Synchronized slow-amplitude modulations in the electromyograms of shivering muscles

The electromyograms (EMG) of shivering human subjects exposed to 0 degrees C air in an environmental chamber were analyzed to detect slow-amplitude modulations (SAMs, less than 1 Hz) in the EMGs of widely separated muscles and to study the relationship of these SAMs to respiration rate and skin temperature. Distinct amplitude modulations were observed in the raw EMGs during shivering. The peaks in EMG activity occurred simultaneously in the majority of the monitored muscles in all subjects. Pearson correlations between the average rectified EMGs of 93% of the muscles were significant (P less than 0.05). Visual analysis of the EMG and respiration signals indicated that the peaks in muscular activity occurred 6-12 times/min, whereas respiration ranged from 10 to 23 cycles/min. For all subjects respiration was at a higher frequency than amplitude modulation in the EMG. Comparison of EMG records with expiratory flow rate traces in shivering subjects indicated no one-to-one correlation between the occurrence of respiration and EMG amplitude modulations. Respiratory flow rate and average rectified EMG showed significant correlation in only 33% of the cases. In addition, skin temperature changes could not be correlated with the SAMS.     

Analysis of shivering in nonperiheral cooling during pyrogen fever

The shivering reaction to nonperipheral cooling was monitored in goats. No difference in reaction between normothermic and fevered animals was found. It is concluded that fever is not caused by a change of gain in thermosensors.     

Multiple recording of electromyograms in a chronic experiment

The authors describe electromyographic electrodes (EMG electrodes) for recording the activity of several muscles in chronic experiments on cats. An EMG electrode is a loop made of a silver wire 200 micron in diameter and 1.5-2 cm long, to which a flexible copper wire insulated with teflon 300 micron in diameter is soldered. The soldering site is insulated with biologically indifferent material. The EMG electrodes turned out fairly good in numerous experiments.     

Feasibility study of detecting surface electromyograms in severely obese patients

The aims of this study were to examine if surface EMG signals can be detected from the quadriceps femoris muscle of severely obese patients and to investigate if differences exist in quadriceps force and myoelectric manifestations of fatigue between obese patients and lean controls.Fourteen severely obese patients (body mass index, BMI, mean ± SD: 44.9 ± 6.3 kg/m²) and fourteen healthy controls (BMI: 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m²) were studied. The vastus medialis and lateralis of the dominant thigh were concurrently investigated during voluntary isometric contractions (10-s long at submaximal and maximal intensities and intermittent submaximal contractions until exhaustion) and sustained (120-s long) electrically elicited contractions.We found that the detection of surface EMG signals from the quadriceps is feasible also in severely obese subjects presenting increased thickness of the subcutaneous fat tissue. In addition, we confirmed and extended previous findings showing that the volume conductor properties determine the amplitude and spectral features of the detected surface EMG signals: the lower the subcutaneous tissue thickness, the higher the amplitude and mean frequency estimates. Further, we found no differences in the mechanical and myoelectric manifestations of fatigue during intermittent voluntary and sustained electrically elicited contractions between obese patients and lean controls.     

Effects of almitrine on genioglossal and diaphragmatic electromyograms

We previously demonstrated dose-dependent increases in both hypoglossal and phrenic electroneurograms after almitrine in anesthetized, paralyzed, and vagotomized cats. We have now investigated the effect of this peripheral chemoreceptor stimulant on diaphragmatic and genioglossal (GG, an upper airway-maintaining muscle) electromyograms in five unanesthetized, chronically instrumented, spontaneously breathing adult cats during slow-wave sleep. In 12 studies almitrine doses of 1.0-6.0 mg/kg increased inspired minute ventilation (VI), frequency (f), and tidal volume (VT) and decreased expiratory time (TE). However, almitrine doses as high as 6.0 mg/kg failed to augment phasic inspiratory GG activity. To determine why almitrine induced phasic inspiratory upper airway activity in anesthetized, vagotomized cats but not in sleeping cats, additional studies were performed. In four dose-response studies in three pentobarbital-anesthetized cats, almitrine, 1.0-6.0 mg/kg, did not produce phasic inspiratory GG activity. Almitrine did induce phasic inspiratory GG activity in two of three studies in three vagotomized, tracheostomized, alpha-chloralose-urethan-anesthetized cats. These results suggest that almitrine would not be useful in obstructive sleep apnea, yet because almitrine markedly increased VI, f, and VT and decreased TE in unanesthetized sleeping cats the drug may be effective in patients who lack normal central neural respiratory drive, such as the preterm infant.     

Thermogenic shivering in the anesthetized rat

In normal pentobarbital-anaesthetized rats (20 mg/kg, i.p.), Ketanserine (2.5 to 10 mg/kg, i.v.) increases the temperature of the paw skin and decreases the central one. A strong thermogenetic shivering appears when central temperature falls below 35 degrees C. This shivering is a specific characteristics of Ketanserine activity, probably related to its fixation on 5-HT2 central receptors.     

Thermoregulatory shivering during exercise

Three subjects with lowered internal body temperatures performed brief bouts of bicycle ergometer exercise at 150 and 200 W. Oxygen uptake during exercise was consistently greater than that required by the working muscles, the increase being the result of the additional cost of shivering. Increases in metabolism during exercise above control levels were inversely proportional to internal temperature (with skin temperature constant) below a given internal temperature threshold. Observations of intense shivering during exercise which is proportional to lowered internal temperature in the same manner as during rest provides further evidence against the concept of a decrease in the thermoregulatory set point during exercise in man.     

Hypoxia-induced changes in shivering and body temperature

Experiments were carried out on conscious cats to evaluate the general characteristics and modes of action of hypoxia on thermoregulation during cold stress. Intact and carotid-denervated (CD) conscious cats were exposed to ambient hypoxia (low inspired O2 fraction) or CO hypoxia in prevailing laboratory (23-25 degrees C) or cold (5-8 degrees C) environments. In the cold, both groups promptly decreased shivering and body temperature when exposed to either type of hypoxia. Small increases in CO2 concentration reinstituted shivering in both groups. At the same inspired concentration of O2, CD animals decreased shivering and body temperature more than intact cats. While this difference resulted, in part, from a lower alveolar PO2 in CD cats, a difference between intact and CD cats was apparent when the two groups were compared at the same alveolar PO2. During more prolonged hypoxia (45 min), shivering returned but did not reach normoxic levels, and body temperature tended to stabilize at a hypothermic value. Exposure to various levels of hypoxia produced graded suppression of shivering, with the result that the change in body temperature varied directly with inspired O2 concentration. Hypoxia appears to act on the central nervous system to suppress shivering and sinus nerve afferents appear to counteract this direct effect of hypoxia. In intact cats, this counteraction appears to be sufficient to maintain body temperature under hypoxic conditions at room temperature but not in the cold.     

Inhibition of shivering in hypothermic seals during diving

The mammalian response to hypothermia is increased metabolic heat production, usually by way of muscular activity, such as shivering. Seals, however, have been reported to respond to diving with hypothermia, which in other mammals under other circumstances would have elicited vigorous shivering. In the diving situation, shivering could be counterproductive, because it obviously would increase oxygen consumption and therefore reduce diving capacity. We have measured the electromyographic (EMG) activity of three different muscles and the rectal and brain temperature of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) while they were exposed to low ambient temperatures in a climatic chamber and while they performed a series of experimental dives in cold water. In air, the seals had a normal mammalian shivering response to cold. Muscles were recruited in a sequential manner until body temperature stopped dropping. Shivering was initiated when rectal temperature fell below 35.3 +/- 0.6 degrees C (n = 6). In the hypothermic diving seal, however, the EMG activity in all of the muscles that had been shivering vigorously before submergence was much reduced, or stopped altogether, whereas it increased again upon emergence but was again reduced if diving was repeated. We conclude that shivering is inhibited during diving to allow a decrease in body temperature whereby oxygen consumption is decreased and diving capacity is extended.     

Electrode for selective recording of electromyograms from intercostal muscles

An electromyogram-recording electrode is described that makes it possible to record separately the electrical signals generated within two closely approximated muscle layers. The device consists of two bipolar wire hook electrodes embedded in opposite faces of a thin laminated plastic wafer. The middle lamina of the wafer is a sheet of metal foil that shields the electrical field on one side of the wafer from the bipolar electrode on the other side. The device was tested by inserting it from the inside of the chest wall between the internal and external intercostal muscle layers. Signals from the two muscle layers were clearly separated. Single motor unit spikes were attenuated by factors ranging from 41 to 2.4. The device can be implanted with minimal trauma to surrounding muscles and is suitable for chronic animal experiments.     

寒颤对呼吸道复温作用的影响

目的：检测寒颤对呼吸道复温的影响。方法：采用冷水浸泡降温和注射卡肌宁抑制寒颤的方法建立抑制寒颤的低体温犬模型。受试犬吸湿热空气（40．45℃,RH99．9％）及室温空气（19±1℃,RH30％～75％）复温各2h,不同温度空气复温的先后顺序随机安排。复温4h后,加压呼吸湿热空气复温使其恢复自主呼吸,继续呼吸湿热空气复温直至直肠温度（Tr）和食道温度（Te）恢复入水时温度。实验过程中采用间接测热法测定代谢产热量。结果：①抑制寒颤时,吸湿热空气2h可使Tr和Te平均每小时分别增高0．26～0．39℃和0．44—1．11℃,吸室温空气2h可使Tr和re平均每小时分别降低0．24-0．51℃和0．58～0．67℃,Tr和Te的变化与呼吸不同温度空气的先后顺序无关。②有寒颤、自主呼吸湿热空气时,Tr和Te的复温速度分别为2．26～2．33℃／h和1．96～2．38℃／h,较抑制寒颤、呼吸湿热空气时明显加快。③与抑制寒颤、加压呼吸湿热空气时的代谢产热量比较,受试犬恢复寒颤自主呼吸湿热空气时代谢产热量明显增高,使复温速度明显加快。结论：呼吸道复温有助于低体温机体复温。寒颤时机体代谢产热量明显增高,使复温速度明显加快。因此,检测呼吸道复温作用时应抑制寒颤,排除寒颤产热的干扰。     

Inhibition of shivering during restraint hypothermia

Restraint hypothermia has often been described, but its cause has never been clarified. We hypothesized that it might be due to a suppression of shivering thermogenesis. Thus, we restrained conscious rats in an ambient temperature of 2 degrees C while measuring rectal (Tre) and tail skin temperatures, metabolic rate (MR), and shivering activity. When rats were cold exposed but not restrained, Tre fell 1.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C (SE) during the 1st h. When these same rats were restrained, Tre fell at a rate of 6.5 +/- 0.2 degrees C/h. MR averaged 15.7 +/- 1.4 W/kg for the unrestrained rats, but it averaged only 9.0 +/- 1.1 W/kg for the restrained rats. The restrained rats showed no signs of shivering. The animals were then subjected to a restraint adaptation regimen and then reexposed to cold. Restraint now produced a fall in Tre of only 2.6 +/- 0.7 degrees C/h. The animals shivered and generated an MR of 15.8 +/- 0.9 W/kg. Naive rats became hypothermic because restraint suppressed shivering activity. However, adapted rats continued to shiver and remained normothermic. We suggest that a stressful or threatening situation, such as restraint for a naive rat, inhibits shivering and leads to hypothermia in a cold environment. This would not occur in adapted rats because restraint is no longer stressful.