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PubMed2004

Enhanced thermotolerance of photosystem II in salt-adapted plants of the halophyte Artemisia anethifolia.

Thermotolerance of photosystem II (PSII) in leaves of salt-adapted Artemisia anethifolia L. plants (100-400 mM NaCl) was evaluated after exposure to heat stress (30-45 degrees C) for 30 min. After exposure to 30 degrees C, salt adaptation had no effects on the maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (F(v)/F(m)), the efficiency of excitation capture by open PSII centers (F(v)'/F(m)'), or the actual PSII efficiency (Phi(PSII)). After pretreatment at 40 degrees C, there was a striking difference in the responses of F(v)/F(m), F(v)'/F(m)' and Phi(PSII) to heat stress in non-salt-adapted and salt-adapted leaves. Leaves from salt-adapted plants maintained significantly higher values of F(v)/F(m), F(v)'/F(m)' and Phi(PSII) than those from non-salt-adapted leaves. The differences in F(v)/F(m), F(v)'/F(m)' and Phi(PSII) between non-salt-adapted and salt-adapted plants persisted for at least 12 h following heat stress. These results clearly show that thermotolerance of PSII was enhanced in salt-adapted plants. This enhanced thermotolerance was associated with an improvement in thermotolerance of the PSII reaction centers, the oxygen-evolving complexes and the light-harvesting complex. In addition, we observed that after exposure to 42.5 degrees C for 30 min, non-salt-adapted plants showed a significant decrease in CO(2) assimilation rate while in salt-adapted plants CO(2) assimilation rate was either maintained or even increased to some extent. Given that photosynthesis is considered to be the physiological process most sensitive to high-temperature damage and that PSII appears to be the most heat-sensitive part of the photosynthetic apparatus, enhanced thermotolerance of PSII may be of significance for A. anethifolia, a halophyte plant, which grows in the high-salinity regions in the north of China, where the air temperature in the summer is often as high as 45 degrees C.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2007

Tonotopic distribution of short-term adaptation properties in the cochlear nerve of normal and acoustically overexposed chicks.

Cochlear nerve adaptation is thought to result, at least partially, from the depletion of neurotransmitter stores in hair cells. Recently, neurotransmitter vesicle pools have been identified in chick tall hair cells that might play a role in adaptation. In order to understand better the relationship between adaptation and neurotransmitter release dynamics, short-term adaptation was characterized by using peristimulus time histograms of single-unit activity in the chick cochlear nerve. The adaptation function resulting from 100-ms pure tone stimuli presented at the characteristic frequency, +20 dB relative to threshold, was well described as a single exponential decay process with an average time constant of 18.6+/-0.8 ms (mean+/-SEM). The number of spikes contributed by the adapting part of the response increased tonotopically for characteristic frequencies up to approximately 0.8 kHz. Comparison of the adaptation data with known physiological and anatomical hair cell properties suggests that depletion of the readily releasable pool is the basis of short-term adaptation in the chick. With this idea in mind, short-term adaptation was used as a proxy for assessing tall hair cell synaptic function following intense acoustic stimulation. After 48 h of exposure to an intense pure tone, the time constant of short-term adaptation was unaltered, whereas the number of spikes in the adapting component was increased at characteristic frequencies at and above the exposure frequency. These data suggest that the rate of readily releasable pool emptying is unaltered, but the neurotransmitter content of the pool is increased, by exposure to intense sound. The results imply that an increase in readily releasable pool size might be a compensatory mechanism ensuring the strength of the hair cell afferent synapse in the face of ongoing acoustic stress.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1994

Prediction of bone adaptation using damage accumulation.

The adaptation of bones to a change in function has been recognised for many centuries, but only recently have mathematical laws been proposed to describe it. One proposed mathematical law is based on the hypothesis that, after a change in load, the strain in the bone microstructure is regulated to a homeostatic equilibrium. Strain-adaptive remodelling has been used successfully to simulate bone adaptation around orthopaedic implants but the predictive capabilities are constrained because many empirical constants are required in the remodelling law (a reference stimulus, a zone of equilibrium stresses or 'lazy zone' and a parameter transducing macroscopic stresses to a tissue level stimulus). An alternative approach has been proposed. It is that bone adapts to attain an optimal strength by regulating the damage generated in its microstructural elements. The question is raised whether or not a mathematical law to predict the time course of bone adaptation can be derived for damage-adaptive remodelling in a similar way to the mathematical laws based on a strain stimulus. In the present study, the hypotheses required to develop damage-adaptive remodelling laws are proposed and a remodelling law to predict the time course of bone adaptation is derived. It is shown that this is an integral remodelling law which accounts naturally for the stress history to which the tissue has been exposed since formation. A simulation of the adaptive response of a bone diaphysis under a change in torsional load shows that the law gives physically reasonable predictions. The initial remodelling prediction is similar to strain-adaptive remodelling. However, in the later stages of remodelling, the predictions differ from strain-adaptive remodelling in that direct convergence to a homeostatic strain is not predicted. Instead, undershoot (in the case of a reduction in load) and overshoot (in the case of an increase in load) are predicted.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1985

Adaptation to apparent motion.

A spot alternating between two positions can produce apparent motion (AM). Following prolonged inspection, the AM degenerates into flicker. This adaptation effect was found to depend on spacing and timing; the probability of seeing motion during a 30-sec inspection period declined linearly with log spatial separation (over a range from 0.1 to 1 deg), and with log alternation rate (over a range from 2 to 4.5 Hz). Cross-adaptation, in which subjects were adapted to one alternation rate and tested at another, showed that low alternation rates gave stronger motion signals than high rates did. Adaptation to real motion (RM) strongly suppressed AM, which suggests that AM must be stimulating the same neural pathways as RM. Flickering spots (i.e. in-phase flicker) produced less adaptation than did a spot alternating between two positions (i.e. counterphase flicker), so the adapting mechanism must be responding to relative temporal phase. Embedding the adapting spots in configurations of other spots, which altered the pattern of perceived adapting motion without altering the local retinal stimulation, minimized the adaption, so the adapting mechanism must be responding to the path of seen motion. Adaptation can be used to measure the strength of AM and shows that AM is strongest for small separations, low alternation rates and high luminance contrast.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1986

Temporal aspects of spatial adaptation. A study of the tilt aftereffect.

Growth and decay characteristics of the tilt aftereffect were studied for aftereffects induced by normal or continuous adaptation routines, and for aftereffects induced by successive or spaced adaptation to the same or different orientations on an adapt-partial decay-readapt schedule. In the continuous adaptation condition, growth and decay of the aftereffect were logarithmic functions of time. There was no evidence for saturation after 30 min adaptation. Aftereffect decay following spaced adaptation progresses as by continuous adaptation, but an adapting stimulus introduced during recovery from previous adaptation is more effective on the time scale than when introduced to a fully recovered system, summing approximately linearly with the residual aftereffect and off-setting the recovery process to zero. A second adapting stimulus whose orientation is of opposite sign (ccw vs cw) induces a two-phased decay process consisting of an early cancellation and a later enhancement of the original aftereffect. A two-stage model of adaptation is proposed.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1994

Adaptation to second-order motion results in a motion aftereffect for directionally-ambiguous test stimuli.

The magnitude of the motion aftereffect (MAE) obtained following adaptation to first- or second-order motion was measured in two experiments using a nulling method. The second-order motion adaptation stimulus was composed of contrast-modulated noise produced by multiplying two-dimensional random noise by a drifting, 1 c/deg, vertical sine grating. The first-order motion adaptation stimulus was composed of luminance-modulated noise produced by adding, rather than multiplying, the sine grating and noise field. The test stimuli were directionally-ambiguous first- or second-order motion patterns composed of either two oppositely drifting sine gratings added to static noise or its contrast-modulated equivalent. The amplitudes of the two drifting components were manipulated such that as one increased in amplitude the other decreased in amplitude by the same degree. This technique was employed to estimate the null point at which the test no longer appeared to drift in the direction opposite the adaptation direction. In the first experiment all stimuli were equated for visibility by presenting them at the same multiple of threshold and all possible combinations of first- and second-order motion adaptation and test stimuli were examined. The results were similar for all conditions: following adaptation the amplitude of the test component drifting in the same direction as adaptation needed to be approximately twice that of the oppositely drifting component in order to null the perception of unidirectional motion of the test. In a second experiment, the effects of manipulating the amplitude (visibility) of the first- and second-order motion adaptation stimuli on MAE magnitude were investigated. This revealed an approximately linear relationship between MAE magnitude and the amplitudes of the adaptation stimuli. The results demonstrate that, contrary to the findings of several previous studies, adaptation to second-order motion does produce a substantial movement aftereffect. Cross-adaptation between first- and second-order motion stimuli also occurs under appropriate conditions and produces aftereffects that are comparable in magnitude when the stimuli are equated for visibility.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1996

Perceptual stability and the selective adaptation of perceived and unperceived motion directions.

Adaptation was studied in a paradigm in which the adapting stimulus was a variably biased version of a bistable apparent motion stimulus, a motion quartet, and the post-adaptation test stimulus was a "neutral" motion quartet. Either horizontal or vertical motion was perceived, never both at the same time. When only one of these was perceived during the entire adaptation phase of a trial, and the perceived motion was highly stable, adaptation effects were greater for the perceived than the unperceived motion directions (i.e., adaptation was selective to the perceived motion). However, when the perceived motion during adaptation was relatively unstable (i.e., when the perceived motion was more likely to spontaneously change directions), similar levels of adaptation were obtained for perceived as well as unperceived, but possible motion directions. Thus, adaptation occurs prior to the determination of which of the competing motion directions will be perceived. The relationship between the stability of the adapting percept and the selectivity of adaptation is explained in terms of differences in the activation of mutually inhibitory horizontal and vertical motion detectors.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed1990

The role of alterations in membrane lipid composition in enabling physiological adaptation of organisms to their physical environment.

It is clear from the literature reviewed that modifications in membrane lipid composition play a major role in the adaptation of diverse organisms to specific environments and physiological circumstances. Acyl chain and molecular species restructuring in phospholipids are the most ubiquitous adaptations to environmental insult, being implicated in membrane adjustments to temperature, pressure, water activity, pH and salinity. In contrast, other adaptations (e.g. modulation of anionic phospholipids (salinity adaptation), trehalose content (dehydration) and the PC/PE ratio (temperature acclimation] appear to be more context specific. Although the volume of correlative data relating membrane composition to environmental state is impressive, several questions must be explicitly addressed in future research if a mechanistic understanding of the role of lipids in fine tuning membrane function is to be achieved. These include: (1) Adaptation thresholds--How much environmental variation is required before an acclimatory response is initiated, and is the extent of membrane perturbation induced by such minimally effective stimuli similar for different stress vectors? Interspecific comparisons of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase of fish collected at different depths indicate that species must be separated in depth by a distance corresponding to a pressure difference of 20 MPa before pressure adaptation is evident. Assuming a dT/dP value of 0.23 (Table 1), a 20 MPa change in pressure corresponds to ca. a 5 degrees C change in temperature, which agrees well with the minimal temperature change required to elicit changes in the lipid composition of plasma membranes in kidney tissue of thermally-acclimating trout. A pressure of 20 MPa also corresponds approximately to the maximum depth from which deep sea animals survive being brought to the surface. Collectively, these observations suggest that the minimally effective stimuli for both temperature and pressure adaptation are similar. Comparable data are not available for other environmental variables. (2) Signal transduction--What signals are being sensed and how are they transduced into an adaptational response? In some cases, it is clear that the enzymes of lipid metabolism respond directly (either by a variation in catalytic rate or substrate preference) to variations in the physical environment in an apparently adaptive manner (e.g. refer Sections VI.A.1 and VI.B.2). It seems unlikely, however, that such direct effects can explain the totality of the adaptive capacity of organisms, especially given the evidence for the induction of desaturase synthesis in cold adaptation (refer to Section VI.A.2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

Adaptive response to ionizing radiation induced by low doses of gamma rays in human cell lines.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the adaptive response could be induced in human lymphoblastoid cell lines and human tumor cell lines. The time necessary for the expression of the adaptive response was also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three lymphoblastoid cell lines from ataxia telangiectasia (AT) homozygote (GM 1526), AT heterozygote (GM 3382), and normal individual (3402p) and two hepatoma cell lines, Hep G2 and Hep 3B, were used in this study. Experiments were carried out by delivering 0.01 Gy followed by 0.5 Gy of gamma radiation to the exponentially growing cells. The time necessary for the expression of the adaptive response was determined by varying the time interval between the two doses from 1 to 72 h. In some experiments, 3-aminobenzamide, a potent inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, was added immediately after the 0.5 Gy exposure. The cultures were fixed 30 min (for the G2 chromatid) and 6 h (for the S chromatid) after the 0.5 Gy exposure. Metaphase chromosome assay was carried out to score chromatid breaks as an end point. RESULTS: A prior exposure to 0.01 Gy of gamma rays significantly reduced the number of chromatid breaks induced by subsequent higher doses (0.5 Gy) in all the tested cell lines. The magnitude of the adaptive response was similar among the cell lines despite their different radiosensitivities. In the G2 chromatids, the adaptive response was observed both at short-time intervals, as early as 1 h, and at long-time intervals. In the S chromatids, however, the adaptive response was shown only at long-time intervals. When 3-aminobenzamide was added after the 0.5 Gy, the adaptive responses were abolished in all the experimental groups. CONCLUSION: The adaptive response was observed in human lymphoblastoid cell lines and hepatoma cell lines. The magnitude of the adaptive response did not seem to be related to the radiosensitivity of the cells. The elimination of the adaptive response with 3-aminobenzamide is consistent with the proposal that this adaptive response is the result of the induction of a certain chromosomal repair mechanisms.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2006

Adaptation of a recombinant xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to a sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate with high content of fermentation inhibitors.

Adaptation of a xylose-utilizing genetically engineered strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates by cultivation during 353h using medium with increasing concentrations of inhibitors, including phenolic compounds, furaldehydes and aliphatic acids, led to improved performance with respect to ethanol production. The remaining xylose concentration in the medium at the end of the cultivation was 5.2g l(-1), while it was 11gl(-1) in the feed, indicating that approximately half of the xylose was consumed. The performance of the adapted strain was compared with the parental strain with respect to its ability to ferment three bagasse hydrolysates with different inhibitor concentration. The ethanol yield after 24h of fermentation of the bagasse hydrolysate with lowest inhibitor concentration increased from 0.18gg(-1) of total sugar with the non-adapted strain to 0.38gg(-1) with the adapted strain. The specific ethanol productivity increased from 1.15g ethanol per g initial biomass per h with the non-adapted strain to 2.55gg(-1) h(-1) with the adapted strain. The adapted strain performed better than the non-adapted also in the two bagasse hydrolysates containing higher concentrations of inhibitors. The adapted strain converted the inhibitory furaldehydes 2-furaldehyde (furfural) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) at a faster rate than the non-adapted strain. The xylose-utilizing ability of the yeast strain did not seem to be affected by the adaptation and the results suggest that ethanol rather than xylitol was formed from the consumed xylose.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2007

Oculomotor plasticity: are mechanisms of adaptation for reactive and voluntary saccades separate?

Saccadic eye movements are permanently controlled and their accuracy maintained by adaptive mechanisms that compensate for physiological or pathological perturbations. In contrast to the adaptation of reactive saccades (RS) which are automatically triggered by the sudden appearance of a single target, little is known about the adaptation of voluntary saccades which allow us to intentionally scan our environment in nearly all our daily activities. In this study, we addressed this issue in human subjects by determining the properties of adaptation of scanning voluntary saccades (SVS) and comparing these features to those of RS. We also tested the reciprocal transfers of adaptation between the two saccade types. Our results revealed that SVS and RS adaptations disclosed similar adaptation fields, time course and recovery levels, with only a slightly lower after-effect for SVS. Moreover, RS and SVS main sequences both remained unaffected after adaptation. Finally and quite unexpectedly, the pattern of adaptation transfers was asymmetrical, with a much stronger transfer from SVS to RS (79%) than in the reverse direction (22%). These data demonstrate that adaptations of RS and SVS share several behavioural properties but at the same time rely on partially distinct processes. Based on these findings, it is proposed that adaptations of RS and SVS may involve a neural network including both a common site and two separate sites specifically recruited for each saccade type.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed2006

Adaptation of Salmonella spp. in juice stored under refrigerated and room temperature enhances acid resistance to simulated gastric fluid.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the acid resistance of Salmonella spp. adapted in juices stored under refrigeration and room temperatures to simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.5). Five Salmonella serovars, Agona, Gaminara, Michigan, Montevideo, and Poona were used in this study. Apple, orange, and tomato juices inoculated with five serovars were stored at refrigeration (7 degrees C) and room temperature (20 degrees C) for 24 h for adaptation. Acid resistances of serovars adapted in juice were determined in SGF at 37 degrees C. All acid-adapted Salmonella serovars in juices displayed enhanced survival time compared to non-adapted controls. Among serovars, S. Poona adapted in apple at 20 degrees C and orange juices at 7 and 20 degrees C showed >2.0 log cfu/ml survivors, while the other serovars decreased to non-detectable level or <2.0 log cfu/ml for 100 s in SGF. Unlike apple and orange juices, all serovars adapted in tomato juice survived with >2.0 log cfu/ml for 100 s. For D-values, all Salmonella serovars adapted in apple and tomato juice enhanced their acid resistances compared to orange juices. S. Agona adapted in tomato juice at 7 degrees C and S. Poona in apple juice at 20 degrees C had the highest D-values with 82.9 and 82.5s, respectively. Results showed that the adaptation in juice increased acid resistance in SGF and varied by serovar, juice type, and adaptation temperature. Therefore, this study indicates that the introduction of Salmonella spp. to an acidic juice environment during processing can enhance their ability to survive in a human stomach, possibly increasing the risk of a Salmonella outbreak by juice.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Scaling down motor memories: de-adaptation after motor learning.

Although adaptation to novel motor tasks is sometimes a very slow process, de-adaptation is usually extremely rapid. Such rapid de-adaptation is seen in dynamic learning in which subjects can take hundreds of movements to learn a novel force environment but only a few movements to de-adapt back to a normal or "null" force environment. We investigated whether this effect is unique to the null environment or reveals a more general rapid adaptation mechanism by studying how subjects behave when their dynamic environment changes. We observed that after learning a dynamic force field, subjects took longer to de-adapt when the forces were turned off than to adapt to a novel scaled-down version of the experienced field. This demonstrates that rapid adaptation is not unique to the "null" force environment. Moreover, we examined subjects' ability to adapt from a learned field to either a scaled down field or to a field in which the sign of the forces changed. Even though in both conditions the required change in force output was identical, subjects were significantly faster at adapting to the scaled down field. The result suggests that rapid de-adaptation reflects a capacity to scale down the relative contribution of existing control modules to the motor output.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2000

Response properties of slowly and rapidly adapting periodontal mechanosensitive neurones in the primary somatosensory cortex of the cat.

Periodontal mechanosensitive neurones in the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex are classified as either slowly or rapidly adapting. The responses of cortical neurones and their projection pathways were studied using mechanical and electrical stimulation of the teeth and electrical stimulation of the thalamic posteromedial ventral (VPM) nuclei and contralateral SI cortex. A total of 247 periodontal mechanosensitive units were recorded from the SI cortex in 35 anaesthetized cats, distributed mainly in area 3b: 14% were slowly adapting and 86% rapidly adapting units; 62% of the slowly adapting and 9% of the rapidly adapting units were single-tooth units sensitive to stimulation of only one tooth. The incidence of slowly adapting units with an ipsilateral receptive field was almost equal to that of slowly adapting units with a contralateral receptive field, and more than half of the units were directionally selective to mechanical tooth stimulation. The majority of rapidly adapting units had their receptive field in the contralateral teeth and were directionally non-selective to tooth stimulation. The latencies of the cortical responses of the slowly and rapidly adapting units were 7.3 and 10.7 ms, respectively, on electrical stimulation of the contralateral teeth, and 1.8 and 2.0 ms, respectively, on electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral VPM nucleus. From these findings, it is inferred that slowly adapting neurones are useful for discriminating the tooth stimulated, the stimulus direction, the stimulus intensity and the change of pressure applied to the tooth, while rapidly adapting neurones could function to signal initial contact with food or the opposing teeth.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prism adaptation and spatial attention: a study of visual search in normals and patients with unilateral neglect.

Visuomotor adaptation to a prism-induced lateral displacement of the visual field induces mild perceptual biases in healthy individuals and improves symptoms of unilateral neglect. The present study employed a speeded visual search task to test the hypothesis that prism adaptation induces an adaptive redistribution of selective spatial attention. In Experiment 1, 32 neurologically healthy, right-handed participants were adapted to a 150 prism-induced lateral (left or right) displacement of the visual field. Spatial attention was measured by search time and error-rate in unique-feature ("preattentive") and feature-absent ("serial") visual search tasks, before and after prism adaptation. The single target appeared at different locations within arrays of 12, 24 or 48 items. Contrary to the attentional hypothesis, the pattern of search performance across the display remained unchanged following prism adaptation. In Experiment 2, we tested four patients with unilateral right hemisphere damage on the visual search tasks, before and after adaptation to 15 degrees rightward-displacing prisms. All four patients showed a pathological gradient of spatial attention toward the ipsilesional side prior to adaptation. Consistent with the results from Experiment 1, the gradient in search performance shown by the patients did not change following prism adaptation. Taken together, these findings suggest that the perceptual aftereffects in normals and amelioration of unilateral neglect following prism adaptation are not mediated by an adaptive redistribution of spatial attention.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1987

Towards a general theory of adaptive walks on rugged landscapes.

Adaptive evolution, to a large extent, is a complex combinatorial optimization process. In this article we take beginning steps towards developing a general theory of adaptive "walks" via fitter variants in such optimization processes. We introduce the basic idea of a space of entities, each a 1-mutant neighbor of many other entities in the space, and the idea of a fitness ascribed to each entity. Adaptive walks proceed from an initial entity, via fitter neighbors, to locally or globally optimal entities that are fitter than their neighbors. We develop a general theory for the number of local optima, lengths of adaptive walks, and the number of alternative local optima accessible from any given initial entity, for the baseline case of an uncorrelated fitness landscape. Most fitness landscapes are correlated, however. Therefore we develop parts of a universal theory of adaptation on correlated landscapes by adaptive processes that have sufficient numbers of mutations per individual to "jump beyond" the correlation lengths in the underlying landscape. In addition, we explore the statistical character of adaptive walks in two independent complex combinatorial optimization problems, that of evolving a specific cell type in model genetic networks, and that of finding good solutions to the traveling salesman problem. Surprisingly, both show similar statistical features, encouraging the hope that a general theory for adaptive walks on correlated and uncorrelated landscapes can be found. In the final section we explore two limits to the efficacy of selection. The first is new, and surprising: for a wide class of systems, as the complexity of the entities under selection increases, the local optima that are attainable fall progressively closer to the mean properties of the underlying space of entities. This may imply that complex biological systems, such as genetic regulatory systems, are "close" to the mean properties of the ensemble of genomic regulatory systems explored by evolution. The second limit shows that with increasing complexity and a fixed mutation rate, selection often becomes unable to pull an adapting population to those local optima to which connected adaptive walks via fitter variants exist. These beginning steps in theory development are applied to maturation of the immune response, and to the problem of radiation and stasis. Despite the limitations of the adaptive landscape metaphor, we believe that further development along the lines begun here will prove useful.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multiple mechanisms of spike-frequency adaptation in motoneurones.

Spike-frequency adaptation is the continuous decline in discharge rate in response to a constant stimulus. We have described three distinct phases of adaptation in rat hypoglossal motoneurones: initial, early and late. The initial phase of adaptation is over in one or two intervals, and is primarily due to summation of the calcium-activated potassium conductance underlying the medium duration afterhyperpolarization (mAHP). The biophysical mechanisms underlying the later phases of adaptation are not well understood. Two of the previously-proposed mechanisms for adaptation are an increase in outward current flowing through calcium-activated potassium channels and increasing outward current produced by the electrogenic sodium-potassium pump. We found that neither of these mechanisms are necessary for the expression of the early and late phases of adaptation. The magnitude of the initial phase of adaptation was reduced when the calcium in the external solution was replaced with manganese, but the magnitudes of the early and late phases were consistently increased under these conditions. Partial blockade of the sodium-potassium pump with ouabain had no significant effect on any of the three phases of adaptation. Our current working hypothesis is that the magnitude of late adaptation depends upon the interplay between slow inactivation of sodium currents, that tends to decrease discharge rate, and the slow activation or facilitation of a calcium current that tends to increase discharge rate. Adaptation is often associated with a progressive decrease in the peak amplitude and rate of rise of action potentials, and a computer model that incorporated slow inactivation of sodium channels reproduced this phenomenon. However, the time course of adaptation does not always parallel changes in spike shape, indicating that the progressive activation of another inward current might oppose the decline in frequency caused by slow sodium inactivation.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2002

Modality-specific facilitation and adaptation to painful tonic stimulation in humans.

The study assessed the influence of stimulus modality on adaptation or facilitation of pain during tonic cold and tourniquet pressure stimulation. Experimental set-up for the cold stimulation consisted of a thermo-tank with water, cooled to 3 degrees C, circulation pump, electronic thermometer and an electronic 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS). Experimental set-up for the tonic pressure stimulation consisted of a pneumatic tourniquet cuff, a computer-controlled air compressor, and an electronic VAS. The first experiment assessed temporal profiles of pain intensity and skin temperature during immersion of the non-dominant hand and lower arm into cold water for 3 min or until the pain tolerance limit was reached. The second experiment assessed temporal profile of cuff pain intensity during constant compressions for 10 min beginning at pain intensities of 2, 4, and 6 cm on the VAS ("VAS 2", "VAS 4" and "VAS 6" sessions). Subjects enduring cold stimulation for less than 3 min were defined as non-adapting to cold and vice versa. The intensity of cold pain in non-adapting subjects increased significantly faster than in adapting subjects and reached significantly higher magnitude. The course of pain intensity during constant compression, estimated by a linear regression line, was increasing or decreasing, representing facilitation or adaptation of pain, respectively. The typical profile of adaptation consisted of an "overshoot" in pain intensity, followed by a decrease in pain intensity. There was significant correlation in VAS slopes between sessions separated by 2-5 days, suggesting consistent pattern in pain responses to tonic pressure stimulation. Adaptation or facilitation rates and the overshoot magnitude were dependent on the initial pain intensity (2, 4, or 6 cm on the VAS). The facilitation rate was highest and the adaptation rate was lowest during the "VAS 2" session, while the facilitation rate was lowest and the adaptation rate was highest during the "VAS 6" session. The overshoot magnitude was lowest during "VAS 6" session. Adapting and non-adapting/facilitating responses to cold and to pressure during "VAS 6" session were not correlated, suggesting that pain course and therefore stimulus tolerance during tonic stimulation are modality-specific. The results of the study suggest that tolerance of tonic painful pressure and cold stimulations is specific to stimulus modality and may represent separate nociceptive mechanisms.

Adaptation, Physiological↗