NEW OBSERVATIONS ON PRESSURE-INDUCED MOTOR DISTURBANCES IN A SMALL MAMMAL

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4  (1) , 1-8
Abstract
Adult and baby mice were subjected to He pressures up to 120 atm. Pressure-induced changes in motor activity (tremors and convulsions) were monitored visually and with a noninvasive mechanical transducer. A study of 5 rates of compression showed that adult convulsion pressure thresholds (Pc) fell from a maximum of 90 atm at 20 atm to a minimum of 63 atm at 610 atm/h. At 50 atm/h, Pc for baby mice rose from 53 atm at 8 days to reach the adult value (85-90 atm) at 21 days of age. Measurements of accommodation, or the decline in motor disturbances at constant pressure, are described. Animals allowed to accommodate for 5 h at a pressure 9% higher than the 1st Pc (85 atm) and then compressed further showed a significantly higher 2nd Pc (114 atm) than animals allowed 1 h to accommodate (100 atm). The effects of including N2 in the heliox compression mixture on accommodation are also described.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: