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Biomedical subjects

V Pizzella

Publications and source records attributed to V Pizzella.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Short-term brain 'plasticity' in humans: transient finger representation changes in sensory cortex somatotopy following ischemic anesthesia.

Transient rearrangements of finger representation in primary somatosensory cortex induced by an anesthetic block of the sensory information from adjacent fingers have been shown invasively in animals. Such a phenomenon has been now replicated in seven healthy human volunteers. Somatosensory Evoked Fields (SEFs) have been recorded during separate electrical stimulation of the 1st, 3rd, or 5th finger. Recordings were obtained in control conditions (stage A), following complete ischemic anesthesia of the 4 non-stimulated fingers (stage B), and after regaining sensation (stage C). SEFs were recorded using a 28-channel DC-SQUID magnetometer; a single position of the sensor was enough to identify the source of N20m, P30m and following components using the Equivalent Current Dipole (ECD) model. The amount of afferent input during stages A through C was monitored with surface electrodes placed on the nerve at wrist and elbow. No variation of the nerve compound potential was observed during stages A through C. In stage A, the localizing algorithm was able to discriminate the individual finger representation in accordance with the somatotopic organisation of the sensory homunculus. It was observed that the ECDs responsible for the cortical responses from the unanesthetized finger were significantly changing following a relatively brief period of sensory deprivation from the adjacent fingers. Such changes of the ECDs with respect to the control conditions were characterized by an increase in strength and deepening for the middle finger, and by a shift on the coronal plane for the thumb and the little finger (medial for the former, lateral for the latter). Such changes became progressively evident in stage B, but were persisting in stage C.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1994

Analysis of interhemispheric asymmetries of somatosensory evoked magnetic fields to right and left median nerve stimulation.

This paper represents the first neuromagnetic systematic investigation of the asymmetries between the sources activated in the right and left hemispheres after electric median nerve stimulation. We focused our attention on the location and strength of the equivalent sources activated in the primary somatosensory cortex contralateral to the stimulated nerve in the 50 msec post-stimulus epoch. The spatial coordinates of the equivalent sources did not differ statistically significantly in the two hemispheres. Minor individual asymmetries are shown to be related to the interhemispheric differences in the position of the central sulcus as revealed by MRI investigation. The equivalent sources were significantly stronger in the left hemisphere. When comparing the location of the generators across individuals, we show that interhemispheric differences fluctuate less than absolute values. A quantitative evaluation of these findings is also given. Based on these results, a normative data set has been established, to be used as a baseline in following up changes of interhemispheric asymmetries due to hemispheric lesions and subsequent cortical reorganization.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Neuromagnetic somatosensory homunculus: a non-invasive approach in humans.

The somatosensory homunculus has been identified during stimulation of median (at wrist and elbow), femoral, tibial and pudendal nerves of the left hemibody via the neuromagnetic imaging technique. The somatic representations of different body districts have been localized in the somatosensory cortex, by means of an equivalent dipole localization algorhythm. Dipole locations agree with the well-known somatotopic organization obtained with invasive techniques. The proposed method is, therefore, an important investigating tool for studies on normal and diseased subjects.

Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory↗
PubMed1991

Multichannel hybrid system for neuromagnetic measurements.

This paper describes progress toward the development of a 28-multichannel system for neuromagnetic measurements. A novel 'hybrid' design consisting of 16 first-order axial gradiometers and 12 first-order planar gradiometers was chosen, which optimises the use of the available cylindrical volume of the dewar tail. This configuration maintains the symmetry of the detected pattern with respect to rotation of a biomagnetic source located under the centre of the array and features a localisation power considerably better than an array of all first-order planar gradiometers. The detecting array permits simultaneous magnetic measurements over a circular scalp region of 16 cm diameter. The magnetic sensors used are Nb/PbAuIn DC SQUIDs fabricated at the IBM. The devices incorporate resonant damping resistors shunting the inductance, resulting in smooth flux-voltage characteristics and, consequently, very low noise figures in a flux-locked loop configuration. A simple and low cost electronic system has been designed and fabricated for the DC SQUID sensors.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1991

Localization properties of multi-sensor biomagnetic systems.

The recent development of large multi-channel biomagnetic systems, with 20-30 adjacent magnetic sensors, is marking a significant progress in the detection and interpretation of biomagnetic signals, and definitely traces a new avenue towards a proper assessment of the technique in the clinical field. Several technological problems are being solved, mainly concerning the reliability of the SQUIDs and of the superconducting assembly, as well as the criogenic dewar. Also the choice of the geometry for the gradiometers to be coupled to the SQUIDs has a fundamental importance, not only from a technological point of view, but also in that it affects the localization properties of the system. The major attractions and drawbacks of both vertical and planar configurations will be briefly reviewed and few practical suggestions to overcome some of the difficulties will be proposed.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1990

Evoked alpha- and mu-rhythm in humans: a neuromagnetic study.

We present the results of a neuromagnetic study on the spatial structure of brain rhythms enhanced by photic and somatosensory stimulation, as measured on the occipital, rolandic and frontorolandic regions in humans. It emerges that, while it is always possible to drive the cerebral activity during sustained stimulation at any given frequency, only certain specific frequencies can produce prolonged synchronization (i.e. the oscillating activity elicited by the repetitive stimulation continues well beyond its termination). In both studied modalities we were able to localize equivalent sources for the synchronized responses; their relationship with the known evoked responses is discussed. In the visual modality the synchronization was characterized by a potentiation of the subjects' alpha-rhythm. In the somatosensory modality synchronization was reflecting two different activities: one probably related to the rolandic mu-rhythm, the second suggesting the presence of two widely separated and time correlated sources possibly driven by a unique, deep clock. Possible implications for other studies of the dominant brain rhythms, or experimental checks on specific brain models, as well as of the visual and somatosensory evoked responses are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Neuromagnetic topography of photoconvulsive response in man.

The neuromagnetic method was applied to the study of photoconvulsive responses. The identification of specific magnetic field distributions over the scalp was achieved by; (a) a stimulation paradigm consisting of series of trains of flicker stimuli randomly presented to the epileptic patient, after eye closure, to get epileptic responses while avoiding seizures; (b) a novel procedure for data analysis, to select consistent responses. These patterns, when sufficiently stable in time and dipolar in shape, were used for source localization in the usual biomagnetic framework of the equivalent current dipole source representation. The results of this approach suggest that different specific cortical areas are repeatedly and randomly activated, involving mainly the frontal, occipital and temporal areas, often with a hemispheric prevalence.

Brain↗
PubMed1987

Study of focal epilepsy by multichannel neuromagnetic measurements.

A systematic investigation of several cases of focal epilepsy has been performed in an unshielded environment using a 4-channel neuromagnetic sensor. The localizations provided by the magnetic measurements have been compared with clinical evidence and confirmed by X-ray findings, and in one case also by intracranial surgery. The results show the importance of simultaneous detection of magnetic fields at different sites of the scalp in order to get a dynamic view of the epileptic activity and to detect multifocal activity unsuspected on the basis of the EEG investigation.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1987

Novel data analysis for synchronised spontaneous neuromagnetic activity.

A novel approach to neuromagnetic data analysis is presented. This technique is aimed at studying synchronised spontaneous activity (SSA) and has been used to resolve two different signals from one single evoked response, providing evidence for two possibly distinct sources. The data presented are consistent with a model that permits the generators of spontaneous activity to be synchronised by sensory stimuli.

Brain↗
PubMed1987

Improved procedure for neuromagnetic localisation.

We describe an improved algorithm for localising equivalent sources of biomagnetic fields in the human brain. The algorithm is an improvement over the sphere model in that it considers two distinct surfaces: an ellipsoid, to model the region of the skull on which the sensors are placed, and a sphere as the medium in which the current dipole model is considered. This allows us to easily correct the formula of the magnetic field in order to take better account of the true position of the sensor with respect to the subject's head.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1987

Neuromagnetic evidence of synchronized spontaneous activity in the brain following repetitive sensory stimulation.

Neuromagnetic measurements in the visual and somatosensory modalities reveal that, following repetitive stimulation, the brain persists in emitting synchronized after-discharges in the form of oscillations with highly specific spectral composition. In the visual modality, this rhythmic activity is centered at the frequency of the resting alpha rhythm and it is most readily induced by stimulation of the same frequency. This suggests that the phenomenon is due to synchronization of the generators responsible for the natural rhythms by the steady-state stimulation and that these generators behave as resonant oscillators. The phenomenon could then be referred to as Synchronized Spontaneous Activity (SSA). The discovery of this phenomenon has important implications for modelling the dynamics of normal evoked and spontaneous cerebral activity as well as for the understanding of pathological conditions such as photically induced epilepsies.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Neuromagnetic characterization of the cortical response to median nerve stimulation in the steady state paradigm.

Magnetic methods for localizing evoked neural activity in the human brain have been used to search for evidence of a functional organization in primary somatosensory cortex. We have found that in response to median nerve stimulation the deduced source for the evoked component with a latency of 45 ms lies at a depth in the central sulcus that depends on stimulus repetition rate, whereas the sources of the 20 ms and 24 ms components lie at a fixed depth. Moreover we have identified this 45 ms component with the dominant sinusoidal feature characteristic of steady state response.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Magnetic fields evoked by auditory stimuli: a normative study].

After outlining the fundamentals of biomagnetism and their possible clinical applications, the authors report the results of a normative study on auditory magnetic fields performed on 18 normally hearing subjects between the ages of 25 and 30. Having presented a thorough review of the literature, they then describe the recording technique employed, the dcSQUID biomagnetic system for signal detection, the shielded room, the characteristics of the stimulus. The auditory magnetic response is characterized by three main waves (P4Om, N100m, P200m) whose latency and amplitude values were calculated. Moreover, in order to localize dipolar activity, certain parameters, such as P and T, were taken into consideration. Localizations were made using a spherical volume conductor or with MRI, which was in any case employed in all the subjects. The waves, especially the N100m recorded contralaterally to the stimulus, showed a reduced latency and an increased amplitude when compared to those recorded ipsilaterally. Moreover, a systematic posterior shift of the N100m source into the left hemisphere with respect to the right one was detected. In conclusion, the authors emphasize the need to study electric as well as magnetic responses in order to better understand auditory cortical functions.

Acoustic Stimulation↗