• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2005

Background: The study of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve (MABCN) is an underused electrodiagnostic tool. But its use is often crucial for assessing mild lower brachial plexus or MABCN lesions, and sometimes for differentiating an ulnar mononeuropathy from a lower brachial plexopathy. This study was designed to know the difference of amplitude and velocity in a stimulation method (orthodromic vs antidromic), side of an arm and sex according by age. Method: MABCN conduction studies were performed orthodromically and antidromically in 90 subjects (42 women and 48 men, ranging from 22 to 79 years of age). We divided subjects into three groups by age (group 1: 20-39 years, group 2: 40-59 years, group 3: 60-79 years). The mean sensory nerve action potential amplitudes and sensory nerve conduction velocities in each group was compared by stimulation method, side of an arm and sex. Result: The amplitudes and velocities made a significant difference between orthodromic and antidromic method in all age groups. At comparison in amplitude and velocity by side of an arm, only amplitude was significantly higher in right arm than left by any stimulation method. The amplitudes and velocities were of no statistically differences in sex except amplitude checked orthodromically in right arm. Conclusion: This study suggests that there is the differences in conduction study of MABCN by stimulation method and side of an arm.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.25-30
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• 2009

Animal experiments have shown that the positive peaked electrically compound action potentials (ECAPs) can be recorded in round window, intracochlear, and nerve trunk by stimulating a monopolar pulse. However, positive peaked ECAPs of cochlear implant recipients have never been reported because ECAPs are recorded from intracochlear electrodes after bipolar stimulation. In our experiment, the positive peaked ECAPs were recorded from 18 intracochlear electrodes in cochlear implant recipients with multiple cochlear anomalies. Thresholds in each channel were measured and the latency of P-, N-wave, and amplitude of P-N were analyzed. These results were identical with the electrically auditory brainstem response (EABR) on the input-output characteristics. In conclusion, the positive peaked ECAPs from the cochlear implant recipients are antidromic ECAPs recorded by perimodiolar electrodes stimulating cochlear implants with multiple anomalies. Therefore, positive peaked ECAPs can be used as useful audiological tools to evaluate the eighth nerve ending.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.203-207
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• 2009

Electrically evoked compound action potentials (ECAP) have originated from the distal end of the auditory nerve. ECAP are characterized as the difference between the clearly large trough (N) and the following positive peak (P). N-wave occurs around $200-400\;{\mu}s$ after stimulus onset and P-wave at around $400-800\;{\mu}s$. Contrary to expectations, positive peaked ECAP (pp-ECAP) was dominated by a relatively large-amplitude positive following negative peak. pp-ECAP can be recorded from the sites on or near the surgically exposed nerve trunk in animal models and/or in cases of monophasic stimulation. This study will provide the causes of the appearance of pp-ECAP in cases of cochlear implant recipients using imaging studies and medical records and statistically analysis between N-P and P-N on the amplitude input-output function (amp-I/O) for the prediction of the possibilities of clinical tools. Thirteen children participated in the study and received a Cochlear CI-24RE (CA). ECAP was recorded using auto-NRT (Cochlear Ltd., Australia) at four to five weeks post surgery. pp-ECAP was measured from 36 electrodes and typical ECAP from 220 electrodes. There was no abnormality in the imaging study and operation finding in patients with typical ECAP. pp-ECAP was found at the inner ear anormaly and ossification in imaging study and gel-state inner ear fluid was observed in the operation finding. The amplitude of pp-ECAP increased depending on current intensities, but amp-I/O increase more gradually than in the case of typical ECAP (p=0.003). pp-ECAP is antidromic potential which can record from the inner ear anormaly and ossified cochlear. Amp-I/O also depends on current intensity as well typical ECAP. These results provide a useful tool for audiological evaluation for the spiral ganglion cell status to the value of pp-ECAP.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.211-221
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• 1991

Although the existence of nerve cells which determine the activity of sympathetic nervous system in ventrolateral medulla is advocated recently, there are wide varieties on the location and function of them according to authors. Present study aimed to identify and characterize the medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal medulla of cats .which branch to the lateral horn of the upper thoracic spinal cord. Cats were anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$. The upper thoracic spinal cord and floor of the IVth ventricle were exposed. Medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal medulla were identified by anti-dromic stimulation of the intermediolateral nucleus in the upper thoracic cord and then the location and physiological characteristics of these cells were studied. A total of seventy cells in medulla had constant latency and responded to high frequency stimulation to thoracic cord. Among them fifty-six cells were identified as medullospinal tract cells either by collision with spontaneous activities or activities evoked by sciatic nerve stimulation(27/56), or by determining the refractory period (29/56). Thirty-one of these cells branched to the contralateral thoracic spinal cord, twenty-one cells to the ipsilateral side and remaining four cells branched to both sides. The conduction velocity of cells branching to the contralateral side was $29{\pm}2.9\;m/sec$ and that of cells to the ipsilateral side was $39.1{\pm}6.0\;m/sec$. When medulla was devided into two by a horizontal plane at 3 mm rostral to the obex, fifty-one among seventy cells were in the rostral medulla and nineteen were in the caudal medulla. The conduction velocities of these two groups were $21.6{\pm}1.0\;and\;33.3{\pm}3.9\;m/sec$, respectively. In this study, we confirmed the existence of two groups of medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla, which branch to the lateral horn of thoracic cord and these cells have relatively few spontaneous activities and rapid conduction velocity, so we concluded that these cells are different from the previously known sympatho-related cells in ventrolateral medulla.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 1993

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) includes vasopressor neurons, which transmit activation signals to the intermediolateral nucleus (IML) of the spinal cord, where the preganglionic sympathetic nucleus is located, to raise arterial blood pressure (BP). However, controversy exists as to the possible depressor area in the RVLM and the pathway involved. The present study persued evidence far the location of depressor neurons and the pathway by simultaneously observing changes in BP and the firing rate (FR) of cardiovascular neurons (CVNs) in the RVLM during the somatosympathetic reflex (SSR) elicited by peripheral nerve stimulation, since CVNs are known to contribute to the generation of the sympathetic nerve discharge. In 42 cats, anaesthetized with $\alpha-chloralose$, single unit recording was performed, using carbon filament electrodes inserted into the RVLM, enabling estimation of the post R wave unit histogram (PR-UNlT) and the spike triggered average of sympathetic nerve discharge (STA-SND), allowing identification of CVNs. Antidromic stimulation of spinal $T_2$ segment was followed to determine whether the identified CVN projects axonal endings to the spinal cord (reticulospinal neuron). The sciatic nerve was electrically stimulated at $A\delta-intensity$ (1 mA, 0.1 ms), 1 Hz and C-intensity (10 mA, 0.5 ms), 20 Hz to elicit the depressor, and pressor responses of the SSR, respectively. Simultaneous measurement of CVN firing rate was made. Experimental results are summarized as follows. 1) 20 out of 98 CVNs had axonal projections to the spinal cord and 17 out of 98 CVNs showed FR changes during SSR. 2) Response patterns of FR and BP during SSR were classified into 8 types. 3) These 8 different response patterns could be further classified into those from pressor and depressor neurons. These results demonstrate that some CVNs were identifiable as reticulospinal neurons responding to anti-dromic stimulation and that CVNs operating as depressor neurons as well as pressor neurons exist in the RVLM, both of which are involved with SSR mediation. Therefore, evidence was found that an independent depressor pathway might be involved in the mediation of SSR.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2006

Background: Peripheral nerve injury leads to neuropathic pain, including mechanical hyperalgesia (MH). Nerve discharges produced by an injury to the primary afferents cause the release of glutamate from both central and peripheral terminals. While the role of centrally released glutamate in MH has been well studied, relatively little is known about its peripheral role. This study was carried out to determine if the peripherally conducting nerve impulses and peripheral glutamate receptors contribute to the generation of neuropathic pain. Methods: Rats that had previously received a left L5 dorsal rhizotomy were subjected to a spinal nerve lesion (SNL) or brief electrical stimulation (ES, 4 Hz pulses for 5 min) of the left L5 spinal nerve. The paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) to von Frey filaments was measured. The effects of an intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of a glutamate receptor (GluR) antagonist or agonist on the changes in the SNL- or ES-produced PWT was investigated. Results: SNL produced MH, as evidenced by decrease in the PWT, which lasted for more than 42 days. ES also produced MH lasting for 7 days. MK-801 (NMDAR antagonist), DL-AP3 (group-I mGluR antagonist), and APDC (group-II mGluR agonist) delayed the onset of MH when an i.pl. injection was given before SNL. The same application blocked the onset of ES-induced MH. NBQX (AMPA receptor antagonist) had no effect on either the SNL- or ES-induced onset of MH. When drugs were given after SNL or ES, MK-801 reversed the MH, whereas NBQX, DL-AP3, and APDC had no effect. Conclusions: Peripherally conducting impulses play an important role in the generation of neuropathic pain, which is mediated by the peripheral glutamate receptors.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 1992

It is well established that neurons in ventrolateral medulla play a key role in determining the vasomotor tone. The purpose of present study is to identify sympathetic related, medullospinal tract neurons in ventrolateral medulla and to show that these mediate somato-sympathetic reflex. Medullospinal tract cells were identified by antidromic stimulation to intermediolateral nucleus (IML) of the second thoracic ($T_2$) spinal cord in anesthetized cats. Peripheral nerves were stimulated for orthodromic activation of these cells and peripheral receptive fields were determined. Post R wave histogram of unit and spike triggered averaging of sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) were used to define sympathetic related cell. A total of 113 neurons was recorded in ventrolateral medulla that had the axonal projections to $T_2$ spinal cord. Thirty four of these medullospinal cells showed spontaneous discharges and the others not. Between these two groups, rostro-caudal coordinate of the distribution from obex [$4.7{\pm}0.2\;$ (mean S.E.) mm, 4.1 0.1 mm], depth from dorsal surface ($5.5{\pm}0.2mm,\;4.9{\pm}0.1mm$ and conduction velocity ($9.9{\pm}1.7m/sec,\;16.7{\pm}1.9\;m/sec$) were significantly different (p<0.05). In spontaneously discharging group, characteristics of rostral and caudal groups were significantly different and we demonstrated that cells in rostral group mediate somatosympathetic reflex. From these results, we conclude that a certain portion of spontaneously discharging medullospinal tract cells in rostral ventrolateral medulla comprise the efferent outputs of somatosympathetic reflex to sympathetic preganglion neurons.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.181-194
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• 1990

Antidromically activated spinoreticular tract (SRT) cell units in the lumbosacral enlargement of ${\alpha}-chloralose$ anesthetized cats were classified as medial and lateral SRT units according to the location of their axonal termination. Identified SRT units were tested fer antidromic conduction velocity, laterality of their axonal projection, the location in spinal gray, peripheral receptive field, the response pattern to graded mechanichal stimulation and the responsiveness to $A{\delta}$ and C volley of the peripheral nerve. 1) The 59% of 34 medial SRT units were recorded in ipsilateral side to the antidromic stimulation site, but 60% of the 47 lateral SRT units projected to contralateral side. 2) Most of the medial SRT cells and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM)-projecting lateral SRT cells were recorded in lamina VII & VIII. The LRN (lateral reticular nucleus)-projecting SRT cells, however, distributed through all the laminae except superficial ones (I & II). 3) The identified SRT units were classified as low theshold (LT), deep, high threshold (HT), wide dynamic range (WDR) cells, based on the response patterns to graded mechanical stimuli. The proportion of SRT units which receive noxious input was 37.5%, 25% and 75% in the medial, LRN-projecting and RVLM SRT group, respectively. 4) There was no significant difference in the mean conduction velocities between the 3 groups. But the deep cells had significantly higher velocity than that of the HT cells. The above results show that the peripheral inputs to the SRT units are different in the 3 groups: medial, LRN & RVLM SRT group. Especially in case of the SRT cells projecting to RVLM which is a probable candidate fur the integration center of various pressor reflexes such as somatosympathetic reflex, the noxious informations occupy higher proportion of input to them than in other groups. Therefore the noxious information transmitted through the lateral SRT destined for RVLM is expected to play a role in somatosymapthetic reflex.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.400-409
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• 2000

This study used in vivo intracellular and extracellular field potential recording to evaluate the intrinsic membrane properties and connection pattern within facial nucleus. 1. There were four subdivisions of medial, intermediate, lateral, and dorsolateral in facial nucleus. 2. Principal cells in the facial nucleus was recorded from and filled with neurobiotin in anesthetized rats. The extent of their dendrites and the characteristics of cell body were examined. 3. Principal cells had a large amplitude action potential and afterhyperpolarization was followed a single action potential. 4. The response from facial motonucleus to electrical stimulation of the facial nerve was mainly a monophasic wave, with a latency of 1 msec, which was assumed to reflect antidromic activation of facial motoneurons. In some of rats the response in addition showed late components at a latency of about 7-8 msec, but its amplitude was small. 5 Most of cells exhibited accommodation of spike discharge upon depolarization of membrane by 0.8 nA for 400 ms. Our results support the hypothesis that there normally are weak connections between different parts of the facial motonucleus to explain pathophysiology of hemifacial spasm and facial naive paralysis.