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Psychosomatic Medicine 6:23-30 (1944)
© 1944 American Psychosomatic Society

The Parallelism in Changes of Sensory Function and Electroencephalogram in Anoxia and the Effect of Hypercapnia Under these Conditions

E. GELLHORN 1 and H. HAILMAN 1

1 Department of Physiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

Experiments are reported in which the electro-encephalogram (EEG), the critical visual fusion frequency (CFF), and the pulse rate were recorded in five subjects under anoxia and under control conditions in order to determine whether any correlation exists between the subjective sensory changes observed in anoxia and the activity of the brain as recorded by the EEG.

It is shown that conditions of anoxia leading to a decline in CFF are accompanied by typical anoxic changes in the brain as demonstrated by the EEG. Degrees of anoxia which do not alter the CFF significantly have no effect on the EEG. The experiments suggest that the subjective changes in visual functions observed in anoxia are not due to ill-defined psychic factors such as lack of attention or lack of cooperation but are due to an actual impairment of the neurons of the retino-geniculatestriate system.

Addition of 3% carbon dioxide to oxygen-nitrogen mixtures greatly alleviates or completely off-sets the effects of anoxia. This holds true not only for the general symptoms (dizziness, perspiration, general discomfort, etc.), but also for the effects of anoxia on the CFF, and EEG. Under the conditions of these experiments there is likewise a parallelism between subjective (sensory) and objective (EEG) changes. The mechanism involved is discussed and the fact is emphasized that the pulse rate rises more when oxygen-nitrogen mixtures are inhaled than when similar oxygen-nitrogen mixtures are used to which 3% carbon dioxide had been added.

Note:
Aided by grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation






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