Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Changes in spinal reflex excitability in brain-dead humans.

P Crenna1, F Conci, L Boselli

  • 1Institute of Human Physiology II, University of Milan, Italy.

Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
|September 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Brain death (BD) triggers spinal shock in the human spinal cord, marked by a sequential recovery of reflex transmission. This process occurs faster than previously observed after cord transection.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Source and symptoms of COVID-19 among hospital workers in Milan.

Occupational medicine (Oxford, England)·2020
Same author

Towards a classification strategy for complex nanostructures.

Nanoscale horizons·2020
Same author

Baseline gut microbiota predicts clinical response and colitis in metastatic melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2019
Same author

Circulating innate immune markers and outcomes in treatment-naïve advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)·2019
Same author

Biological recognition of graphene nanoflakes.

Nature communications·2018
Same author

Association of free-living physical activity measures with metabolic phenotypes in type 2 diabetes at the time of diagnosis. The Verona Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Study (VNDS).

Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD·2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Spinal Cord Physiology

Background:

  • Brain death (BD) is a critical neurological condition.
  • Understanding spinal cord responses during BD is crucial for clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To electrophysiologically and clinically monitor spinal reflex excitability during brain death.
  • To characterize the temporal changes in spinal reflexes following brain death.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological monitoring of proprioceptive (soleus H reflex) and exteroceptive reflexes.
  • Clinical assessment of reflexes including cutaneous and digital responses.
  • Observation of 8 patients diagnosed with brain death.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Following initial unresponsiveness, soleus H reflex excitability recovered within 2-6 hours and its normal shape by 10-20 hours.
  • Cutaneous reflex thresholds normalized within 4-13 hours, but with abnormal patterns.
  • Digital responses reappeared by 6-8 hours; knee and ankle jerks remained unevoked.

Conclusions:

  • The human spinal cord exhibits a 'spinal shock' response to brain death, involving sequential reflex transmission recovery.
  • The observed recovery timing is faster than that seen after spinal cord transection, particularly in the early phases.