Functional electrical stimulation (FES) refers to electrical stimulation of muscles in order to improve the impaired motor function. This is achieved by activating skeletal muscles with constant frequency trains of stimulations. This method has been found useful in various neurological disorders like hemiplegia, foot drop and paraplegia including spinal cord injuries. The first half of this rev...

We have applied the perforated patch whole-cell technique to beta cells within intact pancreatic islets to identify the current underlying the glucose-induced rhythmic firing of action potentials. Trains of depolarizations (to simulate glucose-induced electrical activity) resulted in the gradual (time constant: 2.3 s) development of a small (<0.8 nS) K(+) conductance. The current was dependent ...

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive tool for the electrical stimulation of neural tissue, including cerebral cortex, spinal roots, and cranial and peripheral nerves. TMS can be applied as single pulses of stimulation, pairs of stimuli separated by variable intervals to the same or different brain areas, or as trains of repetitive stimuli at various frequencies. Single stim...

Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy. Direct electrical stimulation of the epileptogenic zone is a potential new treatment modality for this devastating disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of two electrical stimulation paradigms, sustained low-frequency stimulation and short trains of high-frequency stimulation, on epileptiform discharges in ...

The accuracy in determined energy consumption and running time of trains, by means of computer simulation, is dependent upon the various models used. This thesis aims at developing validated models of running resistance, train and of a general driver, all based on full scale testing. A partly new simple methodology for determining running resistance, called by energy coasting method is develope...

The dynamics of neuronal feedback pathways are generally not well understood. This is due to the complexity arising from the combined dynamics of closed-loop feedback systems and the synaptic plasticity of feedback connections. Here, we investigate the short-term synaptic dynamics underlying the parallel fiber feedback pathway to a primary electrosensory nucleus in the weakly electric fish, Apt...

High speed trains permit faster travelling between long distance destinations, making it an easy and comfortable way of travelling. The pantograph is the element of the train that collects electrical current from the cable system above (the catenary), to the train motors. The contact force variation can cause contact losses, electric arc formations and sparking. This deteriorates the quality of...

TTranscription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells NFATc (NFATc1, NFAT2) may contribute to slow-twitch skeletal muscle fiber type-specific gene expression. Green fluorescence protein (GFP) or FLAG fusion proteins of either wild-type or constitutively active mutant NFATc [NFATc(S-->A)] were expressed in cultured adult mouse skeletal muscle fibers from flexor digitorum brevis (predominantl...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Invoked peristaltic contractions and movement of solid content have not been attempted in normal canine colon. The purpose of this study was to determine if movement of solid content through the colon could be produced by microprocessor controlled sequential stimulation. METHODS The study was performed on six anaesthetised dogs. At laparotomy, a 15 cm segment of descending...