Neural discharges

We propose that the therapeutic efficacy of ECT may be related to activation of specific brain areas and the whole brain need not convulse for an antidepressant effect. It is possible that neural discharge in specific brain regions [Bolwig 1984], and not the convulsion, is the key factor for ECT s antide-pressive effects. External electrical stimulation as used for ECT may depolarize deep brain regions only by induction of convulsion. Local electrical brain stimulation in humans is not possible, of course ECT initiates massive discharge in the central nervous system [Lerer et al. 1984], and activation of no specific brain area has been proven to be the cause for ECT s therapeutic action. Local electrical stimulation of various brain regions for examination of antidepressive effect in animal models of depression would be a tedious and complicated task. 

I have made this model a little more complicated than the model in Chapter 2 by adding an arrow labeled Internal Stimuli within each possible information process to reflect the fact that more events are occurring in the agent s mind and nervous system than the experimenter s request to influence the target. This is also true for our clairvoyance and precognition model. For example, there may be spontaneous neural discharges or noises within your brain that interfere with the flow of information between the various processes. Or you may consciously dislike the experimenter, so that when he tells you to make the dice come up fours, you say (mentally), Nuts to you, and consciously try for a different target face. Or you may... 

Figure 2. Integrated neural discharge from the gerbil s chorda tympani nerve in response to a series of increasing concentrations of sucrose applied to the tongue. The solid bars under the records indicate stimulus duration, R is the measure of...

Figure 3. Plot of neural discharge from Figure 2...

Fig. 7.11 The main common features of the different modeling approaches for computer simulations of mental disorders, hormone release and neural discharges. Despite significant differences in details and several additional components in the specific models, the principle dynamics originate from a combination of positive and negative feedback loops. The necessary ingredients are ...

Kuhn A.A., Trottenberg T., Kivi A., Kupsch A., Schneider G.H., Brown P. The relation between local field potential and neural discharge in the subthalamic nucleus of patients with Parkinson s disease. Exp Neurol, 2005, 294, 212-220. 

Dni used for the management of convulsive disorders are called anticonvulsants. Most anticonvulsants have specific uses, tliat is, tliey are of value only in the treatment of certain types of seizure disorders. There are five types of dru used as anticonvulsants barbiturates, benzodiazepines, hydantoins, oxazolidinediones, and tlie succinimides. In addition, several miscellaneous dni are used as anticonvulsants. All possess the ability to depress abnonnal neural discharges in tlie central nervous system (CNS), resulting in an inhibition of seizure activity. Dni tliat control generalized tonic-clonic seizures are not effective for absence (petit mal) seizures. If botli conditions are present, combined drug tlierapy is required. 

The structures of the inner ear transform these infinitesimal movements to neural discharges that underlie the detection of sounds. 

Adaptation can be defined as a reduction in sensitivity following stimulation and is common to all senses. It is thought that adaptation is due to processes occurring at the receptor level. For example, in response to a steady-state stimulus, the neural discharge of the chorda tympani (the main nerve involved in gustatory perception) progressively declines until zero is reached [13]. The extent of adaptation to taste and aroma stimuli depends not only on the particular compound but also on the strength of stimulus [14-16], the duration of stimulation [17], the method of stimulation [15,18], and prior beliefs about the stimulus [19]. 

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