About the neurobiological foundations of the De-Qi--stimulus-response relation.

In acupunctural reflexotherapy, it is usually stated that no appreciable therapeutic effect is obtained under a certain stimulation level, which is determined by the appearance of a particular sensation known as De-Qi. Given that afference control actions of the central nervous system do not work in this way, but rather adapt, with some peculiarities, to a classical schedule of proportionality between stimulus and response, our aim is to evaluate the extent to which acupunctural stimuli of increasing intensity can also increasingly modify neurophysiological parameters, by focusing on quantification of metameric levels, by an F-wave study and by means of somatosensorial evoked potential in the telencephalus. Twenty-one healthy volunteers were studied; values corresponding to the parameters indicated in a basal situation were taken and both a non-acupunctural point and the classical 4IG point were punctured simply, until the De-Qi sensation was obtained, following which, electrical stimulation was applied.

[The control of somesthesia caused by neuroreflex stimulation: quantification of stimulus response as opposed to energy].

Introduction: In the reflexotherapy of classical acupuncture it is usually claimed that below a certain level of stimulation, which is determined by the appearance of a peculiar sensation known as De-Qi, no appreciable therapeutic effect is obtained. The control exerted by the afferences over the central nervous system, however, do not work in this way, but instead adjust themselves, albeit with certain peculiarities, to a classical pattern of proportionality between stimulus and response. Our aim is, therefore, to evaluate the extent to which increasingly intense acupuncture stimuli can modify neurophysiological parameters in a way that also grows.

Objective assessment of the sympatholytic action of the Nei-Kuan acupoint.

From animal experiments and clinical trials, we can think that acupuncture of Nei-Kuan (EH-6) is effective in the control of some vegetative functions. We have tried to determine the real reach of these assumptions by means of simple quantitative measurement methods, such as detection of cardiac frequency and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the sympathetic electrical response. The experiments were performed on 29 healthy volunteers.

[Visual field changes secondary to vigabatrin treatment].

Introduction: Vigabatrin is an effective antiepileptic drug for treatment of partial crises with or without generalization. It acts by increasing GABA levels by irreversible inhibition of the enzyme GABA-transaminase. In recent years there have been several reports published on the appearance of alterations of the visual fields of patients treated with this drug.

[Modifications of sympathetic tone induced by acupuncture reflex. Sympathetic electrical response and stimulus of 6PC].

Introduction: From certain experimental data obtained by experimental myocardial perfusion and clinical and animal studies, it would seem that this corroborates the finding that puncture of the acupuncture point (Neiguan, 6PC) has an effect on organic vegetative tone.

Objective: We aimed to establish, by means of a simple, conclusive, objective measuring system such as sympathetic electrical response, whether this point had this action and whether its effect was nonspecific or due to activation of a nervous tract subjacent to this point.

Patients And Methods: We assessed the sympathetic electrical response in 29 healthy volunteers in whom basal values were recorded and again after orthodox acupuncture stimulus in 6PC, and compared with data obtained of the effects caused by stimulus of an extra-acupunctural point, of a different acupunctural point of the same channel, of bipolar stimulation of the median nerve at the level of 6PC and with the modifications generated in the response by rest lying down during the period of the experiment.

Early detection of neurophysiological abnormalities in infection by human immunodeficiency virus.

The human immunodeficiency virus causes serious, progressive and irreversible deterioration of the immunocompetence system and of the nervous system, so neurological pathology in infected patients is frequent (30-40%), affecting both the central and the peripheral nervous systems. There are different clinical and laboratory indicators of bad prognosis, considering the important neurotropism of the virus. This study attempts to evaluate which neurophysiological parameters are altered during the initial phases of infection by HIV.

[Neurophysiological parameters and CD4 lymphocyte count in patients infected by human immunodeficiency virus].

Introduction And Objective: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes serious, irreversible, progressive deterioration of the immune and nervous systems. The main target cells are the 'helper' T lymphocytes and monocyte-macrophage cells with CD4 molecules on the surface acting as virus receptors. In this study we attempt to find whether the immune state and the nervous system are involved in parallel, or whether, on the contrary, HIV neurotropism is such that it leads to early nerve involvement, out of proportion to that of the immune system.

[Forty-two years of neurophysiology in Aragon in relation to other neurological specialties].

Introduction: Forty two years after the first EEG had been done in our community we decided (encouraged by the Sociedad Aragonesa de Neurofisiología Clínica) to write a biographical synopsis of the specialty of neurophysiology in Aragón, since knowledge of the past usually makes for a better future.

Development: Initially, seven specialists, many others with their smaller contributions, the proceedings of the Sociedad Aragonesa de Neurofisiología Clínica, the proceedings of Serrate and the archives of the chair of Psychiatry of Zaragoza University have all provided information about the history of neurophysiology in Aragón. We studied the activities of public hospitals, private centres as well as academic neurophysiology activities.

[Characteristics of sleep in deafness].

Unlabelled: INTRODUCTION, MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied a profoundly deaf population, in order to evaluate the zeitgeber sleep role of the ambient sound. A closed questionnaire was given to 36 students at a special college for the profoundly deaf and to 321 controls of similar age and sex.

Results: We do not find total upset of sleep, but a good sleep quality, probably due to the noise isolation of the deafness.

[Insomnia and somnolence in epilepsy].

Introduction And Methods: Based on the well-known association between sleep disorders and epilepsy which share common functional elements, we investigated the existence of sleep disorders in general as seen in a series of patients who attended the electrophysiology clinic, using a simple questionnaire method dealing with sleep disorders and somnolence.

Results: It was seen that there was a markedly greater prevalence of sleep disorders in epileptics as compared with non-epileptic controls. It was also observed that in partial crises these disorders are more important, mainly because of the global sleep deficit and increased nocturnal waking.

[Unexpected clinical diagnosis of myotonia].

We studied all the electromyographic studies carried out in our Service until 1995, in order to quantify the find of myotonia and to compare it with the previous clinical diagnosis that originated the exploration. 30% of the findings of myotonia were unexpected. Non-filiated myopathy and weakness on study, were the principal clinical correlates in those unexpected findings.

[-Somatosensory evoked potentials by acupunctural stimulus and cortical functional projection].

We studied the somatosenory evoked potentials elicited by punctual bipolar stimulation of acupunctural points, with great and little primary sensory cortex representation. We found that different quality signal was obtained, apparently related with the extent of such cortical representation, wich indicate a possible important role of the cortex on the repetitive somatosensory afference.

Somatosensory evoked potential elicited by acupoint's stimulus.

Based on the observation that repeated acupoint stimulation elicits evoked potentials whose latency varies as a result of the stimulus intensity we assessed the evoked potential elicited by stimulus of three acupoints (Hegu, Shenmen and Houxi), comparing the results to the potentials produced by median nerve stimulus and nonacupunctural point. Fourteen healthy individuals were studied, and no modifications related to the Hegu and Shenmen point potentials increased with the amount of stimuli, until it reached a plateau at around 400 stimuli. It did not vary for Houxi and the nonacupunctural point.

The role of the cerebral cortex in acupuncture modulation of the somesthetic afferent.

It is known from previous work that acupuncture stimulation modifies the somesthetic afferent to different extends depending on the acupoint studied. In this study, somatosensory evoked potentials of 21 healthy volunteers are recorded. When acupoint LI-4 (Hoku) is stimulated, it produces noticeable modifications, with a significant increase of latency and decrease of amplitude of the peaks which reflect the primary cortical afferent.

Changes of cerebral endogenous evoked potentials by acupuncture stimulation: a P300 study.

The change of cerebral potential P300 in relation to superior cerebral functions by means of acupuncture stimulation was studied. For this purpose, the parameters of this cerebral response after acupuncture stimulation at acupoints He-7 and LI-4, and at a non-acupuncture control point, have been assessed, both immediately after the stimulation and within the following 15 minutes. A considerable change is observed in the P300 amplitude after stimulation at He-7 acupoint, which increases with time.

[Intractable aqueous diarrhea associated with carbamazepine intake].

Diarrhea is usually a minor side-effect of carbamazepine. We report two severe diarrhea cases, leading to drug withdrawal.

The influence of interelectrode distance on bipolar recording of sensory nerve action potential. A mathematical study.

Bipolar recording of Extracellular Single Fiber Action Potential (ESFAP) and Sensory Nerve Action Potential (SNAP) were simulated mathematically. The study attempts to analyze the influence of interelectrode distance on the amplitude of bipolar recordings. Simulations of bipolar recordings of ESFAP and SNAP presented four major peaks whose relations changed with the distances between the electrodes which compose the derivation.

[Modulatory capability of the somatosensory afferents through acupuncture reflexotherapy].

This paper concerns the influence of the acupuncture on the somatic afferent volley. As the main used points in experimental acupuncture, we stimulated 4GI and 7H. The results confirm the modulatory influence of the acupuncture on the somesthetic afference and, also, its different mode of action related with the nature of the point stimulated.

[Cortical evoked auditory evoked potentials in a series of patients who had bacterial meningitis during childhood].

Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEP) were recorded from scalp electrodes in 47 patients, who survived to bacterial meningitis in their childhood. CAEP were obtained from 1 month to 8 years after recovering from acute disease. Neisseria meningitidis was the microorganism more frequently isolated from CSF (43.