Concerning the amplitude modulation of the human EEG

Amplitude-modulated processes can be formally presented as a product of two or more sinusoids. This makes it possible to study them by means of analysis of multiplicative phenomena using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). To assess the contribution of amplitude EEG modulation to the dynamic of electrical activity of the human brain, the results of the FFT of simulated signals obtained by multiplication of oscillatory processes with different parameters were compared with the results of the FFT of a single EEG recording from a subject at rest. We studied the temporal dynamics of spectral components calculated with different spectral resolution under similar conditions for real and simulated signals. An attempt was made to analyze and interpret the amplitude-modulated EEG processes using the additive properties of the FTT. It was shown that processes of amplitude modulation are present in electrical brain activity and determine the synchronism of changes in time in the majority of frequency components of the EEG spectrum. The presence of the amplitude modulation in bioelectrical processes is of a fundamental nature, since it is a direct reflection of the control, synchronization, regulation, and intersystem interaction in the nervous and other body systems. The study of this modulation gives a clue to the mechanisms of these processes.     

Cognitive neuroscience of creativity: EEG based approaches

Cognitive neuroscience of creativity has been extensively studied using non-invasive electrical recordings from the scalp called electroencephalograms (EEGs) and event related potentials (ERPs). The paper discusses major aspects of performing research using EEG/ERP based experiments including the recording of the signals, removing noise, estimating ERP signals, and signal analysis for better understanding of the neural correlates of processes involved in creativity. Important factors to be kept in mind to record clean EEG signal in creativity research are discussed. The recorded EEG signal can be corrupted by various sources of noise and methodologies to handle the presence of unwanted artifacts and filtering noise are presented followed by methods to estimate ERPs from the EEG signals from multiple trials. The EEG and ERP signals are further analyzed using various techniques including spectral analysis, coherence analysis, and non-linear signal analysis. These analysis techniques provide a way to understand the spatial activations and temporal development of large scale electrical activity in the brain during creative tasks. The use of this methodology will further enhance our understanding the processes neural and cognitive processes involved in creativity.     

微丝电极阵列的参考电极内置与外置的对比研究*

目的: 通过对比内置和外置参考电极的微丝电极阵列在记录大鼠脑神经元放电过程中的优缺点,优化微丝电极阵列的制作与埋置,为多通道电生理实时记录系统提供更加实惠、优异的媒介工具。方法: 采用镍铬合金丝、电路板、电极引脚和地线(银线)制作16通道的微丝电极阵列,通过内置(参考电极与电极阵列并列排布)或外置(参考电极与地线分别焊接在电极一侧的两端)微丝电极阵列的参考电极,观察对比两种电极在记录大鼠ACC脑区神经元放电中的区别。实验大鼠分为内置组(8只)和外置组(9只),检测指标有信噪比(n=8)、放电幅度(n=380)和放电频率(n=54)。结果: 内置与外置参考电极的微丝电极阵列均可顺利记录出大鼠ACC脑区神经元的电信号;与外置组相比,内置组的神经元电信号具有信噪比高(P＜0.05)、背景信号幅度小、受噪音干扰小,和放电幅度大(P＜0.05)的优点;锋电位放电频率没有显著差异(P＞0.05)。结论: 在记录大鼠ACC脑区神经元电活动时,内置参考电极的微丝电极阵列记录到更高信噪比、更大放电幅度的电信号,为多通道电生理技术提供更加可靠的工具。     

Evolution of surface electromyography: From muscle electrophysiology towards neural recording and interfacing

Surface electromyography (EMG) comprises a recording of electrical activity from the body surface generated by muscle fibres during muscle contractions. Its characteristics depend on the fibre membrane potentials and the neural activation signal sent from the motor neurons to the muscles. EMG has been classically used as the primary investigation tool in kinesiology studies in a variety of applications. More recently, surface EMG techniques have evolved from single-channel methods to high-density systems with hundreds of electrodes. High-density EMG recordings can be deconvolved to estimate the discharge times of spinal motor neurons innervating the recorded muscles, with algorithms that have been developed and validated in the last two decades. Within limits and with some variability across muscles, these techniques provide a non-invasive method to study relatively large populations of motor neurons in humans. Surface EMG is thus evolving from a peripheral measure of muscle electrical activity towards a neural recording and neural interfacing signal. These advances in technology have had a major impact on our fundamental understanding of the neural control of movement and have exposed new perspectives in neurotechnologies. Here we provide an overview and perspective of modern EMG technology, as derived from past achievements, and its impact in neurophysiology and neural engineering.     

Optical indications of electrical activity and excitation-contraction coupling in the early embryonic heart

Complete understanding of the ontogenesis and early development of electrical activity and its related contraction has been hampered by our inability to apply conventional electrophysiological techniques to the early embryonic heart. Direct intracellular measurement of electrical events in the early embryonic heart is impossible because the cells are too small and frail to be impaled with microelectrodes. Optical signals from voltage-sensitive dyes have provided a new and powerful tool for monitoring changes in membrane potential in a wide variety of living preparations. With this technique it is possible to make optical recordings from cells which are inaccessible to microelectrodes. An additional advantage of the optical method for recording membrane potential activity is that electrical activity can be monitored simultaneously from many sites in a preparation. Thus, applying a multiple-site optical recording method with a 100- or 144-element photodiode array and voltage-sensitive dyes, we have been able to monitor for the first time spontaneous electrical activity in pre-fused cardiac primordia in early chick embryos at the 6- and early 7-somite stages of development; we have been able to determine that the time of initiation of the heartbeat is the middle period of the 9-somite stage. In the rat embryonic heart, the onset of spontaneous electrical activity and contraction occurs at the 3-somite stage. This article describes ionic properties of the spontaneous action potential and genesis of excitation-contraction coupling in the early embryonic chick and rat hearts. In addition, an improved view of the ontogenetic sequence of spontaneous electrical activity and its implications for excitation-contraction coupling in the early embryonic heart are proposed and discussed.     

Influence of the first amplifier stage in MEA systems on extracellular signal shapes

Recording of extracellular signals with planar metal microelectrodes (ME) has already been presented more than 30 years ago. To date, microelectrode array (MEA) systems are able to measure extracellular signals at about 64 sites, simultaneously. This enables monitoring of electrical activity of many cells in a large area. The extracellular recording technique has become a widely used method for neurological, toxicological or pharmacological studies. It already proved its potential to supplement the classical methods in electrophysiology. The interpretation of the recorded signal shapes in order to extract electrophysiological meaningful data--however--is still under discussion. In this article, we analyse the preamplifier circuit for extracellular recording of cardiac myocyte signals. We use a circuit model for the cell-electrode contact including the first amplification stage. In test experiments, we observe different signal shapes, when different shunt resistors are introduced at the input of the preamplifier. According to the frequency spectra of the recordings, we evaluate the transfer function between the source signal and the readout signal. As a result of our studies, an optimum readout electronics for originally, preserved extracellular signal shapes is proposed. Our amplifier design will be most valuable, if the use of small microelectrodes with high input impedances for in vitro as well as for in vivo experiments is desired.     

Parameters extraction and monitoring in uterine EMG signals. Detection of preterm deliveries

The aim of this paper is to classify between labor contractions and pregnancy contractions. Various types of parameters have been extracted from the electrohysterogram (EHG), mainly from the original EHG or from different frequency bands. They have been computed from different signal databases obtained with different recording protocols. The results of these studies are sometime controversial. The aim of this paper is to compute 17 parameters selected from the literature on the same signal database, either on the original EHG or after wavelet packet decomposition, and then to compare their power to discriminate between contractions recorded during pregnancy and labor. We thus obtain a selection of parameters that allow the best discrimination between pregnancy and labor contractions, when computed on the same signals, either on the original EHG or on selected frequency bands.     

微电极矩阵研究小鼠胚胎心脏电生理活动

本实验采用一种新方法——微电极矩阵技术从整体水平研究小鼠胚胎离体整体心脏电生理活动。我们用微电极矩阵记录与60个电极相接触的心肌细胞的电活动(细胞外记录),称为场电位(field potentials,FPs),并与全细胞膜片钳记录的动作电位(action potentials,APs)(细胞内记录)进行比较,发现心房、心室处场电位形态类似于负向的细胞动作电位,场电位时程亦与动作电位时程类似。为研究兴奋的传导,我们比较了不同电极处场电位发生时间,发现在房室结构还未形成的胚胎发育第9．5天(E9．5)已经观察到明显的房室传导延迟(A-V delay)[(50．21±9．7)ms],而心室不同部位兴奋几乎是同步的。在发育晚期(E16．5),房室传导延迟为(82．21±10．50)ms。进一步研究基本的神经体液因素对心脏兴奋的调控,表明: 在E9．5,异丙肾上腺素(isoproterenol,Iso)使胚胎兴奋频率加快(34．04±7．31)％,房室传导延迟缩短(20．00±6．44)％,同时场电位时程增宽;相反,卡巴唑(carbachol,CCh)则使兴奋频率降低(42．32±5．36)％,房室传导缩短(26．00±4．81)％, 场电位时程减小。而在E16．5,Iso的作用显著增强,兴奋频率加快(101．54±10．23)％,房室传导延迟缩短(56．62±6．43)％, 而CCh则几乎使所有晚期心脏兴奋完全消失。所以,心脏的传导系统在胚胎发育早期4个腔室还未形成时已经建立,神经体液因子对心脏基本电生理活动的调控是在发育过程中逐渐成熟的。     

Transmission characteristics of primate vocalizations: implications for acoustic analyses

Acoustic analyses have become a staple method in field studies of animal vocal communication, with nearly all investigations using computer-based approaches to extract specific features from sounds. Various algorithms can be used to extract acoustic variables that may then be related to variables such as individual identity, context or reproductive state. Habitat structure and recording conditions, however, have strong effects on the acoustic structure of sound signals. The purpose of this study was to identify which acoustic parameters reliably describe features of propagated sounds. We conducted broadcast experiments and examined the influence of habitat type, transmission height, and re-recording distance on the validity (deviation from the original sound) and reliability (variation within identical recording conditions) of acoustic features of different primate call types. Validity and reliability varied independently of each other in relation to habitat, transmission height, and re-recording distance, and depended strongly on the call type. The smallest deviations from the original sounds were obtained by a visually-controlled calculation of the fundamental frequency. Start- and end parameters of a sound were most susceptible to degradation in the environment. Because the recording conditions can have appreciable effects on acoustic parameters, it is advisable to validate the extraction method of acoustic variables from recordings over longer distances before using them in acoustic analyses.     

The electrical resistivity of a segment of the tail,lungs, liver,and intercostal muscles of the grass snake during in vivo cooling

The electrical resistivity of tissues, organs, and body segments of reptiles (grass snakes) during experimental cooling has been studied for the first time. The observed significant decrease in the phase angle recorded in a tail segment and the significant decrease in the electrical resistivity of the liver and lung during body cooling are associated with the blood-flow redistribution from the tail to the mid-body, liver, and lungs.     

Are minidisc recorders adequate for the study of respiratory sounds?

Digital audio tape (DAT) recorders have become the de facto gold standard recording devices for lung sounds. Sound recorded on DAT is compact-disk (CD) quality with adequate sensitivity from below 20 Hz to above 20 KHz. However, DAT recorders have drawbacks. Although small, they are relatively heavy, the recording mechanism is complex and delicate, and finding one desired track out of many is inconvenient. A more recent development in portable recording devices is the minidisc (MD) recorder. These recorders are widely available, inexpensive, small and light, rugged, mechanically simple, and record digital data in tracks that may be named and accessed directly. Minidiscs hold as much recorded sound as a compact disk but in about 1/5 of the recordable area. The data compression is achieved by use of a technique known as adaptive transform acoustic coding for minidisc (ATRAC). This coding technique makes decisions about what components of the sound would not be heard by a human listener and discards the digital information that represents these sounds. Most of this compression takes place on sounds above 5.5 KHz. As the intended use of these recorders is the storage and reproduction of music, it is unknown whether ATRAC will discard or distort significant portions of typical lung sound signals. We determined the suitability of MD recorders for respiratory sound research by comparing a variety of normal and pathologic lung sounds that were digitized directly into a computer and also after recording by a DAT recorder and 2 different MD recorders (Sharp and Sony). We found that the frequency spectra and waveforms of respiratory sounds were not distorted in any important way by recording on the two MD recorders tested.     

Effects on the feeding behaviour of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) of sublethal concentrations of the foliarly applied nitromethylene heterocycle 2-nitromethylene-1, 3-thiazinan-3-yl-carbamaldehyde

Abstract. An electrical recording technique, combined with simultaneous videofilming, was used to investigate the detailed feeding behaviour of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) on rice. Phases of brief probing, of non-feeding activities, such as walking and of sustained feeding were observed. Monitoring of electrical signals recorded during long, uninterrupted periods of contact between the insect and its host plant, revealed three pattern classes. Two clearly distinguishable wave-like patterns represent the hopper sucking from xylem and phloem tissues. The third represents a 'complex' of signals believed to be associated with stylet penetration, salivation and sucking activities in non-vascular tissues of the host plant. This recording method and simple counts of honeydew excretion activity were used to assess the effect on the feeding behaviour of N. lugens of a sublethal concentration of the nitromethylene heterocycle insecticide 2-nitromethylene-l, 3-thiazinan-3-yl-carbamaldehyde applied to rice. The treatment caused a general reduction in feeding activity. Analysis of the electrical trace revealed that phloem feeding was strongly inhibited. Since these effects were largely reversed on transferring hoppers from treated to untreated hosts, the test compound was considered to have an antifeedant rather than a conventional poisoning effect on the hoppers when applied at sublethal doses.     

Vertical structure of Erica umbellata,a representative species of European Ibero-Atlantic dry heaths

The canopy structure of Erica umbellata was studied in order to (a) quantify biomass allocation among several organ types, (b) analyse the possible changes in vertical structure related to season and plant size, and (c) evaluate the effectiveness of non-destructive measures to estimate biomass for a species that is declining in some areas, due to fire and other human disturbances. The study was conducted in NW Spain, sampling E. umbellata plants belonging to three size groups. Destructive (biomass) and non-destructive (frequency, height, diameter) measures were used to characterise the vertical distribution and abundance of photosynthetic, woody, reproductive and dead organs. Allometric equations were calculated to estimate total mass using non-destructive measurements. As E. umbellata increases in size, those organs with a higher renewal rate (leaves, new stems, flowers) increase in the upper strata. Seasonal differences are recorded for the reproductive organs and new stems. A sharp decrease in the green/total phytomass ratio (from 0.51 to 0.17) is observed as plant size increases. Organ biomass can be accurately predicted from total weight and it is also possible to estimate the total weight from non-destructive measures, which provides an easier way of recording data in the field.     

Imaging spatio-temporal patterns of long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampus

Spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal activity before and after the induction of long-term potentiation in mouse hippocampal slices were studied using a real-time high-resolution optical recording system. After staining the slices with voltage-sensitive dye, transmitted light images and extracellular field potentials were recorded in response to stimuli applied to CA1 stratum radiatum. Optical and electrical signals in response to single test pulses were enhanced for at least 30 minutes after brief high-frequency stimulation at the same site. In two-pathway experiments, potentiation was restricted to the tetanized pathway. The optical signals demonstrated that both the amplitude and area of the synaptic response were increased, in patterns not predictable from the initial, pretetanus, pattern of activation. Optical signals will be useful for investigating spatio-temporal patterns of synaptic enhancement underlying information storage in the brain.     

The relationship between body size and the field potentials generated by swimming crayfish

Aquatic animals generate electrical field potentials which may be monitored by predators or conspecifics. Many crustaceans use rapid, forceful contractions of the flexor and extensor muscles to curl and extend their abdomens during swimming in escape and locomotion. When crayfish swim they generate electrical field potentials that can be recorded by electrodes nearby in the water. In general, it is reasonable to assume that larger bodied crayfish will generate signals of greater amplitude because they have larger muscles. It is not known, however, how activity in particular muscles and nerves combines to produce the compound electrical waveform recorded during swimming. We therefore investigated the relationship between abdominal muscle, body size and the amplitude of nearby tailflip potentials in the freshwater crayfish (Cherax destructor). We found that amplitude was correlated positively with abdominal muscle mass. The mean amplitude recorded from the five smallest and five largest individuals differed by 440 microV, a difference sufficiently large to be of significance to predators and co-inhabitants in the wild.     

体征对灰眉岩鹀鸣唱特征的影响

声信号是鸟类交流的重要方式。鸟类的鸣声特征受到生境的塑造和性选择,也受到发声器官的影响,如种间的比较研究发现,体重大的鸟类鸣声频率低,喙短的鸟类鸣声频宽大。在种内是否也存在类似的规律,目前的结论还不一致。2012年6月,在北京小龙门地区(40°00'N,115°26'E)测量了17只灰眉岩鹀(Emberiza godlewskii)的形态参数以及鸣声的频率特征,未发现体重或喙长与鸣声的最高频率、最低频率、峰频或频宽存在显著的相关性。本研究的结果支持在小型雀形目鸟类中,体型对繁殖期鸣唱频率特征的影响不显著。     

Excitation of neurons in the canine area postrema by prostaglandins

The effects of prostaglandins on electrical activity of neurons in the canine area postrema were studied using the techniques of extracellular recording with iontophoresis. Excitatory responses were obtained upon application of prostaglandins A1, B1, B2, E1, F1 alpha, and F2 alpha in between 24 and 50% of the cells studied. The excitation was very similar in pattern to that observed to apomorphine, biogenic amines, and several neuropeptides in that it had a relatively long latency, low maimal frequency, and prolonged duration. Since the area postrema is known to play a central receptive role in initiating emesis to circulating toxins, these results suggest that prostaglandins may play a role in the initiation of some forms of emesis.     

Electrophysiological measures of regional neural interactive coupling. Linear and non-linear dependence relationships among multiple channel electroencephalographic recordings

Linear spectral coherence (Sklat et al., 1973) measures have been used in the neurosciences to test hypotheses which address the question of whether multiple EEG recording sites are independent or whether they are activated by common sources of neurophysiological activity. This measure is appropriate when regional neural sources interact and thereby electrically activate several recording sites through linear transmission pathways which may or may not be different in their linear transformation properties. However, if the transmission media are non-linear, then interactive dependency is not necessarily revealed by a linear coherence test. Therefore, if common sources are activating EEG recording sites through nonlinear media, evaluating the resulting relationships among the signals recorded from these sites requires a test which reveals the presence of such nonlinear relationships. In neurophysiological applications, a polycoherence cross-spectral measure provides such a test for nonlinear dependency (similar to the linear coherence test) among EEG recording sites. The data requirements and statistical properties of these linear and non-linear measures are described and results of a linear coherence analysis are presented in the context of an EEG pilot study of learning diabled children.     

Vibrational communication along plants by the stink bugs Nezara viridula and Murgantia histrionica

The velocity and spectral characteristics of vibrational signals of Nezara viridula (L.) and Murgantia histrionica (Hahn) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) were analyzed as the signals were transmitted through different plants. The velocity parameter of the body vibrations ranges from 0.1 to 1 mm/s. According to the mechanical properties of different substrates, the signal is attenuated or amplified during transmission from the insect's body to the substrate. Attenuation of up to 20 dB occurs during transmission of signals from leaves to stalks or stems. The velocity decrease with distance is below 0.5 dB/cm during transmission through less dense green stems, whereas it ranges between 0.6 and 1.6 dB/cm during transmission through more dense, woody stems. Signal velocity decreases non-linearly with increasing distance from the signal source. Regularly repeated velocity minima (nodes) and maxima (internodes) spaced 10-15 cm apart are characteristic of signal transmission through green plants but not woody stems. The signal velocity at some internodes exceeds the input value for N. viridula but not M. histrionica signals. The relative amplitude of the dominant frequency spectral peak varies with distance, along with overall signal velocity. Variable ratios of spectral peak amplitudes are characteristic for signals recorded at different distances from the source.     

Relationship between taenia coli electric activity and circular fibers. Study of the human transverse colon

First results of the comparison between the electrical activity of taenia coli and circular muscle are described. Experimental techniques consisted in recording electrical activity for 83 h in 12 patients during the post-operative period after cholecystectomy. Bipolar wire electrodes were surgically inserted in each muscle of the transverse colon's median portion. Statistical treatment leads to the principal conclusion as follows: Whatever type of muscles we have investigated, always could be found slow rhythmic components (called electro-control activity, ECA) in frequency ranges of 1-5 c/min and 9-12 c/min. Major part of taenia coli ECA is in frequency range between 1-5 c/min. ECA in this frequency range can be found in 21% of circular ECA, 23% of taenia coli ECA and 9% of common ECA (% means percents of total recording time). Higher frequencies are found in 7% of circular ECA, 4% of taenia coli ECA and 3% of common ECA. Using long time constant (more than 2 s) the bursts of spikes (10-50 microV) meaning active responses are always accompanied with slower components of important amplitude (greater than or equal to 100 microV): In the discrete mode of activity (DERA) short bursts (during 1-2.5 s) always follow the ECA, whereas in the continuous mode of activity (CERA) mostly longlasting bursts (up to 30 s) could be found. The bursts represent 14% of total time, namely in 8% of longitudinal ECA, 4% of circular ECA and 2% of common ECA. ECA of taenia coli in the case of common ECA is always prolonged. Typical slow waves of greater amplitude (greater than or equal to 500 microV) different from ECA are frequently recorded probably due the intensive contractile process.