The Investigation of Attention Level in Nurses Working Night Shifts and the Relationship Between Sex Hormone and Electrodermal Activity

Giriş: Elektrodermal aktivite (EDA), sempatik sinir sistemi ile uyarılan ekrin ter bezlerinin elektriksel aktivitesidir. EDA ile deri iletkenlik seviyesi &ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;lmektedir (DİS). Y&uuml;ksek aktivasyon, dikkat artışı veya stres gibi emosyonel durumlarda ter bezi aktivitesi ve DİS artmaktadır. &Ccedil;alışmamızda, vardiyalı &ccedil;alışan hemşirelerde uykusuzluğun dikkat d&uuml;zeyini etkileyip etkilemediği elektrodermal aktivite ile incelendi ve EDA parametreleri ile cinsiyet hormonları arasındaki ilişki araştırıldı.Y&ouml;ntemler: &Ccedil;alışma vardiyalı (16.00-08.00 saatleri arasında) (n=22) ve vardiyasız &ccedil;alışan (08.00- 16.00 saatleri arasında) (n=20) g&ouml;n&uuml;ll&uuml; hemşirelerde ger&ccedil;ekleştirildi. İlk olarak kişinin uyanıklık durumunu değerlendiren Epworth Skalası uygulandı. EDA kaydı i&ccedil;in, kişilerin dominant ellerinin iki parmağına agar jeli ile Ag/AgCl elektrotlar yerleştirildi. MP30 sisteminin GSR bağlantısı aracılığıyla deri iletkenliği kaydedildi. Hemen ardından kan alınarak, sirkadien ritm değişikliği g&ouml;steren kortizol ve ACTH hormon d&uuml;zeyleri araştırıldı.Bulgular: Vardiyalı &ccedil;alışan hemşireler ile vardiyasız &ccedil;alışan hemşirelerin deri iletkenlikleri karşılaştırıldığında istatistiksel olarak farklı olmadığı bulunmuştur. Hormon değerlerinin karşılaştırılmasında da gece &ccedil;alışan hemşirelerin kortizol d&uuml;zeyleri, g&uuml;nd&uuml;z &ccedil;alışanlara g&ouml;re y&uuml;ksek bulunurken, ACTH seviyeleri arasında anlamlı fark g&ouml;zlenmemiştir.Sonu&ccedil;: Vardiyalı &ccedil;alışmanın hemşirelerin dikkat d&uuml;zeylerinde değişiklik oluşturmadığı bulunmuştur. Bu durumun, gece servis sorumluluğunu tek başına &uuml;stlenen hemşirelerin dikkat d&uuml;zeylerini en &uuml;st d&uuml;zeye &ccedil;ıkarması nedeni ile olabileceği d&uuml;ş&uuml;n&uuml;lmektedir. Gece &ccedil;alışanlarda kortizol&uuml;n daha y&uuml;ksek bulunmasının, kortizol&uuml;n dikkate etkisinin olmaması nedeniyle, y&uuml;ksek stresi yansıttığı d&uuml;ş&uuml;n&uuml;lmektedir. (N&ouml;ropsikiyatri Arflivi 2013; 50: 197-201)Anahtar kelimeler: Elektrodermal aktivite, dikkat, sirkadien ritm, uyku, hemşireIntroduction: Electrodermal activity (EDA) is an electrical activity of eccrine sweat gland stimulated by sympathetic nervous system. Skin conductance level (SCL) is measured with EDA. SCL and sweat gland activity increase in emotional situations, such as high activation, attention or stress. In this study, we investigated whether working in shifts affects attention level of nurses with EDA and explored the relationship between EDA and sex hormone.Methods: The study was carried out on nurses working night shifts (16.00-08.00 h) (n=22) and nurses working without a shift (08.00- 16.00 h) (n=20). Firstly, The Epworth Sleepiness Scale which evaluates a person&rsquo;s daytime sleepiness was applied to the subjects. For EDA measurement, Ag/AgCl electrodes were put on two fingers of their dominant hand. SCL was measured via MP30 system and GSR connection. The blood samples were analyzed for cortisol and ACTH hormone levels to investigate the changes in sleep and circadian rhythm.Results: It was found that there was no statistically significant difference in skin conductance levels between the groups. Moreover, in the comparison of hormone values between the groups, the cortisol levels in night shift nurses were higher than in those working without a shift.Conclusion: Night shift had no significant effect on the attention levels in the nurses. This situation is thought to be related to the fact that the nurses responsible for the night service raise their attention level to the highest point. The reason for higher level of cortisol in nurses working shifts may reflect that cortisol has no effect on the breadth of attention but reflects a high level of stress. (Archives of Neuropsychiatry 2013; 50: 197-201)Key words: Electrodermal activity, attention, circadian rhythm, sleep, nurse</div

Assesment of Superior Colliculus in Audiogenic Epilepsy-Prone Wistar Rats Using A Stereological Method

Objectives:Audiogenic seizures are generated in the brainstem and involve the inferior and superior colliculi in their expression. Aim of the present study was to estimate total number of neurons in the right and left superior colliculi in genetically audiogenic epilepsy-prone Wistar rats using stereological method.Methods:Ten female Wistar rats, weighing 180 to 220 g each, were divided into 2 groups: control (n=5) and audiogenic epilepsy (n=5) groups. Subjects were anesthetized with urethane (1.25 g/kg, intraperitoneal) and 10% formalin was perfused through the left cardiac ventricle. Total number of neurons was estimated in the right and left superior colliculi in both groups using optical fractionator stereological method.Results:Total number of neurons in the superior colliculi was statistically lower in the right side of group with epilepsy compared with same side of control group (p<0.05). There was also a significant difference between right and left sides in the epilepsy group (p<0.05).Conclusion:It has been determined that cellular mechanisms have a significant role in audiogenic epilepsy. The fact that there were significantly fewer neurons in right superior colliculus of epilepsy group compared with control group suggests that this area is likely to be influential on triggering the onset of seizure activity

Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Hippocampal Electrophysiological Changes in the Pentylenetetrazole Model of Epilepsy

Objectives:Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by functional/morphological changes in the hippocampus. These functional changes arise as increase or decrease in synaptic plasticity in experimental animals. The present study was an investigation of the effect of enriched environment on hippocampal functional changes in epileptic rats.Methods:The pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling model was used on young male Wistar rats. Rats in the epileptic and control groups were reared for 1 month in standard cage or enriched cage (EC). Subsequently, all animals were given Morris water maze (MWM) test and in vivo recording of long-term potentiation (LTP) in medial perforant pathway-dentate gyrus synapses in hippocampus was made.Results:Statistically significant earlier kindling epileptogenesis in rats housed in EC was observed. Epileptic rats had poor performance in MWM, but enriched environment improved their performance. However, according to electrophysiological recordings, environmental enrichment did not provide positive effect on LTP in epileptic rats.Conclusion:Enriched environment with ongoing PTZ-induced kindling procedure may lead to exaggeration of seizures due to stress as result of corruption of safe, familiar environmen