听觉电生理实时分析系统及其在大鼠下丘信息编码研究中的应用

基于TDT神经电生理软硬件平台和Matlab软件环境,开发了专用于听觉电生理研究的实时分析软件。通过对神经元胞外记录信号的在线处理和分析,可以在实验过程中得到刺激后放电活动时间直方图、平均发放率、首次发放潜伏期等定量分析结果,以及刺激参数变化时神经元发放率的变化曲线,如发放率-刺激强度曲线等。此分析软件被用于大鼠下丘神经元听觉信息编码的研究中,观察到下丘神经元对于纯音和噪声刺激不同的时间响应模式,以及神经元发放率和首次发放潜伏期对声音刺激强度的编码。     

小鼠听皮层对下丘神经元方位敏感性的调控

应用常规电生理学技术,研究小鼠听皮层对中脑下丘神经元方位敏感性的下行调制.实验记录了198个下丘神经元的听反应,这些神经元的最佳方位角大多数(84.8%)位于听空间对侧20°～50°范围内.根据神经元的方位敏感曲线特征,将这些神经元分为方位选择型,半场型、多峰型和全向型四种调谐模式.电刺激听皮层对绝大多数下丘神经元方位角的范围产生易化(42.0%)或抑制(45.0%)效应,并使59.3%的神经元的最佳方位角发生了转移.结果提示,小鼠下丘神经元具有明显的方位敏感性,听皮层对下丘神经元听觉方位信息处理具有下行调制作用.此研究结果为深入研究中枢听觉信息处理的离皮质调控机制提供了重要实验资料.     

NMR中APSL自动相位校正算法的改进

核磁共振仪获取的FID信号采用APSL（自动相位校正算法）进行相位矫正算法时,当相角偏差为45°、135°．225°和315°,计算的相角误差很大。提出了一种改进的APSL方法,通过人为地将原始谱峰相角改变±45°,并在不同的相角偏差下计算相位角,然后对三个角度下的结果进行分析以得到误差最小的相位角。     

用化学发光法研究NADPH氧化酶产生O_2~+的活性

本文用化学发光法研究了从促癌剂PMA刺激的人血多形核白细胞中提取的NADPH氧化酶在全溶无细胞体系中产生O_2~+的活性.给出了其发光值随时间的变化曲线;在相同条件下,其活性比从未刺激的多形核白细胞中提取的NADPH氧化酶约大4.5倍,与细胞色素C还原—SOD抑制法所得结果相一致.     

用化学发光法研究NADPH氧化酶产生O_2~+的活性

本文用化学发光法研究了从促癌剂PMA刺激的人血多形核白细胞中提取的NADPH氧化酶在全溶无细胞体系中产生O_2~+的活性.给出了其发光值随时间的变化曲线;在相同条件下,其活性比从未刺激的多形核白细胞中提取的NADPH氧化酶约大4.5倍,与细胞色素C还原—SOD抑制法所得结果相一致.     

初级视皮层神经元对瞬态刺激响应的时间性质

初级视皮层神经元对周期性运动光栅刺激具有周期性持续响应,而对没有周期性变化的静止恒定刺激的响应主要集中在刺激呈现的初期,为瞬时性响应.我们研究了在5～50 ms短时长静止刺激下神经元的响应性质,对响应时程的分析表明,猫初级视皮层神经元对瞬态刺激的响应曲线呈波峰形式.随着刺激的出现,在经过一段延迟后,响应幅度上升,出现一个或多个响应峰,随刺激的消失,响应幅度下降.神经元表现出随刺激时长的增长,响应峰主峰(第一个峰)的峰值时间和峰宽都有增加的趋势,但峰值时间在30～50 ms趋于饱和,除5 ms刺激时长诱发的峰高明显降低以外,其他刺激时长诱发的峰高较恒定.刺激消失变为灰屏时,神经元会产生撤反应峰(刺激后发放,offset responses),其强度由前面的刺激时长决定.最小响应时长约为39 ms,主峰与撤峰的最小时间差为36 ms,二者十分相近,提示了视初级视皮层神经元的基本响应时间约为35～40 ms.这可能是"视觉暂留"现象在初级视皮层水平的生理基础.     

家鸽Herbst小体对振动的反应特征

鸟类的Herbst小体是一种形态特殊的感觉性神经末梢器官.本文利用电生理学方法,研究了家鸽腿部胫骨-腓骨之间的Herbst小体对振动刺激的反应特征.这种小体对振动刺激非常敏感,当振动频率在600—800赫时,它们有反应的最低阈值约为0.3微米.不同的Herbst小体的反应阈值与频率的关系曲线表明:这种小体具有明显的带通滤波的特征,对振动反应的最佳频率范围为400—1000赫.在适宜频率、超阈值强度的振动刺激下,Herbst小体能以1:1的方式作出反应,即相对于每次正弦波振动刺激都有一个锁相的神经脉冲产生.在背根脊神经节内的细胞外记录表明:对振动敏感的神经节细胞具有和Herbst小体完全相似的反应特征.     

弱背景噪声对大鼠听皮层神经元频率调谐的影响

在自然环境中,人和动物常在一定的背景噪声下感知信号声刺激,然而,关于低强度的弱背景噪声如何影响听皮层神经元对声刺激频率的编码尚不清楚.本研究以大鼠听皮层神经元的频率反应域为研究对象,测定了阈下背景噪声对79个神经元频率反应域的影响.结果表明,弱背景噪声对大鼠初级听皮层神经元的听反应既有抑制性影响、又有易化性影响.一般来说,抑制性影响使神经元的频率调谐范围和最佳频率反应域缩小,易化性影响使神经元的频率调谐范围和最佳频率反应域增大.对于少数神经元,弱背景噪声并未显著改变其频率调谐范围,但却改变了其最佳频率反应域范围.弱背景噪声对63.64%神经元的特征频率和55.84%神经元的最低阈值无显著影响.神经元频率调谐曲线的尖部比中部更容易受到弱背景噪声的影响.该研究结果有助于我们进一步理解复杂声环境下大脑听皮层对听觉信息的编码机制.     

刺激大鼠杏仁外侧核对皮层A Ⅰ区ON-OFF神经元反应及调谐曲线的影响

在30只氨基甲酸乙酯麻醉的SD大鼠上记录神经元单位放电,观察短纯音诱发的皮层A Ⅰ区神经元ON-OFF反应的特性及电刺激杏仁外侧核(lateral amygdaloid nucleus,LA)对ON-OFF反应以及调谐曲线的影响.实验证实,A Ⅰ区神经元ON-OFF反应的模式与纯音刺激的强度、频率及作用时程有关;刺激LA可以抑制ON-OFF反应的放电频数,使反应的阈值升高,或使反应放电构型发生变化;此外,刺激LA能使ON-OFF神经元的调谐曲线变窄,Q10数值增大.研究结果不仅表明ON-OFF神经元能对纯音刺激的时程、强度和频率等多种信息进行编码,而且还证明杏仁外侧核可以在皮层水平参与听觉信息的调制,削弱或衰减某些听觉信息,导致整个调谐曲线上移变窄,从而提高A Ⅰ区ON-OFF神经元的频率选择性能,有利于检测外界嘈杂环境中特定的听觉信息.     

番茄成熟度与其电学参数关系的研究

以5个成熟度的金棚一号番茄果实为材料,在126 Hz~5 MHz频率范围内,利用平行板电极系统研究了8个电参数与番茄成熟度的关系,从而筛选反映果实成熟度的评价电指标.结果表明:500 kHz~5 MHz是测定番茄果实电指标的最佳频率段;在最佳频率范围内,随着番茄成熟度的增加,果实的复阻抗值逐渐减小,而其相对介电常数值持续增加;在番茄的转色期,其损耗系数具有最大值,而复阻抗相角具有最小值.研究发现,在合适频率下复阻抗和相对介电常数可以作为辨别番茄果实成熟度的合适电参数,而损耗系数和复阻抗相角可以作为辨别其转色期的指标.     

Sympathetic restraint of respiratory sinus arrhythmia: implications for vagal-cardiac tone assessment in humans

Clinicians and experimentalists routinely estimate vagal-cardiac nerve traffic from respiratory sinus arrhythmia. However, evidence suggests that sympathetic mechanisms may also modulate respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Our study examined modulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia by sympathetic outflow. We measured R-R interval spectral power in 10 volunteers that breathed sequentially at 13 frequencies, from 15 to 3 breaths/min, before and after beta-adrenergic blockade. We fitted changes of respiratory frequency R-R interval spectral power with a damped oscillator model: frequency-dependent oscillations with a resonant frequency, generated by driving forces and modified by damping influences. beta-Adrenergic blockade enhanced respiratory sinus arrhythmia at all frequencies (at some, fourfold). The damped oscillator model fit experimental data well (39 of 40 ramps; r = 0.86 +/- 0.02). beta-Adrenergic blockade increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia by amplifying respiration-related driving forces (P < 0.05), without altering resonant frequency or damping influences. Both spectral power data and the damped oscillator model indicate that cardiac sympathetic outflow markedly reduces heart period oscillations at all frequencies. This challenges the notion that respiratory sinus arrhythmia is mediated simply by vagal-cardiac nerve activity. These results have important implications for clinical and experimental estimation of human vagal cardiac tone.     

An on-line realtime cardiotachograph]

A realtime cardiotachogram was devised to detect fluctuation of cardiac rhythm. The apparatus is composed of five parts; (1) a "preamplifier" for recording electrical and/or mechanical cardiac activities, (2) a "slicer" to obtain sampling pulses from cardiac activity at a certain trigger level, (3) a "trigger pulse generator" to monitor sampling pulse, (4) an "oscillator" whose output is fed to a pulse counter, and (5) a "pulse counter" which counts the outputs of the oscillator during the gating period determined by the sampling pulses. The count numbers are converted to analog output, thus we can get sawtooth wave whose amplitude is directly proportional to the cardiac interval. The cardiac intervals between 100 ms and 5 seconds can be recorded by this tachograph.     

Complex life forms may arise from electrical processes

There is still not an appealing and testable model to explain how single-celled organisms, usually following fusion of male and female gametes, proceed to grow and evolve into multi-cellular, complexly differentiated systems, a particular species following virtually an invariant and unique growth pattern. An intrinsic electrical oscillator, resembling the cardiac pacemaker, may explain the process. Highly auto-correlated, it could live independently of ordinary thermodynamic processes which mandate increasing disorder, and could coordinate growth and differentiation of organ anlage.     

Synchronization with low power consumption of hardware models of cardiac cells

In a diffusively coupled system of mathematical models of cardiac cells, an acceleration phenomenon becomes apparent, with the period of the system becoming shorter than the periods of each isolated circuit. In order to investigate the energy or power consumption necessary to accelerate the oscillation of the coupled system, we propose an electronic circuit oscillator model for cardiac cells with the action potential presented by square waves with plateaus of different duration. When the durations of the plateaus of the isolated circuits were set at different values, while keeping the periods the same, the coupled system was accelerated. As a result the power consumption was reduced by the coupling. A requirement for the acceleration driven by the lowest power consumption was that the duty cycle of the coupled system be equal to 0.4. This duty cycle can be physiologically observed in living cardiac cell tissue. This suggests that cardiac cells are self-organized so as to accelerate through the coupling of cells while the total power consumption is reduced to the minimum state.     

心肌细胞自发性搏动节律的分岔和混沌现象

心脏的节律是复杂的、非线性的;其节律复杂性的起源是多层次的。实验观察了心肌细胞自发性搏动节律的模式,以及改变细胞间耦合强度时节律的转化规律。表明在以正常灌流液灌流状态下,心肌细胞表现为多种不同的节律模式,可以是周期的,也可以是非周期的。当细胞间耦合强度下降时,心肌细胞节律发生转化,并经倍周期分岔进入混沌节律。实验结果有助于更好地理解心脏节律复杂性的起源。     

Synchronization in a neural network of phase oscillators with the central element

A neural network model is considered which is designed as a system of phase oscillators and contains the central oscillator and peripheral oscillators which interact via the central oscillator. The regime of partial synchronization was studied when current frequencies of the central oscillator and one group of peripheral oscillators are near to each other while current frequencies of other peripheral oscillators are far from being synchronized with the central oscillator. Approximation formulas for the average frequency of the central oscillator in the regime of partial synchronization are derived, and results of computation experiments are presented which characterize the accuracy of the approximation.     

Elucidating the ticking of an in vitro circadian clockwork

A biochemical oscillator can be reconstituted in vitro with three purified proteins, that displays the salient properties of circadian (daily) rhythms, including self-sustained 24-h periodicity that is temperature compensated. We analyze the biochemical basis of this oscillator by quantifying the time-dependent interactions of the three proteins (KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC) by electron microscopy and native gel electrophoresis to elucidate the timing of the formation of complexes among the Kai proteins. The data are used to derive a dynamic model for the in vitro oscillator that accurately reproduces the rhythms of KaiABC complexes and of KaiC phosphorylation, and is consistent with biophysical observations of individual Kai protein interactions. We use fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to confirm that monomer exchange among KaiC hexamers occurs. The model demonstrates that the function of this monomer exchange may be to maintain synchrony among the KaiC hexamers in the reaction, thereby sustaining a high-amplitude oscillation. Finally, we apply the first perturbation analyses of an in vitro oscillator by using temperature pulses to reset the phase of the KaiABC oscillator, thereby testing the resetting characteristics of this unique circadian oscillator. This study analyzes a circadian clockwork to an unprecedented level of molecular detail.     

Application of the mathematics of coupled oscillator systems to the analysis of the neural control of locomotion.

In many animals, the activities of limb motor neurons are rhythmic during locomotion. In some animals it is known that each limb is innervated by a local control center that resides in a discrete portion of the central nervous system. Each local control center is a biological oscillator. Since each limb moves with the same frequency as each other limb and with regulated phase delay with respect to each other limb, then it follows that the local control centers are coupled to one another. The locomotory pattern generator within the central nervous system is therefore a coupled oscillator system. The mathematics of coupled oscillator systems can assist in the construction of a model of the neural pattern generator. This model can be utilized to formulate testable predictions concerning the neural control of locomotion. Experimental data gathered from organisms in several phylums are consistent with the predictions of the model.     

Quantized cell cycle times: interaction between a relaxation oscillator and ultradian clock pulses

Control of the timing of cell division is considered to result from a relaxation cell cycle oscillator: this has one slow and one rapid component and obeys a system of two ordinary differential equations. Interactions of the slow component with an ultradian oscillator leads to quantization of cell cycle times when the free parameters of the cell cycle oscillator are chosen close to its bifurcation point. This model fits the experimental results previously reported.