Effects of Noise on Accuracy, Visible Volume, and General Response Production for Human Subjects

1978 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Bailey ◽  
Robin F. Patchett ◽  
C. Mavrides Whissell

40 subjects were required to perform the task of stroking out the letters ‘e’ in a type-written passage for nine minutes under conditions of no noise or continuous 95-dB “white” noise or 95-dB “white” noise presented in a regular time pattern or 95-dB “white” noise presented in an irregular time pattern. The noise conditions made no difference to the performance of the task except during the second 3-min. interval of the 9-min. period when patterned noise had an inhibitory effect on the volume of material scanned but a facilitatory effect on accuracy of performance.

1973 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshikatsu Nakai ◽  
Hiroo Imura ◽  
Teruya Yoshimi ◽  
Shigeru Matsukura

ABSTRACT In order to determine if an adrenergic mechanism is involved in the secretion of corticotrophin (ACTH), the effect of adrenergic-blocking or -stimulating agent on plasma ACTH, cortisol and glucose levels was studied in normal human subjects. The intravenous infusion of methoxamine, an alpha adrenergic-stimulating agent, caused a rise in plasma ACTH and cortisol. This increase in plasma ACTH and cortisol was significantly inhibited by the simultaneous administration of phentolamine, an alpha adrenergic-blocking agent, in combination with methoxamine. The intravenous infusion of propranolol, a beta adrenergic-blocking agent, caused no significant change in plasma ACTH and cortisol, although it enhanced the plasma ACTH response to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. On the other hand, alpha adrenergicblockade by intravenous infusion of phentolamine significantly suppressed the plasma ACTH response to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. These studies suggest a stimulatory effect of alpha receptors and a possible inhibitory effect of beta receptors on ACTH secretion in man.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1080-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Large ◽  
Elena Di Daniel ◽  
Xingbao Li ◽  
Mark S. George

One strategy to understand bipolar disorder is to study the mechanism of action of mood-stabilizing drugs, such as valproic acid and lithium. This approach has implicated a number of intracellular signalling elements, such as GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase 3β), ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase)/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) or protein kinase C. However, lamotrigine does not seem to modulate any of these targets, which is intriguing given that its profile in the clinic differs from that of valproic acid or lithium, with greater efficacy to prevent episodes of depression than mania. The primary target of lamotrigine is the voltage-gated sodium channel, but it is unclear why inhibition of these channels might confer antidepressant efficacy. In healthy volunteers, we found that lamotrigine had a facilitatory effect on the BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) response to TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) of the prefrontal cortex. This effect was in contrast with an inhibitory effect of lamotrigine when TMS was applied over the motor cortex. In a follow-up study, a similar prefrontal specific facilitatory effect was observed in a larger cohort of healthy subjects, whereas valproic acid inhibited motor and prefrontal cortical TMS-induced BOLD response. In vitro, we found that lamotrigine (3–10 μM) enhanced the power of gamma frequency network oscillations induced by kainic acid in the rat hippocampus, an effect that was not observed with valproic acid (100 μM). These data suggest that lamotrigine has a positive effect on corticolimbic network function that may differentiate it from other mood stabilizers. The results are also consistent with the notion of corticolimbic network dysfunction in bipolar disorder.


Author(s):  
Om P. Agrawal

Abstract This paper presents an analytical technique for the analysis of a stochastic dynamic system whose damping behavior is described by a fractional derivative of order 1/2. In this approach, an eigenvector expansion method proposed by Suarez and Shokooh is used to obtain the response of the system. The properties of Laplace transforms of convolution integrals are used to write a set of general Duhamel integral type expressions. The general response contains two parts, namely zero state and zero input. For a stochastic analysis the input force is treated as a random process with specified mean and correlation functions. An expectation operator is applied on a set of expressions to obtain the stochastic characteristics of the system. Closed form stochastic response expressions are obtained for white noise. Numerical results are presented to show the stochastic response of a fractionally damped system subjected to white noise.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (6) ◽  
pp. R1084-R1088
Author(s):  
G. T. Somogyi ◽  
W. C. de Groat

Cholinergic modulation of [3H]acetylcholine release evoked by electrical stimulation was studied in the rat major pelvic ganglion, which was prelabeled with [3H]choline. Acetylcholine (ACh) release was independent of the frequency of stimulation; 0.3 Hz produced the same volley output as 10 Hz. Tetrodotoxin (1 microM) or omission of Ca2+ from the medium abolished ACh release. The M1 receptor agonist (4-hydroxy-2-butynyl)-1-trimethylammonium m-chlorocarbanilate chloride (McN-A 343, 50 microM) increased release (by 136%), whereas the M2 muscarinic agonist oxotremorine (1 microM) decreased ACh release (by 22%). The muscarinic antagonists, atropine (1 microM) or pirenzepine (M1 selective, 1 microM), did not change ACh release. However, pirenzepine (1 microM) blocked the facilitatory effect of McN-A 343, and atropine (1 microM) blocked the inhibitory effect of oxotremorine. The cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (1-5 microM), the nicotinic agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (DMPP, 10 microM), and the nicotinic antagonist D-tubocurarine (50 microM) did not change ACh release. 4-Aminopyridine, a K+ channel blocker, significantly increased the release (by 146%). Seven days after decentralization of the major pelvic ganglion, the evoked release of ACh was abolished. It is concluded that release of ACh occurs from the preganglionic nerve terminals rather than from the cholinergic cell bodies and is not modulated by actions of endogenous ACh on either muscarinic or nicotinic autoreceptors. These data confirm and extend previous electrophysiological findings indicating that synapses in the major pelvic ganglion have primarily a relay function.


1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 768-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. N. Stanley ◽  
M. D. Altose ◽  
S. G. Kelsen ◽  
C. F. Ward ◽  
N. S. Cherniack

Experiments were conducted on human subjects to study the effect of lung inflation during breath holding on respiratory drive. Two series of experiments were performed: the first to examine respiratory drive during a single breath hold, the second designed to examine the sustained effect of lung inflation on subsequent breath holds. The experiments involved breath holding begun either at the end of a normal expiration or after a maximum inspiration. When breath holding was repeated at 10-min intervals, the increase in BHT produced by lung inflation was greater in short breath holds (after CO2 rebreathing) than in long breath holds (after hyperventilation). If breath holds were made in rapid succession, the first breath hold was much longer when made at total lung capacity than at functional residual capacity, but this effect of lung inflation diminished in subsequent breath holds. It is concluded that the inhibitory effect of lung inflation decays during breath holding and is regained remarkably slowly during the period of breathing immediately after breath holding.


2010 ◽  
Vol 80 (45) ◽  
pp. 293-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Lönnerdal

Studies on human subjects have shown that calcium (Ca) can inhibit iron (Fe) absorption, regardless of whether it is given as Ca salts or in dairy products. This has caused concern as increased Ca intake commonly is recommended for children and women, the same populations that are at risk of Fe deficiency. However, a thorough review of studies on humans in which Ca intake was substantially increased for long periods shows no changes in hematological measures or indicators of iron status. Thus, the inhibitory effect may be of short duration and there also may be compensatory mechanisms. The interaction between Ca and Fe may be a lumenal event, affecting Fe uptake through DMT1 (divalent metal transporter 1) at the apical membrane. However, it is also possible that inhibition occurs during Fe transfer into circulation, suggesting roles for the serosal exporter ferroportin (FPN) and hephaestin. We explored these possibilities in human intestinal Caco-2 cells cultured in monolayers. Iron transport (59Fe) and expression of DMT1, FPN, and hephaestin were assessed after 1.5 and 4 hours with 0 or 100 µM CaCl2. Although Ca did not affect Fe uptake or DMT1 expression at 1.5 hours, FPN abundance at the basolateral membrane decreased, resulting in increased cellular Fe retention and decreased Fe efflux. After 4 hours, DMT1 and FPN expression increased and there was increased FPN at the membrane, suggesting a rebound effect. Thus, the effect of Ca on Fe absorption may be of short duration and adaptation may occur with time. This may explain why studies on long-term Ca supplementation of different groups fail to show any adverse effects on Fe status.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharina M. C. Mels ◽  
Peet Jansen van Rensburg ◽  
Francois H. van der Westhuizen ◽  
Pieter J. Pretorius ◽  
Elardus Erasmus

Acetylsalicylic acid and/or its metabolites are implicated to have various effects on metabolism and, especially, on mitochondrial function. These effects include both inhibitory and stimulatory effects. We investigated the effect of both combined and separate oral acetylsalicylic acid and acetaminophen administration at therapeutic doses on the urinary metabolite profile of human subjects. In this paper, we provided in vivo evidence, in human subjects, of a statistically significant increase in isobutyrylcarnitine after the administration of a therapeutic dose of acetylsalicylic acid. We, therefore, propose an inhibitory effect of acetylsalicylic acid on the short-chain fatty acid metabolism, possibly at the level of isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase.


2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 367-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jufang He

Corticofugal modulation on both on andoff responses in various nuclei in the medial geniculate body (MGB) was examined by locally activating the auditory cortex and looking for effects on the neuronal responses to acoustic stimuli. In contrast with a major corticofugal facilitatory effect on theon neurons in the lemniscal nucleus of the MGB of the guinea pigs, of 132 on neurons tested in three conditions with cortical activation through each of three implanted electrodes, the majority of the tested conditions (319/396) that were sampled from the nonlemniscal nuclei of the MGB received inhibitory modulation from the activated cortex. This inhibitory effect was >50% for 99 cases while the auditory cortex was activated. Most of the offand on-off MGB neurons (44/54) showed a facilitatory effect of 111.4 ± 99.9%, and three showed a small inhibitory effect of 25.7 ± 5.8% on their off responses. Thirty neurons in the border region between the lemniscal and nonlemniscal MGB showed mainly facilitatory corticofugal effects on both on andoff responses. Meanwhile, cortical stimulation induced almost exclusive inhibitory effects on the on response and facilitatory effects on the off response in the MGcm. It is suggested that the off response is produced as a disinhibition from the inhibitory input of the auditory stimulus. The present results provide a possible explanation for selective gating of the auditory information through the lemniscal MGB while switching off other unwanted sensory signals and the interference from the limbic system, leaving the other auditory cortex prepared to process only the auditory signal.


2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 1040-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jufang He ◽  
Yan-Qin Yu ◽  
Ying Xiong ◽  
Tsutomu Hashikawa ◽  
Ying-Shing Chan

In the present study, we investigated the point-to-point modulatory effects from the auditory cortex to the thalamus in the guinea pig. Corticofugal modulation on thalamic neurons was studied by electrical activation of the auditory cortex. The modulation effect was sampled along the frontal or sagittal planes of the auditory thalamus, focusing on the ventral division (MGv) of the medial geniculate body (MGB). Electrical activation was targeted at the anterior and dorsocaudal auditory fields, to which the MGv projects and from which it assumptively receives reciprocal projections. Of the 101 MGv neurons examined by activation of the auditory cortex through passing pulse trains of 100–200 μA current into one after another of the three implanted electrodes (101 neurons × 3 stimulation sites = 303 cases), 208 cases showed a facilitatory effect, 85 showed no effect, and only 10 cases (7 neurons) showed an inhibitory effect. Among the cases of facilitation, 63 cases showed a facilitatory effect >100%, and 145 cases showed a facilitatory effect from 20–100%. The corticofugal modulatory effect on the MGv of the guinea pig showed a widespread, strong facilitatory effect and very little inhibitory effect. The MGv neurons showed the greatest facilitations to stimulation by the cortical sites, with the closest correspondence in BF. Six of seven neurons showed an elevation of the rate-frequency functions when the auditory cortex was activated. The comparative results of the corticofugal modulatory effects on the MGv of the guinea pig and the cat, together with anatomical findings, hint that the strong facilitatory effect is generated through the strong corticothalamic direct connection and that the weak inhibitory effect might be mainly generated via the interneurons of the MGv. The temporal firing pattern of neuronal response to auditory stimulus was also modulated by cortical stimulation. The mean first-spike latency increased significantly from 15.7 ± 5.3 ms with only noise-burst stimulus to 18.3 ± 4.9 ms ( n = 5, P < 0.01, paired t-test), while the auditory cortex was activated with a train of 10 pulses. Taking these results together with those of previous experiments conducted on the cat, we speculate that the relatively weaker inhibitory effect compared with that in the cat could be due to the smaller number of interneurons in the guinea pig MGB. The corticofugal modulation of the firing pattern of the thalamic neurons might enable single neurons to encode more auditory information using not only the firing rate but also the firing pattern.


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 896-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jufang He

He, Jufang. Modulatory effects of regional cortical activation on the onset responses of the cat medial geniculate neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 896–908, 1997. Corticofugal modulation on activity of the medial geniculate body (MGB) was examined by locally activating the primary auditory cortex (AI) and looking for effects on the onset responses of MGB neurons to acoustic stimuli. Of 103 MGB neurons recorded from 13 hemispheres of 11 animals, 91 neurons (88%) showed either a facilitatory or inhibitory effect or both; of these neurons, 72 showed facilitatory effects and 25 inhibitory effects. The average facilitatory effect was large, with a mean increase of 62.4%. Small inhibitory effects (mean: −16.2%) were obtained from a few neurons (6 of 103) when a pure tone stimulus was used, whereas the effect became larger and more frequent when a noise burst stimulus was used (mean: −27.3%, n = 22 of 27 neurons). Activation of an AI site having the same best frequency (BF) as the MGB neuron being recorded from produced mainly a facilitatory effect on MGB neuronal responses to pure tones. Activation of AI at a site neighboring the BF site produced inhibitory effects on the MGB response when noise burst stimuli were used. We found that the effective stimulation sites in AI that could modulate MGB activity formed patchlike maps with a diameter of 1.13 ± 0.09 (SE) mm (range 0.6–1.9 mm, n = 15) being larger than the patches of thalamocortical terminal fields. Examining the effects of sound intensities, of 18 neurons tested 9 neurons showed a larger effect for low-sound-intensity stimuli and small or no effects for high-sound-intensity stimuli. These were named low-sound-intensity effective neurons. Five neurons showed high sound intensity effectiveness and four were non-intensity specific. Most low-sound-intensity effective neurons were monotonic rate-intensity function neurons. The AI cortical modulatory effect was frequency specific, because 15 of 27 neurons showed a larger facilitatory effect when a BF stimulus was used rather than a stimulus of any other frequency. The corticothalamic connection between the recording site in MGB and the most effective stimulation site in AI was confirmed by injecting wheat germ agglutinin–horseradish peroxidase tracer at the stimulation site and producing a small lesion in the recording site. The results suggest that 1) the large facilitation effects obtained by AI activation at the region that directly projected to the MGB could be the result mainly of the direct projection terminals to the MGB relay neurons; 2) the large size patches of the effective stimulation site in AI could be due to widely ramifying corticothalamic projections; and 3) the corticofugal projection selectively gates auditory information mainly by a facilitatory effect, although there is also an inhibitory effect that depends on the sound stimulus used.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document