Assessment of a single trial impact on the amplitude of the averaged event related potentials.

Widely used in neuroscience the averaging of event related potentials is based on the assumption that small responses to the investigated events are present in every trial but can be hidden under the random noise. This situation often takes place, especially in experiments performed at hierarchically lower levels of sensory systems. However, in the studies of higher order complex neuronal networks evoked responses might appear only under particular conditions and be absent otherwise.

Somatovisceral Convergence in Sleep-Wake Cycle: Transmitting Different Types of Information the Same Pathway.

Convergence of somatic and visceral inputs occurs at the levels of nervous system ranging from spinal cord to cerebral cortex. This anatomical organization gave explanation to a referred pain phenomenon. However, it also presents a problem: How does the brain know what information is coming for processing-somatic or visceral - if both are transferred by the same spinal cord fibers by means of the standard neuronal spikes? Recent studies provided evidence for cortical processing of interoceptive information largely occurring in sleep, when somatosensation is suppressed, and for the corresponding functional brain networks rearrangement.

The Mysterious Island: Insula and Its Dual Function in Sleep and Wakefulness.

In the recent sleep studies, it was shown that afferentation of many cortical areas switches during sleep to the interoceptive one. However, it was unclear whether the insular cortex, which is often considered as the main cortical visceral representation, maintains the same effective connectivity in both states of vigilance, or processes interoceptive information predominantly in one state. We investigated neuronal responses of the cat insular cortex to electrical stimulations of the intestinal wall delivered during wakefulness and natural sleep.

[The history of observations and some methodological features of the studies on local sleep].

The phenomenon of local sleep, a concept that has come into somnology relatively recently, has been attracting more and more attention of researchers. Under this name, two groups of phenomena are considered. The first is the appearance in different parts of the cerebral cortex of different EEG patterns during general sleep.

Complex Visceral Coupling During Central Sleep Apnea in Cats.

Central sleep apnea is a sudden arrest of breathing during sleep caused by the central commands to the thoracoabdominal muscles. It is a widespread phenomenon in both healthy and diseased people, as well as in some animals. However, there is an ongoing debate whether it can be considered as a pathological deviation of the respiratory function or an adaptive mechanism of an unclear function.

[On the mechanism of therapeutic effects of electrostimulation. Interpretations and predictions based on the results of sleep studies].

Based on the studies of the transition from wakefulness to sleep, we propose that therapeutic effect of various types of electrical stimulations can be related to growing sleepiness promoted by the stimulation, and to the improvement of sleep quality resulted from this procedure. Namely, improved sleep but not the stimulation itself will cause the therapeutic effect. The authors also discuss the probable mechanisms of the anticonvulsive effects of the vagus nerve stimulation and suggest that this effect could be caused by the changes in rhythmical activity of the visceral organs as a result of stimulation.

[Progress of sleep studies in the age of electrophysiology. The visceral theory of sleep].

Electrophysiological methods of studying the nervous system have opened up new opportunities for investigations of sleep. Striking changes in the pattern of EEG during the transition from wakefulness to sleep made it's recording a mandatory element of any somnological research. It was also found that the frequency of neuronal firing in the cerebral cortex during sleep does not decrease, but can significantly exceed the average level of the cortical activity during wakefulness.

Association of sleep impairments and gastrointestinal disorders in the context of the visceral theory of sleep.

It was noticed long ago that sleep disorders or interruptions to the normal sleep pattern were associated with various gastrointestinal disorders. We review the studies which established the causal link between these disorders and sleep impairment. However, the mechanism of interactions between the quality of sleep and gastrointestinal pathophysiology remained unclear.

[Long and difficult way towards the understanding of sleep function. Period before the age of electrophysiology].

It was proposed that historical analysis of ideas concerning the function of sleep will help to evaluate the tendencies in this field of science and will show the probable direction for further approach to understanding of this problem. We reviewed ideas of Ivan Pavlov and his Russian forerunners (Ivan Tarkhanoff and Maria Manaceine) and followers (Nikolay Rozjanskiy and Konstantin Bykov) on the functional role of sleep. This analysis led to the conclusion that state of sleep have been connected with realization of such functional operations, which have not been considered in the past and are not under consideration in the present neuroscience.

Absolute Depth Sensitivity in Cat Primary Visual Cortex under Natural Viewing Conditions.

Mechanisms of 3D perception, investigated in many laboratories, have defined depth either relative to the fixation plane or to other objects in the visual scene. It is obvious that for efficient perception of the 3D world, additional mechanisms of depth constancy could operate in the visual system to provide information about absolute distance. Neurons with properties reflecting some features of depth constancy have been described in the parietal and extrastriate occipital cortical areas.

The state of sleep and the current brain paradigm.

Up to the present time cerebral cortex was considered as substrate for realization of the highest psychical functions including consciousness. Cortical sensory areas were regarded as structures specialized for processing of information coming from one particular modality (visual, auditory, somatosensory, and so on). However, studies of cortical activity in sleep-wake cycle demonstrated that during sleep the same neurons in the same cortical areas switch to processing of signals coming from the various visceral systems.

[Changes in the intragastric contents during sleep affect the statistical characteristics of the neuronal activity in cerebral cortex].

Firing activity in somatosensory cortical area was analyzed in cats during slow wave sleep. Statistical characteristics of the background activity were calculated before and after changes of the intragastric contents (introduction of 50 ml of water into stomach). This procedure did not affect the depth of sleep.

[Sleep, emotions and the visceral control].

It is known that sleep is connected with sensory isolation of the brain, inactivation of the consciousness and reorganization of the electrical activity in all cerebral cortical areas. On the other hand, sleep deprivation leads to pathology in visceral organs and finally to the death of animals, while there are no obvious changes in the brain itself. It stays the opened question how the changes in the brain activity during sleep could be con- nected with the visceral health? We proposed that the same brain areas and the same neurons, which in wakefulness process the information coming from the distant and proprioreceptors, switch during sleep to the processing of the interoceptive information.

Partial sleep in the context of augmentation of brain function.

Inability to solve complex problems or errors in decision making is often attributed to poor brain processing, and raises the issue of brain augmentation. Investigation of neuronal activity in the cerebral cortex in the sleep-wake cycle offers insights into the mechanisms underlying the reduction in mental abilities for complex problem solving. Some cortical areas may transit into a sleep state while an organism is still awake.

[General statistical characteristics of the background firing in cat's cortical neurons during slow-wave sleep].

Background activity of 62 neurons in cat cerebral cortex was recorded in the state of slow-wave sleep for evaluation of the firing statistics. In according to their statistical characteristics neurons were subdivided in three groups. In the first group deviation from the Poisson process were comparatively small, and revealed as fragments of increased excitability following immediately after the refractory period.

Information processing bottlenecks in macaque posterior parietal cortex: an attentional blink?

When two brief stimuli are presented in rapid succession, our ability to attend and recognize the second stimulus is impaired if our attentional resources are devoted to processing the first. Such inability (termed the "attentional blink" in human studies) arises around 200-500 ms following the onset of the first stimulus. We trained two monkeys on a delayed-match-to-sample task where both the location and orientation of two successively presented grating patches had to be matched.

[The visceral theory of sleep].

The review focuses on the studies which were undertaken in order to check our visceral hypothesis of sleep. The review presents also independent studies, results of which are in good agreement with this hypothesis. The visceral hypothesis proposes that during sleep central nervous system including all cortical areas switches from the processing of the exteroceptive information (visual, somatosensory and so on) to the processing of the interoceptive information coming from all visceral systems of an organism.

Cortical visual areas process intestinal information during slow-wave sleep.

Background: Previously we have shown that, during sleep, electrical and magnetic stimulation of areas of the stomach and small intestine evoked neuronal and EEG responses in various cortical areas. In this study we wanted to correlate natural myoelectrical activity of the duodenum with cortical neuronal activity, and to investigate whether there is a causal link between them during periods of slow-wave sleep.

Methods: We have recorded the myoelectrical activity from the wall of the duodenum and activity of single neurons from three cortical visual areas in naturally sleeping cats and investigated causal interrelationship between these structures during slow-wave sleep.

Distance modulated neuronal activity in the cortical visual areas of cats.

During previous studies in cats and monkeys, it was found that in some neurons, responses to visual stimuli of the same angular size were dependent on the absolute distance to these stimuli. To study how widely this peculiarity of visual responses is distributed among cortical visual areas, we recorded activity of neurons in areas V4A, V2, V1, and frontal visual area on the lower bank of the cruciate sulcus. Neuronal activity was recorded at near (20 cm) or far (3 m) distances from a 3D stationary visual scene.

[The sleep and the visceral function control].

The review focuses on rapidly growing body of data indicating that disturbances of the natural sleep and sleep deprivation lead to various visceral disorders. The review mentions consequences of sleep disturbances on the gastro-intestinal system, cardio-vascular and respiratory, immune, endocrine and reproductive functions. In order to establish the functional link between the sleep and the visceral health it is proposed that during sleep the central nervous system including all cortical areas switches from the processing of the exteroceptive information to the processing of the interoceptive information.

Visually triggered K-complexes: a study in New Zealand rabbits.

K-complexes are the EEG elements recorded during the state of developing sleep and during slow wave sleep. They are the only EEG components which can be elicited by sensory stimulation during sleep. The peculiarity of New Zealand rabbits to sleep with their eyes open allows the use of visual stimuli to elicit K-complexes.

Overt and covert visual search in primates: reaction times and gaze shift strategies.

In order to investigate the search performance and strategies of nonhuman primates, two macaque monkeys were trained to search for a target template among differently oriented distractors in both free-gaze and fixed-gaze viewing conditions (overt and covert search). In free-gaze search, reaction times (RT) and eye movements revealed the theoretically predicted characteristics of exhaustive and self-terminating serial search, with certain exceptions that are also observed in humans. RT was linearly related to the number of fixations but not necessarily to the number of items on display.

A minimally invasive and reversible system for chronic recordings from multiple brain sites in macaque monkeys.

We have developed a reversible system for performing simultaneous recordings from multiple brain areas of trained macaque monkeys. It consists of a near-circular halo fitted around the head of the monkey with 5-10 thin plastic or stainless steel posts that either jut against or are screwed into the skull, respectively. Both methods of implantation of the posts are easily reversible, enabling protracted recordings over many years and training the monkeys in more complex tasks.