Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “CONSCIOUSNESS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,711 records · Page 95Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Once more onto the couch: consciousness and preconscious defenses in psychoanalysis.

Use of the couch in the analytic situation has a unique impact on the consciousness of both participants in the process. The hypnagogic state of the supine analysand and its resonance with the empathic reverie of the unseen analyst are explored, with a focus not on the contents of analysts' countertransferential associations, but on the diverse but converging modes in which they represent their patients' verbal productions. A clinical example is presented to illustrate the interplay between the patient's and the analyst's imaginations, an understanding of which does away with the false dichotomy between defense analysis and empathic responsiveness. The importance of a patient's conscious and preconscious defenses in the here-and-now transference (suppression, "marginalization," disavowal, negation) is also noted, as is the relation of these defenses to unconscious secondary repression.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Conscious sedation: an alternative to general anesthesia.

Conscious sedation, a drug-induced state in which the conscious patient is rendered free of anxiety and apprehension, may be a suitable alternative to general anesthesia when coupled with the judicious application of local anesthesia. In this manner both aspects of pain - perception and reaction - may be effectively controlled.

Anesthesia, Dental↗
PubMed1995

Man's triune conscious mind: Part III.

The perceptual model, discussed previously in Part II, is applied to the organization of the visual cortex in a search for "consciousness neurons," i.e., sources of sensations, images, and percepts. It is hypothesized that these three conscious phenomena emerge in the primary visual cortex, Area V1, possibly from neurons in its Layer 4.

Cognition↗
PubMed2005

Health as expanding consciousness: seven women living with multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.

The meaning of health as expanding consciousness is explored through stories of seven women who developed multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis during their lives. Using Newman's hermeneutic-dialectic approach, unstructured interviews were conducted over a 2-year period. Analysis and interpretation of narratives concerning person-environment interactions revealed turning points and separate choice points before four new ways of living including finding simple pleasures, being positive, gaining self-control, and self-differentiation, were found. Support for Newman's stages of expanding consciousness and more comprehensive descriptions of self-transcendence in space and time are presented. Implications for theory development and theory-guided practice are offered.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Death as a transformation of wholeness: an "aha" experience of health as expanding consciousness.

A nurse-patient clinical experience is presented from a unitary transformative perspective. The experience is interpreted through Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness. A brief description of Newman's theory is given in order to provide the reader with Newman's key terms and fundamental philosophical principles. The nurse-patient healing partnership is explained using Newman's terminology and theory of health as expanding consciousness. The purpose of this article is to advance the critical importance of uncompromised and nonfragmented nursing care in partnership with the irreducible whole person.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Consciousness: how does it relate to health?

The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept consciousness as it relates to human health and invite nurses to examine a variety of perspectives on the concept that may influence practice, education, and research. A review of American nursing, medical, psychological, and philosophical literature reveals a considerable range of theories that seem to connect, forming a broad foundation for further study. Initial analysis of the concept yields a working definition that consciousness is the fundamental and thoroughly pervasive implicit field of all existence, both seen and unseen. Additionally, the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association human response patterns were found to provide a useful set of empirical referents. Further exploration and testing of these referents may stimulate important insights into the fundamental domains of nursing.

Consciousness↗
PubMed1997

Excessive daytime sleepiness associated with idiopathic alterations of consciousness.

Sleep/wake patterns were recorded by continuous 24-hour ambulatory polysomnography in 339 patients, who had episodes of altered consciousness. Patients were recorded while they were outside the hospital. From a seven-channel montage of electrodes affixed below the hairline, sleep polygraphic EEG was easily read from T3-T4, EOG from F2-F8 and EMG from T3-T6. Sleep was staged by analysis of aural signals on 60 times real time playback, augmented by continuous visual display and selected frozen frames. Patient major sleep period patterns reflected those reported for general populations. Unexpectedly, 47% of the patients took daytime naps and 44% of the nappers took more than one nap. Naps had a mean duration of 71 minutes. Those who took no naps slept significantly longer at night by 23 min. Napping reduced night sleep much more in patients who did not take CNS-acting medications. We conclude that excessive sleepiness may in part explain complaints of episodically altered consciousness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Consciousness, information processing and schizophrenia.

The symptoms of schizophrenia can be interpreted as the result of a defect in the mechanism that controls and limits the contents of consciousness. This defect can be understood as excessive self-awareness. Normally most of the complex information processing which is continuously required by even simple acts of perception, language and thought goes on below the level of awareness; whereas in schizophrenic patients some of this processing, or the results of this processing, not in themselves abnormal, become conscious. This excessive awareness can account for the typical symptoms of schizophrenia and explains many of the specific cognitive abnormalities found in schizophrenic patients.

Cognition Disorders↗
PubMed1983

The effect of atrial pacing-induced tachycardia on left ventricular contractile function in conscious newborn and adult sheep.

In order to determine if an increase in heart rate is associated with an increase of left ventricular contractile function during the neonatal period we recorded phasic and mean aortic blood pressure, left atrial mean or left ventricular end diastolic pressure, phasic left ventricular blood pressure, aortic blood flow velocity and the instantaneous first derivatives of left ventricular blood pressure (dP/dt) and aortic blood flow velocity (dV/dt) during pacing-induced tachycardia in conscious newborn and adult sheep. There was a significant positive linear correlation between heart rate and both indices of contractility (dP/dt and dV/dt) in both age groups. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure was unchanged except for a decrease at the most rapid heart rate in the newborns. There was no change in aortic mean blood pressure during the study. Our data demonstrate that an increase of heart rate is associated with an increase of left ventricular contractile function in conscious neonatal and adult sheep. Investigations of the effects of potential inotropic agents on left ventricular contractile performance in newborns and adults must evaluate the independent effect of any simultaneously occurring increase in heart rate.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Some aspects of maternal metabolism throughout pregnancy in the conscious rabbit.

Studies of maternal metabolism during pregnancy have focused principally upon the latter half of gestation. However, maternal metabolic adaptations to pregnancy may occur at all stages of pregnancy. To study maternal metabolism throughout pregnancy, we developed a chronically catheterized rabbit model in which animals could be studied under conscious, stress-free conditions when nonpregnant and then serially throughout pregnancy. Anesthesia produced marked hyperglycemia. In contrast, chronic catheterization and daily handling did not affect blood concentrations of glucose, lactate, ketone bodies, or free fatty acids, or food intake. Glucose concentration decreased with pregnancy to a value at term equal to 85% of the prepregnancy value. Lactate concentration rose significantly in the second half of pregnancy but changes in free fatty acids and ketoacid levels were not significant. These results are discussed from a comparative physiologic point of view, emphasizing the unique aspects of rabbit metabolism during pregnancy and the importance of performing such studies under conscious, stress-free conditions.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1985

Stress hormones in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of conscious sheep: effect of hemorrhage.

Acute moderate hemorrhage (15 ml/kg withdrawn over 10 min) was used to study stress hormone changes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of conscious sheep with chronic indwelling intracerebroventricular catheters. Mean plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) and ACTH rose 150- and 14-fold, respectively, above basal values to peak levels at 20 min after onset of hemorrhage. A smaller (4- to 5-fold) rise occurred in plasma angiotensin II (AII) to peak levels at 10 min. The corticosteroid response (cortisol and aldosterone) occurred later (peak at 45 min) and was consistent with the dependence of these steroids on plasma ACTH and AII changes. Increases in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine were small and transient. Compared to changes in plasma, changes in CSF hormone levels after hemorrhage were small and independent of plasma concentrations. Mean CSF AVP increased to peak levels at 15 min whereas rises in CSF ACTH, AII-like immunoreactivity, and cortisol were slower and delayed in comparison with the patterns observed in plasma. Despite evidence of increased sympathetic activity, and rise in plasma catecholamines, CSF epinephrine fell after hemorrhage and CSF norepinephrine did not change. These results show that in conscious sheep rapid and major increases in plasma AVP, ACTH, and AII follow acute moderate hemorrhage. Concomitant changes in CSF hormone levels are small and delayed. With the possible exception of AVP it appears unlikely that the acute systemic hormone response to hemorrhage is determined by hormone changes in CSF.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1985

Involvement of growth hormone-releasing factor in growth hormone secretion induced by gamma-aminobutyric acid in conscious rats.

Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (10 mumol/rat) resulted in an increase in plasma GH in conscious freely moving rats pretreated with normal rabbit serum (0.5 ml/rat, iv). Rabbit antiserum specific for rat GH-releasing factor (GRF) (0.5 ml/rat, iv) abolished GH release induced by GABA in these animals. Rabbit anti-rat GRF serum also blunted GH release induced by a Met5-enkephalin analog, FK33-824 (10 micrograms/100 g BW, iv) in conscious rats. Considering our previous findings that rat GH release induced by FK33-824 was blunted by GABA antagonists (Endocrinology 103:1033, 1981), these results suggest that GH secretion induced by opioid peptides via GABAergic mechanisms is mediated, at least in part, by hypothalamic GRF in the rat.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

SM-20220, a potent Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor, improves consciousness recovery and neurological outcome following transient cerebral ischaemia in gerbils.

We studied the cerebroprotective effect of SM-20220 (N-(aminoiminomethyl)-1-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxamide methanesulphonate), a newly synthesized Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) inhibitor, in Mongolian gerbil global ischaemia. Transient cerebral ischaemia was induced by clipping both common carotid arteries for 30 min followed by 24h reperfusion. Intravenous administration of SM-20220 (0.3 or 1.0 mg kg(-1)) immediately after reperfusion significantly shortened the consciousness recovery time (P < 0.01). SM-20220 also improved the neurological outcome (McGraw's scale) after reperfusion. At the dose of 1.0 mg kg(-1), the mortality rate was significantly reduced at 24 h after reperfusion (P < 0.01). This study shows that NHE is involved in the aggravation of cerebral function, represented by consciousness recovery, and neurological outcome following transient forebrain ischaemia, and that its inhibitor may exert protective effects on post-ischaemic brain damage.

Amides↗
PubMed1983

The Edinburgh-2 coma scale: a new scale for assessing impaired consciousness.

In the management of patients with acute cerebral disturbances, it is essential to determine precisely the degree of impaired consciousness. However, a coma scale for assessing impaired levels of consciousness has not yet been standardized internationally. The Edinburgh-2 coma scale (E2 CS) is introduced and compared with the Glasgow coma scale (GCS). The reliability of the E2 CS was tested by comparing levels of the E2 CS with the outcome of patients who underwent neurosurgical operations. A good correlation was observed between the levels of the E2 CS and the outcome. A change of two levels suggests that some change influencing the outcome has occurred or exists within the cranium of the patient. A correlation between the E2 CS and the GCS was proven to exist. The merits and drawbacks of both scales are discussed. One advantage of the E2 CS is that it has removed ambiguous terms, which are still present in the GCS. Also it is easier to grasp changes in a patient's condition shown on a chart because the levels of the E2 CS are arranged first-dimensionally. Use of the GCS should not preclude the use of other scales, such as the E2 CS; the E2 CS could be used together with the GCS. The accumulation of data on both scales would provide information useful in improving the existing coma scales.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed2004

Evolution of the brain: from behavior to consciousness in 3.4 billion years.

Once life began as single-cell organisms, evolution favored those able to seek nutrients and avoid risks. Receptors sensed the environment, memory traces were laid, and adaptive responses were made. Environmental stress, at times as dramatic as the collision of an asteroid, resulted in extinctions that favored small predators with dorsal nerve cords and cranially positioned brains. Myelination, and later thermoregulation, led to increasingly efficient neural processing. As somatosensory, visual, and auditory input increased, a neocortex developed containing both sensory and motor neural maps. Hominids, with their free hands, pushed cortical development further and began to make simple stone tools. Tools and increasing cognition allowed procurement of a richer diet that led to a smaller gut, thus freeing more energy for brain expansion. Multimodal association areas, initially developed for processing incoming sensory information, blossomed and began to provide the organism with an awareness of self and environment. Advancements in memory storage and retrieval gave the organism a sense of continuity through time. This developing consciousness eventually left visible traces, which today are dramatically evident on cave walls in France and Spain. We will take this journey from the single cell to human consciousness.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Modelling of the dynamic relationship between arterial pressure, renal sympathetic nerve activity and renal blood flow in conscious rabbits.

A linear autoregressive/moving-average model was developed to describe the dynamic relationship between mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and renal blood flow (RBF) in conscious rabbits. The RBF and SNA to the same kidney were measured under resting conditions in a group of eight rabbits. Spectral analysis of the data sampled at 0.4 Hz showed that the low-pass bandwidth of the signal power for RBF was approximately 0. 05 Hz. An autoregressive/moving-average model with an exogenous input (ARMAX) was then derived (using the iterative Gauss-Newton algorithm provided by the MATLAB identification Toolbox), with MAP and SNA as inputs and RBF as output, to model the low-frequency fluctuations. The model step responses of RBF to changes in SNA and arterial pressure indicated an overdamped response with a settling time that was usually less than 2 s. Calculated residuals from the model indicated that 79 5 % (mean s.d., averaged over eight independent experiments) of the variation in RBF could be accounted for by the variations in arterial pressure and SNA. Two additional single-input models for each of the inputs were similarly obtained and showed conclusively that changes in RBF, in the conscious resting rabbit, are a function of both SNA and MAP and that the SNA signal has the predominant effect. These results indicate a strong reliance on SNA for the dynamic regulation of RBF. Such information is likely to be important in understanding the diminished renal function that occurs in a variety of disease conditions in which overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system occurs.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1988

Thromboxane synthetase inhibition and pulmonary response to hypoxia in conscious adult sheep.

This study investigated the effects of a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (OKY-046) and a cyclooxygenase inhibitor (ketoprofen) on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in conscious adult sheep in order to evaluate the physiological role of thromboxane and other cyclooxygenase products. In addition, we studied the effects of histamine H1 (chlorpheniramine) and H2 antagonists (cimetidine) on hypoxic pulmonary vascular tone. Hypoxia caused a 37% rise in pulmonary arterial pressure (p less than 0.05) and a 36% increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (p less than 0.05). Pretreatment with intravenous OKY-046 10 mg/kg or ketoprofen 2 mg/kg had no effect on normoxic pulmonary vascular tone and inhibited the increase in plasma TXB2 concentration during hypoxia without affecting the pulmonary pressor response to hypoxia. Cimetidine produced an increase in hypoxic pulmonary vascular tone when individual members of the group were compared, but there was no statistically significant difference when the group was compared to the control study. Chlorpheniramine had no effect on hypoxic pulmonary tone. These data suggest that hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is not mediated by release of TXA2, that hypoxic vascular tone is not modulated by cyclooxygenase products, and that the histamine H2 receptor may play a modulating role in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in conscious adult sheep.

Acrylates↗
PubMed1995

[Lactitol suppresses the disturbance of consciousness caused by experimentally induced hepatic encephalopathy in rats: an EEG study].

Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies were conducted to demonstrate the ameliorating effects of lactitol and its reference drug lactulose on the disturbance of consciousness caused by severe hepatic encephalopathy in rats permanently implanted with cortical electrodes. A novel experimental animal model of combined-type human hepatic encephalopathy was prepared by portacaval shunting followed by a single treatment with dimethylnitrosamine (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Lactitol or lactulose was orally administered twice a day for seven days and once on the morning of the eighth day. Ammonium acetate (500 mg/kg) was injected into the cecum 4 hr after the final administration of the drug. In control animals not treated with either drug, but in which hepatic encephalopathy had been induced, ammonium acetate induced a comatose state defined by a loss of the righting reflex accompanied by slowing or flattening of the cortical EEG. In control animals, significant increases in delta (1-3 Hz)-activity and significant decreases in beta (13-25 Hz)-activity during coma were detected by means of EEG power spectral analysis. Lactitol at doses of 3 g/kg/day or higher or lactulose at 6 g/kg/day significantly suppressed these EEG changes. Both drugs also suppressed in a dose-dependent manner the loss of the righting reflex. Lactitol may therefore be useful for ameliorating the disturbance of consciousness in patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Animals↗