsilaterally. The topography of projection with respect to the cochleotopic organizaton of AI appeared to be in register with the described cochleotopic organization of the central nucleus and the pericentral nucleus. The sheets of labeled terminals in the dorsemedial division of the central nucleus that resulted from the projection of single loci in AI were of the proper orientation to be continuous with the morphological laminae described in the ventrolateral division of the central nucleus. These sheets of corticocollicular terminals also paralleled the dorsomedial aspect of the physiolocally defined "isofrequency contours" of the central nucleus. Single injections placed in AAF produced autoradiographic label in the IC that was of the same basic pattern and systematic topography as the labeling recorded with AI injections; however, it was much weaker. The projection from AII was to the lateral (ipsilateral) and medial (bilateral) aspects of the pericentral nucleus.

Animals↗

Solubilization of frog brain and retina cholinesterase and studies of different molecular forms.

1. The cholinesterase (ChE) of frog brain and retina could be easily solubilized. About 10% of the brain and 20% of the retina ChE were found to be soluble in 0.05 M phosphate buffer. After treatment with 0.5% (v/v) Triton X-100, about 30% of the total ChE activity of the brain and only 10% for retina was left particle bound. NaCl by itself did not solubilize ChE. Use of higher NaCl concentrations in combination with Triton X-100 as well as higher detergent concentrations alone seemed to cause an inhibiting effect of the solubilized ChE from retina. 2. The solubilized ChE from brain as well as retina were electrofocused as one main activity peak, corresponding to isoelectric points of pH 6.1 and 6.0, respectively. A second molecular form at pH 5.9 was distinguishable for the brain, but not for retina ChE. 3. Sucrose gradient centrifugation indicated that the ChE solubilized from the brain and retina consists of two molecular forms exhibiting S values of 5.1 +/- 0.24, 10.9 +/- 0.33 and 6.1 +/- 0.30, 10.9 +/- 0.43, respectively. After solubilization by higher Triton X-100 concentrations the soluble extracts from brain and retina seemed to contain the activity of these forms in different proportions. 4. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separated three molecular forms of the brain ChE. One of these forms was found to have a molecular weight of 394,000 +/- 20,000. The others were found to have an identical molecular weight of 550,000 +/- 10,000. Two molecular forms exhibiting molecular weights of 292,000 +/- 10,000 and 470,000 +/- 10,000, could be separated for retina.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Some features of the spatial organization of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus of the cat.

A series of neuroanatomical and neurophysiological experiments have been conducted within the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) of the cat in order to determine some features of the spatial organization of the nucleus. Results from these experiments have demonstrated: (1) the origins of the auditory brain stem afferents to ICC and the topography of those projections in relation to the cochleotopic organization of ICC; (2) the segregation of at least some of those brain stem projections within ICC; and (3) ICC neurons with similar response properties (response properties which are often similar or identical to those of neurons in brain stem auditory nuclei) are often clustered within the nucleus. These results provide evidence that the laminated division of the ICC probably consists of anatomically, physiologically, and functionally distinct subdivisions and that some aspects of auditory sensation may be encoded or represented separately (i.e., in spatially distinct "regions") within the nucleus.

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Oxygen-dependent chemical tumorigenesis in a Nicotiana hybrid: inhibition by ascorbic acid and dinitrophenol.

Aqueous solutions of molecular oxygen, per se, or in combination with either pyrogallol or 6-azauracil increased tumorigenesis in Nicotiana suaveolens X Nicotiana langsdorffii seedlings relative to control seedlings. The biological activities of the organic chemicals were O2-dependent, because the substitution of N2 or O2 or the degassing of 0.1-1 mM solutions of the compounds eliminated or greatly reduced their tumorigenic effects. Rates of tumorigenesis exceeded 95% for 0.5 mM solutions of either pyrogallol or 6-azauracil solutions in the presence of l mM O2. Although tumors developed in 20% of seedlings in the presence of 1 mM O2, alone, 4-5 times more tumors were induced by the organic chemical--O2-H2O systems. Dinitrophenol and ascorbic acid, compounds which affect cellular respiration or redox systems, strongly inhibited the chemically-mediated tumorigenesis. Dinitrophenol was equally effective at one-tenth of the molar concentrations of ascorbic acid that were required for the suppressions of oncogenesis. Dehydroascorbic acid was much less inhibitory than ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic Acid↗