Ferrier Lecture - The contribution of clinical observation to cerebral physiology

1954 ◽  
Vol 142 (907) ◽  
pp. 208-224 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Clinical Observation ◽  
Clinical Method ◽  
Precise Data ◽  
The Will ◽  
Cerebral Physiology ◽  
In Virtue Of ◽  
The Brain

David Ferrier, whom this lecture commemorates, was both an experimental physiologist and a clinician. It is in virtue of his achievement in the first role that he is remembered to-day, and the man to whom Sherrington dedicated The integrative action of the nervous system, must indeed have had elements of greatness in him. Yet, if he does not rank with the great clinicians of his time (Hughlings Jackson, Gowers, Bastian and others in this country who were his contemporaries in the Fellowship of this Society, not to mention those in other lands), it is not because the clinical method failed him as an instrument of research, but rather that his phase of active original thought ended when he left the laboratory, and that he lacked the genius for the clinical discipline that these men so signally displayed. This may, perhaps, explain how he persuaded himself—in words quoted by my predecessor in this lectureship three years ago—that ‘experiments on animals, under condition selected and varied at the will of the experimenter, are alone capable of furnishing precise data for sound indications as to the functions of the brain and its various parts’.

On the reflex function of the medulla oblongata and spinalis, or the principle of tone in the muscular system

1837 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 210-210
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Medulla Oblongata ◽  
Hydrocyanic Acid ◽  
Muscular System ◽  
Spinal Marrow ◽  
Reflex Action ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Morbid State

The author, after commenting on the opinions of Le Gallois and Cruveilhier relating to the functions of the spinal marrow, adverts to a property or function of the medulla oblongata and spinalis, which he considers as having escaped the notice of these and all other physiologists; namely, that by which an impression made upon the extremities of certain nerves is conveyed to these two portions of the nervous system, and reflected along other nerves to parts different from those which received the impression. He distinguishes muscular actions into three kinds: first, those directly consequent on volition; secondly, those which are involuntary, and dependent on simple irritability; and thirdly, those resulting from the reflex action above described, and which include those of the sphincter muscles, the tonic condition of the muscles in general, the acts of deglutition, of respiration, and many motions, which, under other circumstances, are under the guidance of the will. Volition ceases when the head or brain is removed; yet, as he shows by various experiments, movements may be then excited in the muscles of the limbs and trunk, by irritations applied to the extremities of the nerves which remain in communication with the spinal marrow: but these actions cease as soon as the spinal marrow is destroyed. Hence the author concludes that they are the effect of the reflex Action of the spinal marrow, which exists independently of the brain; and, indeed, exists in each part of the organ independently of every other part. He considers that this reflex function is capable of exaltation by certain agents, such as opium and strychnine, which in frogs produce a tetanic and highly excitable state of muscular irritability. Hence he is led to view the reflex function as the principle of tone in the muscular system. He considers that certain poisons, such as the hydrocyanic acid, act by destroying this particular function. The effects of dentition, of alvine irritation, and of hydrophobia, of sneezing, coughing, vomiting, tenesmus, &c. &c., are adduced as exemplifications of the operation of the same principle when in a morbid state of exaltation.

scholarly journals I. Experimental researches in cerebral physiology

1883 ◽  
Vol 36 (228-231) ◽  
pp. 437-442 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Voluntary Movement ◽  
Induced Current ◽  
Present Communication ◽  
Du Bois ◽  
Cerebral Physiology ◽  
Experimental Researches ◽  
The Brain

The present communication is intended to be the first of a series giving the results of an experimental investigation which we are at present engaged upon, into the physiology of the cerebral cortex and its connexion with other portions of the nervous system. We propose in this way briefly to publish any general results which appear to us to be well enough substantiated, as they are obtained; reserving most of the details of the experiments for a more complete memoir in which the various facts which may have been accumulated can be collated, and compared with the results obtained by other experimenters. In the present research we have closely followed the methods employed by Ferrier. The animals used have been monkeys, most, if not all, some species of Macacque. In some the portion of the brain under investigation has been stimulated by the interrupted (induced) current, and the resulting movements recorded; in others (two in number) the cortex has been removed over the region in question, the removal being effected by the aid of the galvanic cautery and under antiseptic precautions, and the resulting pareses of voluntary movement observed. It was found disadvantageous to attempt both these observations upon the same individual, partly on account of the relative prolongation of the operation and the consequent danger of losing the animal from the resulting shock, partly because the carbolic spray which is used when it is intended to preserve the animal, appears temporarily to depress the functions of the portions of the cortex which are exposed to its influence, and either no reaction is obtained on stimulating them or a stimulus must be employed so strong as to involve the risk of its spreading to neighbouring parts. The anæsthetic used has generally been ether, sometimes mixed with chloroform; in one case in which morphia had been employed the results of stimulation were much interfered with by the drug. The induction coil used is of the du Bois-Reymond pattern, with the Neef interrupter; and the Helmholtz side-wire is always introduced for the purpose of equalising the effects of the make and break shocks. The electrode wires are carefully guarded except at their points, which project slightly on one side, and the electrodes are so constructed as to pass between the falx and the mesial surface of the brain with as little disturbance as possible.

The Velocity of Nerve-Force

1867 ◽  
Vol 13 (63) ◽  
pp. 331-334
Author(s):  
J. R. G.
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Human Body ◽  
The Body ◽  
Locomotive Engine ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Brain

The nerve-current which transmits sensations to the brain, and the orders of the will to the extremities of the body, requires a certain time to travel in. Impressions coming from without are not perceived at the instant they are produced, they travel along the nerves at the rate of 20 to 30 métres (25 to 40 yards) in a second, which is the same speed as that of the carrier pigeon, of a hurricane, or of a locomotive engine at its quickest, but very much less than that of a cannon ball. For instance, we can only be conscious of an injury to one of our feet about one twentieth of a second after it has actually occurred, and the commands of the will proceed equally lowly from the centre to the peripheries of the nervous system. In he human body the time thus occupied is unimportant, but let us take the case of a whale, where the telegraphic network of the nervous system is far more extensive. A boat attacks the whale, and a harpoon is driven into its tail. The impression thus produced has totravel over some forty yards before reaching the head-quarters of the will; a second is thus lost. How long a time is then required for reflection? That must depend upon circumstances; but at any rate it is certain that the will has need of some definite amount of time for its decision. The order to capsize the boat is despatched to the tail, but another second must elapse before the telegram reaches its destination, and in the time thus employed the whaling boat has pulled off and escaped the danger.

Glucuronyl 3-sulfate occurs exclusively on distal unmyelinated terminals of selected sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 958-959
Author(s):  
S.S. Spicer ◽  
B.A. Schulte
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Peripheral Nervous System ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Sensory Nerves ◽  
Tissue Antigens ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Leu 7

Generation of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against tissue antigens has yielded several (VC1.1, HNK- 1, L2, 4F4 and anti-leu 7) which recognize the unique sugar epitope, glucuronyl 3-sulfate (Glc A3- SO4). In the central nervous system, these MAbs have demonstrated Glc A3-SO4 at the surface of neurons in the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, the retina and other widespread regions of the brain.Here we describe the distribution of Glc A3-SO4 in the peripheral nervous system as determined by immunostaining with a MAb (VC 1.1) developed against antigen in the cat visual cortex. Outside the central nervous system, immunoreactivity was observed only in peripheral terminals of selected sensory nerves conducting transduction signals for touch, hearing, balance and taste. On the glassy membrane of the sinus hair in murine nasal skin, just deep to the ringwurt, VC 1.1 delineated an intensely stained, plaque-like area (Fig. 1). This previously unrecognized structure of the nasal vibrissae presumably serves as a tactile end organ and to our knowledge is not demonstrable by means other than its selective immunopositivity with VC1.1 and its appearance as a densely fibrillar area in H&E stained sections.

Ultrastructural morphology of neurosecretory neurons in the barnacle Balanus amphitrite

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
Grazia Tagliafierro ◽  
Cristiana Crosa ◽  
Marco Canepa ◽  
Tiziano Zanin
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Ultrastructural Level ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
Balanus Amphitrite ◽  
Neurosecretory Neurons ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Ultrathin Sections ◽  
Dense Core Granules ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ocellar Nerve

Barnacles are very specialized Crustacea, with strongly reduced head and abdomen. Their nervous system is rather simple: the brain or supra-oesophageal ganglion (SG) is a small bilobed structure and the toracic ganglia are fused into a single ventral mass, the suboesophageal ganglion (VG). Neurosecretion was shown in barnacle nervous system by histochemical methods and numerous putative hormonal substances were extracted and tested. Recently six different types of dense-core granules were visualized in the median ocellar nerve of Balanus hameri and serotonin and FMRF-amide like substances were immunocytochemically detected in the nervous system of Balanus amphitrite. The aim of the present work is to localize and characterize at ultrastructural level, neurosecretory neuron cell bodies in the VG of Balanus amphitrite.Specimens of Balanus amphitrite were collected in the port of Genova. The central nervous system were Karnovsky fixed, osmium postfixed, ethanol dehydrated and Durcupan ACM embedded. Ultrathin sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate. Ultrastructural observations were made on a Philips M 202 and Zeiss 109 T electron microscopy.

Complex Trauma and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Clinical Implications

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette D. Hyter
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Complex Trauma ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Complex trauma resulting from chronic maltreatment and prenatal alcohol exposure can significantly affect child development and academic outcomes. Children with histories of maltreatment and those with prenatal alcohol exposure exhibit remarkably similar central nervous system impairments. In this article, I will review the effects of each on the brain and discuss clinical implications for these populations of children.

Central Nerve System Impairment, AMA Guides, Sixth Edition: An Overview

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Author(s):  
James B. Talmage ◽  
Jay Blaisdell
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Neurological Impairment ◽  
Sixth Edition ◽  
Central Nerve System ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The One ◽  
Nerve System ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Injuries that affect the central nervous system (CNS) can be catastrophic because they involve the brain or spinal cord, and determining the underlying clinical cause of impairment is essential in using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), in part because the AMA Guides addresses neurological impairment in several chapters. Unlike the musculoskeletal chapters, Chapter 13, The Central and Peripheral Nervous System, does not use grades, grade modifiers, and a net adjustment formula; rather the chapter uses an approach that is similar to that in prior editions of the AMA Guides. The following steps can be used to perform a CNS rating: 1) evaluate all four major categories of cerebral impairment, and choose the one that is most severe; 2) rate the single most severe cerebral impairment of the four major categories; 3) rate all other impairments that are due to neurogenic problems; and 4) combine the rating of the single most severe category of cerebral impairment with the ratings of all other impairments. Because some neurological dysfunctions are rated elsewhere in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, the evaluator may consult Table 13-1 to verify the appropriate chapter to use.

Pelvic schwannoma

GYNECOLOGY ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 84-86
Author(s):  
Sergei P. Sinchikhin ◽  
Sarkis G. Magakyan ◽  
Oganes G. Magakyan
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Nerve ◽  
World Literature ◽  
Morphological Study ◽  
Clinical Observation ◽  
Nerve Trunk ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Surgical Volume ◽  
The World ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

Relevance.A neoplasm originated from the myelonic sheath of the nerve trunk is called neurinoma or neurilemmoma, neurinoma, schwannoglioma, schwannoma. This tumor can cause compression and dysfunction of adjacent tissues and organs. The most common are the auditory nerve neurinomas (1 case per 100 000 population per year), the brain and spinal cord neurinomas are rare. In the world literature, there is no information on the occurrences of this tumor in the pelvic region. Description.Presented below is a clinical observation of a 30-year-old patient who was scheduled for myomectomy. During laparoscopy, an unusual tumor of the small pelvis was found and radically removed. A morphological study allowed to identify the remote neoplasm as a neuroma. Conclusion.The presented practical case shows that any tumor can hide under a clinical mask of another disease. The qualification of the doctor performing laparoscopic myomectomy should be sufficient to carry out, if necessary, another surgical volume.

TONIC ACTIVITY AND GRAVITATIONAL CONTROL OF THE POSTURAL MUSCLE

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 58-72
Author(s):  
B.S. Shenkman ◽  
◽  
T.M. Mirzoev ◽  
I.B. Kozlovskaya ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Signal Pathways ◽  
Tonic Activity ◽  
Postural Muscle ◽  
Continuous Work ◽  
Tonic System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Almost Continuous ◽  
Fundamental Conclusion ◽  
Sensory Mechanisms

The review is an attempt to describe and give a meaning to the accumulated data about the mechanisms controlling the structure and functionality of the postural muscle the almost continuous work of which makes it possible for the humans and animals to exist actively on Earth's surface. A great bulk of these data was obtained, described and systematized by professor I.B. Kozlovskaya and her pupils. A body of the most interesting facts and regularities was documented in other laboratories and research centers, quite often under the influence of ideas suggested by I.B. Kozlovskaya. The concept of the tonic system, that is, an integral physiological apparatus comprising not only slow and fast muscular fibers and small controlling motoneurons but also a complex of the brain (up to and including the striatum and motor cortex) and sensory mechanisms, constitutes the most important parts of her theoretical legacy. The fundamental conclusion of this review is that the gravity-dependent tonic contracting activity of the postural muscle controlled by the nervous system and afferent mechanisms is key to maintaining its structure, signal pathways and mechanic properties crucial for its constant anti-gravity activity.

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