Plethysmographic study in the patients with non-specific complaints in the head-cervico-brachial regions: with a special reference to laterality in vasomotor responses and "cervical sympathetic dysharmony"

Bilateral vasomotor responses and sweat gland activities under the control of cervical sympathetic nerves were examined simultaneously by photo-electric plethysmogram (PTG) and skin potential reflex (SPR) in patients with nonspecific complaints in the head-cervicobrachial regions such as headache, dizziness, tinnitus, pain or stiffness of the neck and shoulder, and dullness or numbness of the arms. 137 out of those 355 patients (38.6%) were revealed to have laterality in vasomotor responses, but it was only 3 in 60 normal control subjects (5%) that showed the laterality in vasomotor responses. These results supported the assumption that the cervical sympathetic dysharmony--imbalance between the right and left sides of cervical sympathetic functions--played an important role in causing their various vegetative complaints in the head-cervicobrachial regions.

[Finger vasomotor, heart rate, and electrodermal measures of orienting and defensive reflexes (author's transl)]

The present study was carried out to differentiate orienting reflexes (OR) from defensive reflexes (DR) using 20 female college students as Ss. All Ss received 5 stimulations of 1 sec weak tone (1000 Hz, 40 dB) and 5 stimulation of 1 sec strong tone (white noise, 100 dB) in a randomized order and time interval. Finger pulse amplitude (PA), finger blood content (BC), heart rate (HR), and palmar skin potential reflex (SPR) were recorded simultaneously. BC decrease, HR deceleration, and negative wave of SPR occurred to weak stimulations, while increase, acceleration, and positive wave occurred to strong stimulations. Both intensities of stimulation produced a decrease in PA. These results were discussed in relation to the autonomic changes involved in OR and DR.

An application of neuroendocrinological studies in autistic children and Heller's syndrome

The response of plasma 11-hydroxycorticosteroids (11-OHCS) to intravenous pyrogen as well as the circadian rhythm of plasma 11-OHCS levels were investigated in seven autistic children and in two children with Heller's syndrome. In autistic children, the stress response, which is acquired in an earlier stage of development, was adequately sustained. However, the circadian rhythm, which seems to appear at a later stage with the maturity of the CNS, frequently revealed abnormal patterns. Similar findings were obtained in the Heller's syndrome cases, indicating organic changes in the brain. On the basis of these results, it is postulated that in early infantile autism there exist some functional changes in the CNS that show a close correlation to the regulatory mechanism of ACTH secretion.

[Effects of a sodium pump inhibitor on skin potential activity in human sweat glands (author's transl)]

To examine the effect of the ductal reabsorption of sodium in the sweat gland of the measured skin potential level (SPL) and skin potential reflex (SPR), an inhibitor of the sodium pump, G-strophanthin was injected into the subcutaneous tissue in humans. A sharp reduction of SPL in negativity was obtained just after the injection, while there was no observable change in SPR waveform compared with the non-treated concurrent control if the reflex amplitude was ignored. It is indicated that the sodium pump theory can not sufficiently account for the production of positive component of SPR. It is also suggested that there may be not so strict association between SPL and SPR waveform as was argued previously.

Skin potential activity in rats, cats, and primates (including man): a phylogenetic point of view

With rats, cats, nonhuman primates, and humans serving as subjects, skin potential activity was measured under waking conditions. In good agreement with the findings of previous workers, skin potential response waveform was always monophasic negative in rats and cats, but in humans it took three forms. By contrast, it was always monophasic positive in simian nonhuman primates, although prosimiae gave monophasic negative waves. A skin potential level-skin potential response relationship could not be observed in any subject except humans. From these results, an attempt was made to relate skin potential activity to the peripheral mechanism involved in these species on the basis of a phylogenetic point of view.

Activational and behavioral aspects of spontaneous skin potential responses in rats

Spontaneous skin potential responses (spontaneous SPRs) were recorded from the foot pad of nonanesthetized and unrestrained rats. It was observed that frequency of spontaneous SPRs varied directly with the states of activation. A remarkable diminution of spontaneous SPRs was noted during the grooming and the face washing.