Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 39-03, Section: B, page: 1535. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 39-11, Section: B, page: 5636. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-02, Section: B, page: 0973. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-02, Section: B, page: 0978. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Past research which assessed sensory recovery following grafting in humans has generally been characterized by variability in sensory testing methodology, and graft types and characteristics, small numbers of subjects, and incomplete psychophysics. Despite the variability, researchers observed that tactile, and temperature sensitivity, and two-point discrimination thresholds returned following grafting, although sensitivity was not equivalent to that of normal skin. / A cross-sectional observational study implementing control was made of the recovery of tactile and pain sensitivity using von Frey hairs in 39 subjects having skin flaps and/or grafts in the region of the chest and neck as a result of tumor excision. In contrast to past research, no subjects perceived stimuli of less than 11.80 g applied to the flap/graft, while 23% perceived 11.80 g or more. Of 4 subjects having split-thickness grafts, all perceived tactile and painful stimuli applied to the donor site. In addition, all subjects perceived pressure delivered to the graft or flap via the thumb pad. / In order to determine whether these findings were due to visual information available to subjects in previous research, but not in this experiment, a second experiment was conducted. this experiment was identical to Experiment 1 except 10 subjects having neck dissections used a mirror to observe stimulation during one stimulation series, but not the other. The reported number of perceptions were not significantly different for the two methods. However, in contrast to Experiment 1, 50% of the subjects perceived less than 11.80 g of force, while 80% perceived 11.80 g or more. Although the cause of the discrepancy between Experiment 1 and 2 is unknown, both experiments indicate that relatively little sensory recovery occurs following skin flaps or grafts due to the fact that only 31% of all subjects in both experiments perceived 17.10 g or less. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-12, Section: B, page: 4448. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Periodic feeding has been shown to synchronize a number of physiological and behavioral rhythms. In the present study, three experiments were carried out to investigate the role of periodic food availability in the regulation of the physiology of the gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract. In experiment one, measurements of body weight and gastric capacity were obtained from rats exposed to 2, 5, 8, 12, and 17 weeks of restricted feeding (RF), with 4 h of food access per day. Subjects exposed to only two weeks of RF exhibited the greatest decline in body weight (17.8%), while increasing exposure to RF resulted in body weight gain. Gastric area and capacity measurements were lowest in the 2 week group and largest in the 12 and 17 week groups. These changes appear to be of an adaptive rather than of a pathological nature. In experiment two, subdiaphragmatic sections of the vagus nerve were shown not to disrupt the expression of activity rhythms previously entrained by periodic food availability. In the third experiment, simultaneous recordings of G.I. electromyograms and bar pressing for food were obtained during ad lib. feeding, food deprivation, RF, and phase shifts of food access. During ad lib. feeding large amplitude slow potentials associated with irregular contractions (IC) of duodenal origin were observed 2 to 4 h prior to the onset of the dark phase of the LD cycle. ICs were also observed during RF, 3 to 5 h preceding food access. The distribution of ICs showed a circadian variation during food deprivation and transients were observed in response to 6 or 8 h phase delays of food access. This suggests that ICs are modulated by a circadian mechanism. On the average, the increase in ICs occurred about 2 h earlier than barpressing in anticipation of food and there was no specific relation between individual ICs and bar pressing. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-07, Section: B, page: 2135. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Research utilizing sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) biofeedback with epileptics suggests that it is necessary in decreasing seizures. Case study reports have also indicated that relaxation training can change seizure frequency. It was hypothesized that subjects could learn to control percent SMR, that seizure frequency would significantly decrease with relaxation training and further decrease with SMR biofeedback. Seizure frequency was hypothesized to be inversely related to percent SMR activity. / Subjects were six young adults with a diagnosis of epilepsy of at least two years who had been unable to control their seizures with different regimens of anticonvulsant medications. Subjects ranged in IQ from severely mentally handicapped to above average functioning. Seizure type, frequency, and duration were recorded by subjects and caretakers. Measures of operant learning were percent time in SMR. / The experiment utilized a single subject multiple baseline design which consisted of six phases: baseline three, biofeedback treatment two and followup. / The results of this study are in agreement with other studies using SMR biofeedback. All subjects were able to significantly increase percent time in SMR. Five out of the six subjects demonstrated decreases in seizure frequency during the treatment phase. Two of the six subjects benefited from relaxation training. Four subjects demonstrated significant negative correlations between percent SMR and seizure rates. Consistent with other studies utilizing multiple baseline designs, a majority of the subjects did not follow the design of the study. / Results were discussed in terms of the normalization effect of biofeedback on the EEG. Overall, the results of this study are positive. The subject who did not demonstrate significant decreases in seizure frequency with biofeedback, did maintain significant decreases in seizure. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-12, Section: B, page: 5091. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

Neurons in the dorsal column nuclear complex (DCN) are thought to subserve fine tactile sensation and kinesthesia through their projections to the ventroposterolateral nucleus of the thalamus (VPL). However, several populations of DCN neurons project to precerebellar nuclei (such as the inferior olive and pontine nuclei), and perhaps have other functions. / The experiments in this dissertation were designed to specify some of the connections of DCN neurons with precerebellar targets, along with the interconnections between those targets. The goal was to use these anatomical findings as the basis for hypotheses regarding possible functions for the DCN neurons projecting to precerebellar nuclei, and their contribution to cerebellar function. A series of anatomical tracing experiments were performed in cats by injecting several different retrogradely and orthogradely transported markers in DCN or its targets. / These experiments produced three general findings. First, neurons in DCN project to a precerebellar nucleus, the dorsal accessory nucleus of the inferior olive (DAO), via two pathways--one is direct (i.e. DCN-DAO), the other is indirect, relaying through the DCN-recipient zones of the pretectum (i.e. DCN-pretectum-DAO). Second, DCN neurons projecting to the pretectum are separable anatomically from those projecting to the thalamus and spinal cord. Third, both the DCN-recipient zones of DAO and the pretectum receive an input from neurons in the deep cerebellar nucleus, the anterior interpositus nucleus. / When these findings are considered together with previous anatomical and electrophysiological studies of DCN, they support the conclusion that the cutaneous and proprioceptive information which DCN neurons convey to its precerebellar targets is different from the information it conveys to VPL. Thus, it is reasonable to conceptualize DCN as having at least two output systems, one associated with VPL, another with the cerebellum. That the DCN-recipient zones of the pretectum and inferior olive are closely tied into circuitry with the anterior interpositus nucleus further suggests that the information conveyed by neurons comprising DCN's cerebellar output system contributes to the reflexive control of limb position by the cerebellum through feedback from peripheral somatic receptors. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-09, Section: B, page: 2816. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

The auditory system has long been known to contain both crossed and uncrossed lemniscal tracts. Few attempts have been made to uncover the functions of the crossed tracts vs. those of the uncrossed tracts, and the results are conflicting. The present report describes a series of ablation behavior experiments in which cats with either only crossed or only uncrossed lemniscal tracts intact were tested on a variety of auditory psychophysical tasks including absolute intensity thresholds for noises and for ten frequency octaves of tones, frequency modulation detection, and amplitude modulation detection. The results show that cats with only crossed lemniscal tracts intact (i.e., uncrossed tracts sectioned) have deficits in the lower frequency region of their audiogram as well as at their best frequency. In contrast cats with only uncrossed lemniscal tracts intact (i.e., crossed tracts sectioned) have deficits in the higher frequency region of their audiograms. Further, audiograms of cats with a section of only the largest decussation, the trapezoid body, resemble those of cats with only uncrossed tracts intact. / These differential deficits may be determined by the anatomical organization of the superior olivary complex with its differential distribution of high and low frequency information bound for inferior colliculus. / Although a few deficits in frequency or amplitude modulation detection were found, these deficits seem to be a secondary result of the loss in absolute sensitivities for the frequencies in question. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-09, Section: B, page: 2817. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

A series of experiments was designed to examine the effects of estradiol on the period, phase and the distribution of drinking rhythms in female and male rats. / The results of Experiment I indicated the period ((tau)) of free-running drinking rhythms was not measurably affected by chronic estradiol benzoate (EB) implants in either blind female rats or sighted female rats maintained in dim constant light. The period of activity rhythms of blind rats also was unaffected by EB implants. A more sustained pattern of drinking during alpha ((alpha)) as well as an increase in the daily number of licks were observed in response to estradiol. / In Experiment II, ovariectomized rats received daily injections of estradiol (E) near the onset or end of the drinking rhythm. On a LD10:14 h cycle no changes in the phase angle of entrainment ((PSI)) were observed. However, on a LD10:14.17 h cycle, injections of E before lights-off produced a more negative (PSI) while injections of E after lights-on caused no systematic change in (PSI). Chronic EB treatment induced a more positive (PSI) when rats were entrained to a LD10:14.17 h cycle. These effects suggest that estradiol produces changes in (tau) of the underlying circadian pacemakers. / The results of Experiment III indicated that, as in the hamster, the onset of activity occurs earlier on the day of estrus in the rat. However, while the onset of drinking also occurred earlier on the day of estrus in rats with access to a wheel, the onset of drinking was delayed in rats housed in hanging cages. The most consistent change was a more sustained pattern of drinking or activity on the day of estrus. In addition, a difference in the pattern of entrainment to a LD10:14-17 h cycle between males and females indicated a possible sex difference in the tolerance to (alpha) compression. / The results of Experiment IV indicated that the change in the distribution of drinking during alpha, changes in (PSI), as well as the increase in the daily number of licks following estradiol treatment was attenuated in rats with medial preoptic area lesions. / Compared to the effects of estradiol on circadian rhythms of hamsters reported in the literature, the circadian system of the rat appears to be considerably less sensitive to this hormone. The elucidation of species and sex differences plays an important role in our understanding of the circadian organization and its role in the regulation of physiology and behavior. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-08, Section: B, page: 2860. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.