21 research outputs found
Effects of guanidine on synaptic transmission in the spinal cord of the frog
The effects of guanidine on motoneurons of the isolated frog spinal cord were studied by adding the drug to the solution bathing the cord during intracellular recording. Guanidine (5·10–4 M) did not alter the membrane potential of motoneurons.
The main effect was a marked increase of the amplitudes and frequencies of small spontaneously occurring inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. The hyperpolarizing component of postsynaptic potentials evoked by stimulation of dorsal roots was also enhanced by guanidine. Higher concentrations of guanidine (5·10–3 M) resulted in a very large and irreversible increase of the small spontaneously occurring inhibitory potentials, which now appeared in a regular, rhythmic pattern.
The effects of guanidine could easily be blocked by increasing the magnesium ions (15 mM) in the bath solution.
These results indicate that guanidine facilitates the release of an inhibitory transmitter in afferent terminals of the frog spinal cord either by a direct action on these terminals or indirectly by an action on nerve endings impinging on inhibitory interneurons
When Models Interact with their Subjects: The Dynamics of Model Aware Systems
A scientific model need not be a passive and static descriptor of its
subject. If the subject is affected by the model, the model must be updated to
explain its affected subject. In this study, two models regarding the dynamics
of model aware systems are presented. The first explores the behavior of
"prediction seeking" (PSP) and "prediction avoiding" (PAP) populations under
the influence of a model that describes them. The second explores the
publishing behavior of a group of experimentalists coupled to a model by means
of confirmation bias. It is found that model aware systems can exhibit
convergent random or oscillatory behavior and display universal 1/f noise. A
numerical simulation of the physical experimentalists is compared with actual
publications of neutron life time and {\Lambda} mass measurements and is in
good quantitative agreement.Comment: Accepted for publication in PLoS-ON