Spiking Elementary Motion Detector in Neuromorphic Systems.

Apparent motion of the surroundings on an agent's retina can be used to navigate through cluttered environments, avoid collisions with obstacles, or track targets of interest. The pattern of apparent motion of objects, (i.e., the optic flow), contains spatial information about the surrounding environment. For a small, fast-moving agent, as used in search and rescue missions, it is crucial to estimate the distance to close-by objects to avoid collisions quickly. This estimation cannot be done by conventional methods, such as frame-based optic flow estimation, given the size, power, and latency constraints of the necessary hardware. A practical alternative makes use of event-based vision sensors. Contrary to the frame-based approach, they produce so-called events only when there are changes in the visual scene. We propose a novel asynchronous circuit, the spiking elementary motion detector (sEMD), composed of a single silicon neuron and synapse, to detect elementary motion from an event-based vision sensor. The sEMD encodes the time an object's image needs to travel across the retina into a burst of spikes. The number of spikes within the burst is proportional to the speed of events across the retina. A fast but imprecise estimate of the time-to-travel can already be obtained from the first two spikes of a burst and refined by subsequent interspike intervals. The latter encoding scheme is possible due to an adaptive nonlinear synaptic efficacy scaling. We show that the sEMD can be used to compute a collision avoidance direction in the context of robotic navigation in a cluttered outdoor environment and compared the collision avoidance direction to a frame-based algorithm. The proposed computational principle constitutes a generic spiking temporal correlation detector that can be applied to other sensory modalities (e.g., sound localization), and it provides a novel perspective to gating information in spiking neural networks.

Turning visual shapes into sounds: early stages of reading acquisition revealed in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex.

The exact role of the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOTC) during the initial stages of reading acquisition is a hotly debated issue, especially regarding the comparative effect of learning on early stimulus-dependent vs. later task-dependent processes. We show that this controversy can be solved with high-temporal resolution intracerebral EEG recordings of the VOTC. We measured High-Frequency Activity (50-150 Hz) as a proxy of population-level spiking activity while participants learned Japanese Katakana symbols, and found that learning primarily affects top-down/task-dependent neural processing, after a few minutes only. In contrast, adaptation of early bottom-up/stimulus-dependent processing takes several days to adapt and provides the basis for fluent reading. Such evidence that two consecutive stages of neural processing, stimulus- and task-dependent are differentially affected by learning, can reconcile seemingly opposite hypotheses on the role of the VOTC during reading acquisition.

Silence is golden: transient neural deactivation in the prefrontal cortex during attentive reading.

It is becoming increasingly clear that attention-demanding tasks engage not only activation of specific cortical regions but also deactivation of other regions that could interfere with the task at hand. At the same time, electrophysiological studies in animals and humans have found that the participation of cortical regions to cognitive processes translates into local synchronization of rhythmic neural activity at frequencies above 40 Hz (so-called gamma-band synchronization). Such synchronization is seen as a potential facilitator of neural communication and synaptic plasticity. We found evidence that cognitive processes can also involve the disruption of gamma-band activity in high-order brain regions. Intracerebral electroencephalograms were recorded in 3 epileptic patients during 2 reading tasks. Visual presentation of words induced a strong deactivation in a broad (20-150 Hz) frequency range in the left ventral lateral prefrontal cortex, in parallel with gamma-band activations within the reading network, including Broca's area. The observed energy decrease in neural signals was reproducible across patients. It peaked around 500 ms after stimulus onset and appeared subject to attention-modulated amplification. Our results suggest that cognition might be mediated by a coordinated interaction between regional gamma-band synchronizations and desynchronizations, possibly reflecting enhanced versus reduced local neural communication.

Impaired fronto-temporal processing of emotion in schizophrenia.

AIMS: Abnormal emotion processing in schizophrenia affects social and functional outcome. Spatiotemporal brain mechanisms underlying this deficit are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Event-related potential (ERP) responses to emotional and neutral face processing during an implicit (gender detection) and an explicit (expression detection) task were compared between a group of healthy volunteers (n=10) and a group of patients with schizophrenia (n=10). RESULTS: Whereas patients had normal primary visual cortex responses, the early modulation of occipital, temporal, and frontal responses by emotional expression observed in controls was absent in patients. The occipito-temporal N170 amplitude was reduced in patients relative to controls during expression detection, but not during gender detection. Frontal activity within 180-250ms was reduced in patients compared to controls. As opposed to controls, no significant difference was seen in patients at the right temporal electrode (T6) between amplitudes of long-latency ERPs elicited by distinct emotions during the expression detection task. CONCLUSION: In patients with schizophrenia, abnormal early extraction of expression-related information in the occipito-temporal cortex (before 170ms) impairs structural encoding of facial expressions (N170) and may disrupt motivation- and task-dependent context processing (180-250ms time window) of expression-related facial features. Moreover, top-down neuromodulation from frontal and limbic structures to visual occipito-temporal cortex may not be sufficient to optimize the extraction of expression-specific face features.

Hydrophobic cluster analysis and modeling of the human Rh protein three-dimensional structures.

Rh (Rhesus) is a major blood group system in man, which is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. Rh antigens are carried by an oligomer of two major erythroid specific polypeptides, the Rh (D and CcEe) proteins and the RhAG glycoprotein, that shared a common predicted structure with 12 transmembrane a-helices (M0 to M11). Non erythroid homologues of these proteins have been identified (RhBG and RhCG), notably in diverse organs specialized in ammonia production and excretion, such as kidney, liver and intestine. Phylogenetic studies and experimental evidence have shown that these proteins belong to the Amt/Mep/Rh protein superfamily of ammonium/methylammonium permease, but another view suggests that Rh proteins might function as CO2 gas channels. Until recently no information on the structure of these proteins were available. However, in the last two years, new insight has been gained into the structural features of Rh proteins (through the determination of the crystal structures of bacterial AmtB and archeaebacterial Amt-1. Here, models of the subunit and oligomeric architecture of human Rh proteins are proposed, based on a refined alignment with and crystal structure of the bacterial ammonia transporter AmtB, a member of the Amt/Mep/Rh superfamily. This alignment was performed considering invariant structural features, which were revealed through Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis, and led to propose alternative predictions for the less conserved regions, particularly in the N-terminal sequences. The Rh models, on which an additional Rh-specific, N-terminal helix M0 was tentatively positioned, were further assessed through the consideration of biochemical and immunochemical data, as well as of stereochemical and topological constraints. These models highlighted some Rh specific features that have not yet been reported. Among these, are the prediction of some critical residues, which may play a role in the channel function, but also in the stability of the subunit structure and oligomeric assembly. These results provide a basis to further understand the structure/function relationships of Rh proteins, and the alterations occurring in variant phenotypes.

[Part I: Face recognition]. / Les visages et leurs émotions.

Faces represent a crucial vector of interhuman communication. The message transmitted by the face has multiple features. Recognition of each feature can be impaired independently or in combination with others. In order to understand the behavioral consequences of such impairments, which can be a major social handicap, we first must specify the neural networks involved in face recognition. We propose in this first part to present the systems involved in face recognition, in particular the question of identity and prosopagnosia. Different neural networks are indeed implicated in the recognition of invariant facial features such as identity, gender, ethnicity, and recognition of variant features like facial expression and eye gaze. This paper is illustrated by some of our scalp and intracranial electrophysiological studies performed in humans allowing us to describe some aspects of face recognition dynamics combining an excellent spatial and temporal resolution. Intracranial recordings were performed in drug refractory epileptical patients implanted with depth electrodes. These studies demonstrate that numerous deep brain and cortical structures participate early and sometimes in a sustained manner in face recognition.

[Part II: Recognising facial expressions]. / Les visages et leurs émotions.

In this second part, we address particularly the question of the neural mechanisms and structures involved in the recognition of facial emotional expressions that are crucial in social cognition. Emotion recognition in others can be critically impaired in some neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases. That dysfunction sometimes correlated to disabling behavioural disorders and interpersonal communication impairment must be further understood. The results of a series of scalp and intracranial event related potential recordings, as well as recent advances in the literature, are reported. ERPs to facial emotional expressions were thus recorded in multiple subcortical and cortical areas in drug refractory epileptical patients implanted with depth electrodes. The roles of amygdala, insula and prefrontal cortex located at crossroads between perceptive analysis and emotional conceptual knowledge are particularly underlined. Altogether, these studies demonstrate that facial expressions are widely processed in space and time, some structures reacting very early and automatically, others providing a sustained reaction depending on the attention.

Cell-type-specific ras mutations but no microsatellite instability in chemically induced mouse skin tumors and transformed 3T3 cells.

In mouse skin, both papillomas/carcinomas or fibrosarcomas can be induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA) depending on the mode of administration. Thus, upon DMBA painting (or transplacental exposure by i.p. injection to pregnant mothers) followed by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate applications to the skin of CD1 mice, papillomas and carcinomas appeared, whereas fibrosarcomas were induced when DMBA was s.c. injected. Molecular analysis of these tumors revealed that the majority of papillomas (17/20) and carcinomas (9/10) showed DMBA-specific mutations (A to T transversion at the 61st codon) in the Ha-ras gene. On the other hand, many fibrosarcomas (5/9) showed the same mutation only in the Ki-ras gene. When microsatellites were studied in these tumors at nine loci containing CA repeats, none of them showed an instability. In addition, when we analyzed 14 BALB/c 3T3 cell lines transformed by various carcinogens (including 3 clones induced by DMBA which have the A to T mutation in the Ki-ras gene), no changes in CA repeats were observed. These results suggest that DMBA-induced mouse tumors/transformed cells show cell-type-specific ras gene mutations, and these occur independently in the absence of microsatellite instability. While murine cells are considered to be relatively susceptible to cancer induction partially due to genomic instability, our results indicate that microsatellite instability is not induced in these cells by chemical carcinogens.

Oscillatory synchrony between human extrastriate areas during visual short-term memory maintenance.

How do we keep an object in mind? Based on evidence from animal electrophysiology and human brain-imaging techniques, it is commonly held that short-term memory relies on sustained activity in a network distributed over sensory and prefrontal cortices. How does neural firing persist in such a distributed network in the absence of visual input? Hebb's influential but so far unproved proposal, developed more than 50 years ago, is that sustained activation in short-term memory networks is maintained by reverberating activity in neuronal loops. We hypothesized that synchronized oscillatory activity, proposed to provide a dynamic link between distributed areas, could not only coordinate activity in the network but also establish reentrant loops in the system to enable both sustained firing and temporal coincidence of inputs. We show in human intracranial recordings that limited regions of extrastriate visual areas, separated by several centimeters, become synchronized in an oscillatory mode during the rehearsal of an object in visual short-term memory. Synchrony occurs specifically in the beta range (15-25 Hz) and disappears in a control condition. These findings thus confirm experimentally the hypothesis of a functional role of synchronized oscillatory activity in the coordination of distributed neural activity in humans, and support Hebb's popular but unproved concept of short-term memory maintenance by reentrant activity within the activated network.

Properties of a membrane-bound tyrosine kinase phosphorylating the cytosolic fragment of the red cell membrane band 3 protein.

Band 3 protein of human erythrocyte membrane is phosphorylated on a tyrosine residue located near the NH2 terminal by an endogenous tyrosine kinase activity (Dekowski, S., Rybicki, A. and Drickamer, K. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 2750-2753). A tyrosine kinase phosphorylating the band 3 protein in situ has been extracted from ghosts by non-ionic detergent and partially characterized (Phan-Dinh-Tuy, F., Henry, J. and Kahn, A. (1985) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 126, 304-312). We have studied the properties of the tyrosine kinase activity which remains bound to the ghosts after detergent extraction using the 43 kDa fragment of protein 3 as substrate. This activity, solubilized from the detergent-resistant material at 0.25 M NaCl and concentrated by phosphocellulose and tyrosine-agarose chromatographies, remains linked to high molecular weight complexes. It is specific for tyrosine. Assayed with the purified 43 kDa fragment it requires the presence of Mn2+ which cannot be replaced by Mg2+. Its affinity for 43 kDa fragment is very high with a Km of 3.3 microM. ATP acts as a phosphoryl donor with a Km of 0.55 microM. The tyrosine kinase activity was not modified by insulin, DMSO, phorbol ester and epidermal growth factor, vanadate and xanthine derivatives. Polyamines spermidine and the polylysine are inhibitors in the presence of Mn2+ but not in the presence of Mg2+. Heparin is a competitive inhibitor of ATP. 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate is an inhibitor at physiological concentrations (Ki = 2 mM). Purified red cell actin is not phosphorylated by the tyrosine kinase. These properties distinguish the red cell membrane-bound tyrosine kinase from other tyrosine kinases extracted from normal cells.

Studies on the nature of different molecular forms of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase purified from human leukocytes.

Several molecular forms of human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glucose-6-phosphate:NADP+ 1-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.49) corresponding to different stages of post-synthetic modifications have been purified from human leukocytes. The various enzyme forms were different in their specific activity, their kinetic properties and their isoelectrofusing pattern. The molecular weight of the subunits of the different forms was not modified. The changes in the electrofocusing pattern were not due to modifications of the N-terminal ends, the oxidation of thiol groups or the non-covalent fixation of an acid molecule upon the enzyme. Carboxypeptidase B cleaved a C-terminal lysine from the different enzyme forms and shifted the isoelectric point of the different enzyme active bands towards the acid pH. The different enzyme forms studied here seemed to result from the action upon 'native glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase' of 'modifying factors' especially abundant in some leukemic granulocytes. The modifying factors did not seem to be consumed during the 'modification' of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Moreover, the storage for one year of unmodified enzyme resulted in changes in its electrofocusing pattern similar to those quickly induced by the 'modifying factors'. Consequently it appears that the modifying factors are catalysts of the modification of special residues of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The hypothesis that this modification involves the deamination of asparagine or glutamine residues is put forward.

Molecular organization of human L' and L pyruvate kinases.

Extremities, peptide maps and phosphorylatable site localization of human erythrocyte L' and liver L pyruvate kinases (EC 2.7.1.40) were investigated. L' and L subunits seemed to have similar, blocked NH2 termini and differ in their sensitivity to carboxypeptidase A, that is to say in their C-terminal ends. After digestion by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, the phosphorylated sites of both L' and L subunits were located on those peptides which were different in L' and L, that is to say on the C-terminal sides. A mild proteolytic attack of the native tetrameric enzymes by trypsin partially degraded the phosphorylatable peptides without removing the phosphoserine residue; in the same conditions, chymotrypsin split off this phosphorylated residue and subtilisin totally degraded the phosphorylated peptides. From these results it appears, therefore, that age-dependent proteolytic degradation of L' subunits in old red cells involves the C-terminal side of the molecules, ultimately resulting in cleavage of the phosphorylated site. Since erythrocyte L' and liver L subunits are encoded by different species of messenger RNAs, our results indicate, in addition, that these messenger RNA species should differ by their 3' coding sequences.

Influence of postangioplasty beta-irradiation on endothelial function in porcine coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND: Postangioplasty (PTCA) intracoronary radiation therapy (ICRT) has been demonstrated to limit restenosis. The consequences of these procedures on coronary reactivity are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Porcine coronary arteries were studied after PTCA immediately (n=5) and 6 weeks (n=5) after ICRT (n=5 and 5, respectively), after combined PTCA+ICRT (n=5 and 7, respectively), and after no intervention (n=11). A 3-cm-long source train of Sr/Y(90) was used in vivo to deliver 16 Gy at a depth of 2 mm from the source center, as used in clinical trials. Arterial rings were mounted on myographs to record isometric tension. After achieving steady-state contraction to depolarizing physiological solution containing 40 mmol/L KCl, measured baseline tension was significantly elevated immediately after all interventions. It returned to normal levels 6 weeks after PTCA and ICRT alone but was significantly reduced if combined. Active contractions induced by 40 mmol/L KCl were maintained after combined therapy both immediately after and at 6 weeks. In these depolarizing conditions, nitric oxide-dependent relaxation to substance P was trivial after PTCA+ICRT and reduced after ICRT, whereas in the presence of physiological solution and N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine, substance P-induced relaxation was reduced after PTCA and abolished after PTCA+ICRT 6 weeks after intervention. In rings without endothelium, the relaxation mediated by sodium nitroprusside (0.1 micromol/L) was reduced immediately after PTCA and at 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: PTCA+ICRT altered the passive mechanical properties of porcine coronary arterial wall. Furthermore, at 6 weeks, receptor-operated release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor was reduced by ICRT and PTCA alone, respectively, and was prevented by their combination.

The effects of intracoronary brachytherapy on the natural history of postangioplasty dissections.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the natural history of postangioplasty intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-detected dissections and to assess the influence of intracoronary beta-radiation on dissection resolution. BACKGROUND: Intracoronary radiotherapy is considered to impair exaggerated vessel healing. Conversely, excessive healing impairment may increase the risk of complications due to unhealed dissection. Alternatively, residual dissection may represent an innocent marker of adequate therapy. METHODS: Immediate postangioplasty and six-month follow-up IVUS studies of 94 patients in the IVUS substudy of the MultiVitamins and Probucol (MVP) trial and 26 nonstented patients in the Beta Energy Restenosis Trial (BERT) were analyzed for the presence or absence of dissection. RESULTS: Of the 28 patients with postangioplasty dissections in MVP, only one had evidence of residual dissection at six months (95% confidence interval [CI] for failure rate 0.2%; 20.2%). Conversely, 9 of 16 dissections had healed in BERT (95% CI for failure rate 30.6%; 79.2%) (p < 0.0002). Nevertheless, an index based on dissection arc and length demonstrated improvement in the irradiated patients. Irradiated patients with residual dissections showed significant increase in lumen area at six-months (5.10 +/- 0.98 to 7.11 +/- 2.61 mm2, p < 0.02) not noted when there was resolution of the dissection (6.03 +/- 2.38 to 6.36 +/- 3.33 mm2, p = NS). In both groups the external elastic membrane area was unchanged at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Resolution appears to be the natural history of IVUS-detected dissections in most cases. Significant resolution of dissection occurs following intracoronary beta-radiation as reflected in reduced dissection index at six-months in these patients, although significant impairment of vessel wall healing was noted.

Biocompatibility aspects of new stent technology.

Stent implantation represents a major step forward since the introduction of coronary angioplasty. As indications continue to expand, better understanding of the early and late biocompatibility issues appears critical. Persisting challenges to the use of intracoronary stents include the prevention of early thrombus formation and late neointima development. Different metals and designs have been evaluated in animal models and subsequently in patients. Polymer coatings have been proposed to improve the biocompatibility of metallic stents or to serve as matrix for drug delivery and they are currently undergoing clinical studies. The promises of a biodegradable stent have not yet been fulfilled although encouraging results have recently been reported. Continuous low dose-rate brachytherapy combining the scaffolding effect of the stent with localized radiation therapy has witnessed the development and early clinical testing of radioactive stents. The combined efforts of basic scientists and clinicians will undoubtedly contribute to the improvement of stent biocompatibility in the future.

Spectroscopic signatures of VOC physisorption on microporous solids. Application for trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene adsorption on MFI zeolites.

This paper presents an experimental infrared spectroscopic study of the physisorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) on a self-supported high silica ZSM5 zeolite. The evolution of the shape, area, and location of vibration bands of both the adsorbent and the adsorbate is analyzed with respect to the number of sorbed molecules. The state of the adsorbed phase is characterized upon adsorption by comparing the location of the investigated vibration bands with the location of the corresponding vibration bands of the chloroalkenes in gaseous, liquid, and solid phases. The singular behavior of PCE with respect to TCE is seen from the modification of vibration bands of both the adsorbed phase and the adsorbent upon loading. The adsorption process proceeds by stages for PCE, whereas it appears continuous for TCE. Particular micropore loadings are evidenced at 4 and 6.5 molec.uc(-1) for PCE and at 6 molec.uc(-1) for TCE, in agreement with previous macroscopic and microscopic data. In addition, the presence of admolecules induces at least one emerging vibration band located at around 1715 cm(-1), mainly due to a contribution of the microporous surface of the adsorbent.

Storage and source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments downstream of a major coal district in France.

During the 20th century, the local economy of the Upper Loire Basin (ULB) was essentially based on industrial coal mining extraction. One of the major French coal districts with associated urban/industrial activities and numerous coking/gas plants were developed in the Ondaine-Furan subbasins, two tributaries of the upper Loire main stream. To determine the compositional assemblage, the level and the potential sources of contamination, the historical sedimentary chronicle of the 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been investigated. PAH concentrations were determined using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in a dated core, sampled in the Villerest flood-control reservoir located downstream of the Ondaine-Furan corridor (OFC). The most contaminated sediments were deposited prior to 1983 (Σ16PAHs ca. 4429-13,348 ng/g) and during flood events (Σ16PAHs ca. 6380 ng/g - 1996 flood; 5360 ng/g - 2003 flood; 6075 ng/g - 2008 flood), especially in medium and high molecular weight PAHs. Among them, typical pyrogenic PAHs such as FLT, PYR, BbF and BaP were prevalent in most of the core samples. In addition, some PAHs last decade data is available from the Loire Bretagne Water Agency and were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with postcolumn fluorescence derivatization (HPLC/FLD). These results confirm that the most highly contaminated sediments were found downstream of OFC (Σ16PAHs ca. 2264-7460 ng/g). According to the observed molecular distribution, PAHs are originated largely from high-temperature pyrolytic processes. Major sources of pyrogenic PAHs have been emphasized by calculation of specific ratios and by comparison to reported data. Atmospheric deposition of urban and industrial areas, wood combustion and degraded coal tar derived from former factories of coking/gas plants seem to be the major pyrogenic sources. Specifically, particular solid transport conditions that can occur during major flood events lead us to emphasize weathering of former contamination sources, such as more preserved coal tar.

First-time whole blood donation: A critical step for donor safety and retention on first three donations.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Whole blood donation is generally safe although vasovagal reactions can occur (approximately 1%). Risk factors are well known and prevention measures are shown as efficient. This study evaluates the impact of the donor's retention in relation to the occurrence of vasovagal reaction for the first three blood donations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study of data collected over three years evaluated the impact of classical risk factors and provided a model including the best combination of covariates predicting VVR. The impact of a reaction at first donation on return rate and complication until the third donation was evaluated. RESULTS: Our data (523,471 donations) confirmed the classical risk factors (gender, age, donor status and relative blood volume). After stepwise variable selection, donor status, relative blood volume and their interaction were the only remaining covariates in the model. Of 33,279 first-time donors monitored over a period of at least 15 months, the first three donations were followed. Data emphasised the impact of complication at first donation. The return rate for a second donation was reduced and the risk of vasovagal reaction was increased at least until the third donation. CONCLUSION: First-time donation is a crucial step in the donors' career. Donors who experienced a reaction at their first donation have a lower return rate for a second donation and a higher risk of vasovagal reaction at least until the third donation. Prevention measures have to be processed to improve donor retention and provide blood banks with adequate blood supply.

Interactions of the human red cell membrane tyrosine kinase with heparin.

Heparin interacts with protein kinases in various ways; the different patterns of behavior of heparin towards protein kinases contributes to the characterization of these enzymes. We studied the interactions between heparin and a new type of tyrosine kinase extracted from the normal human red cell membrane. We found that heparin inhibited kinase activity by competition with ATP. Furthermore the interaction of heparin with the red cell membrane tyrosine kinase allowed us to use heparin-agarose chromatography as a step towards tyrosine kinase purification.

Transient drug-induced abolition of BAEPs in coma.

Combined infusion of high doses of lidocaine and thiopental in a comatose patient induced major latency and amplitude BAEP changes, which progressed to complete BAEP abolition. Responses returned to normal after drugs were discontinued. EEGs during the episodes showed long-lasting periods of activity suppression, but were never isoelectric. BAEPs are resistant to hypothermia and barbiturates, but must be interpreted cautiously in patients treated with a combination of anesthetic drugs that includes lidocaine.