We review the pattern of activity in the parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves innervating the heart. Unlike the conventional textbook picture of reciprocal control of cardiac vagal and sympathetic nervous activity, as seen during a baroreceptor reflex, many other reflexes involve simultaneous co-activation of both autonomic limbs. Indeed, even at 'rest', the heart receives tonic drives from b...

The trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is a well-recognized phenomenon that consists of bradycardia, arterial hypotension, apnea, and gastric hypermotility. It occurs particularly during ocular surgery and during other manipulations in and around the orbit. The parasympathetic supply to the face is carried in the trigeminal nerve. Alternative afferent pathways must exist via the maxillary and/or man...

Three astronauts underwent preflight, inflight, and postflight testing of spontaneous ocular torsion and of ocular counterrolling (OCR), reflexes governed by the gravity-responsive otolith organs in the inner ear. One astronaut, A, had a 30-day space mission on Euromir '94 and was examined monocularly with SensoMotoric Instruments video-oculography (VOG). The other two astronauts, B and C, were...

Introduction. Regional blockades in children ophthalmology operations are used not only for analgesia the intra- and postoperative period, but also prevention of oculocardial reflex (OCR), nausea vomiting (PONV). But there is still no convincing data on advantages methods retrobulbar blockade (RBB) performed under ultrasound guidance parabulbar (PBB) guidance. Aim. In present study, we investig...

The information coming from the vestibular otolith organs is important for the brain when reflexively making appropriate visual and spinal corrections to maintain balance. Symptoms related to failed balance control and navigation are commonly observed in astronauts returning from space. To investigate the effect of microgravity exposure on the otoliths, we studied the otolith-mediated responses...

BACKGROUND Strabismus surgery in children is often associated with undesirable intraoperative and postoperative side effects including pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and occulocardiac reflex (OCR). Systemic analgesics have side effects and are contraindicated in some cases. We hypothesized that the preoperative subtenon injection of bupivacaine would reduce postoperative pain a...