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Biomedical subjects

T S Miles

Publications and source records attributed to T S Miles.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

The temporomandibular joint: some biological considerations.

The physiological mechanisms operating through the temporomandibular joint in the perception of changes in the position of the mandible can determine extremely small discrepancies in the final occlusal position. Some observations on the pathways of neural control and reflexes are discussed and their importance in clinical situations noted.

Animals↗

Meiosis: a prostaglandin response that is not inhibited by aspirin.

Antidromic stimulation of the sensory nerve to the rabbit eye produces pupillary meiosis, supposedly by release of prostaglandins into the aqueous humour. The analogy between this phenomenon and neurogenic inflammation is drawn. It is shown that aspirin and indomethacin, known blockers of prostaglandin synthesis and release, fail to block the meiosis thus produced.

Animals↗

Organization of climbing fibre projections to the cerebellar cortex from trigeminal cutaneous afferents and from the SI face area of the cerebral cortex in the cat.

1. In cats anaesthetized with pentobarbitone, the projection of climbing fibres (CFs) to the cerebellar cortex from trigeminal cutaneous branches and from the face area of the sensorimotor (SI) cortex was mapped, using the technique of laminar field potential analysis. 2. The CF projections from both the trigeminal nerve and the SI face area were found to be localized to the same cerebellar folia, viz. chiefly the ipsilateral lobule HVI, with a small overlap on to the adjacent folia of lobule V and crus Ia of HVIIA. Frequently a projection from the superficial radial nerve to part or all of this area, was also found. 3. A correspondence in the distribution and amplitudes of CF potentials evoked at most points by stimulation of the trigeminal nerve and the SI cortex was found. This implies a convergence of afferents from these two sources at or before the inferior olive. 4. In more than half of the cats, a small area of the cerebellar hemisphere was found, in which contralateral as well as ipsilateral trigeminal stimulation would evoke CF potentials. Usually inputs from the superficial radial nerve and the SI cortex also converged upon this area. 5. The organization of CF projections from trigeminal and superficial radial nerve afferents to the cerebellar hemisphere was found to occur in the same 'patchy' pattern of somatotopy that has been described for spinal nerve inputs to the anterior lobe. 6. One constant factor was found in the pattern of organization of CF projections to this area from cutaneous afferent nerves. That is, only the afferents from overlapping areas of skin projected to a given recording point: no instance of CF projections from trigeminal branches innervating discontinuous skin areas was observed.

Animals↗

Climbing fibre inputs to cerebellar Purkinje cells from trigeminal cutaneous afferents and the SI face area of the cerebral cortex in the cat.

1. An investigation was made of climbing fibre (CF) activity evoked in single Purkinje cells in the cerebellum by electrical stimulation of trigeminal cutaneous afferents, the face area of the SI cortex, and the superficial radial nerve, in Nembutal-anaesthetized cats. In addition, both the extent of the cutaneous receptive fields of individual Purkinje cells on the face and the CF responses evoked in these cells by controlled natural stimulation were examined. 2. The pattern of convergence from these inputs on to individual Purkinje cells was found to be complex. DF responses were evoked in 67% of trigeminally-activated cells by electrical stimulation of more than one trigeminal branch. An excitatory CF convergence from the face area of the SI cortex was found on 68% of trigeminally activated cells; 23% also responded to stimulation of the superficial radial nerve. 3. In 81% of the Purkinje cells which were activated by trigeminal nerve stimulation, CF responses were readily elicited by gentle mechanical stimulation of the facial skin. A qualitative relationship was established between the size of the peripheral field of a Purkinje cell, and the probability of convergence on to that cell from the SI cortex. 4. Recordings were made from a limited number of Purkinje cells which were responsive to electrical stimulation of bilateral trigeminal branches and the superficial radial nerve. However, CF responses in these cells often could be elicited only by high intensity stimulation. It is suggested that these cells are analogous to, or perhaps an extension of the population of Purkinje cells described in the anterior lobe which are excited via the ventral funiculus pathway in the spinal cord only by stimulation of 'flexor reflex afferents' in bilateral limb nerves.

Animals↗

A technique for the controlled fracture of micropipette electrode tips.

A method is described for the controlled fracture of electrolyte-filled micropipette electrodes, so that their tip diameter and DC resistance becomes suitable for extracellular recording from individual neurones. The technique is simple and has a low wastage rate. The apparatus used is that employed in conventional microelectrode recording.

Animals↗

Design for a rat spinal investigation unit and a procedure for laminectomy in the rat.

The spinal cord of the laboratory rat is suitable for a variety of physiological and pharmacological studies. Specifications are given for a frame which holds anesthetized or decerebrate rats so that recordings of the electrical activity of single neurons in the rat spinal cord can be made. The frame is also used to support the animal while the laminectomy is performed.

Animals↗

Studies of stimulus-evoked responses in single motoneurones in humans.

Surface electromyography (EMG) has been a powerful technique for studying reflex and other stimulus-evoked responses in the human nervous system. However, important additional insights can be gained into the operation of neural circuits by studying the responses of single motor units to various stimuli. In this paper, some of the advantages of single motor unit recording will be canvassed, and some examples of the application to this method to the study of reflex responses to sensory stimuli and brain stimulation will be presented.

Electric Stimulation↗