ABSTRACT
It is possible to form a positive motor alimentary conditioned reflex to red colour and a negative conditioned reflex (differentiation) to green, in the young of rhesus monkeys, four-to six-week old, which testifies to their capacity of differentiating these colour stimuli. The orienting reflex takes an active part in the formation of both reflexes. Elaboration in the four-week old monkeys not only of a positive but also a differentiating motor alimentary conditioned reflex attests that at this age the cerebral cortex is already actively exercising the function of an integrator of inhibitory processes, not only of excitation.
Subject(s)
Conditioning, Classical/physiology , Age Factors , Animals , Cerebral Cortex/growth & development , Cerebral Cortex/physiology , Color , Color Perception/physiology , Discrimination Learning/physiology , Food , Haplorhini , Macaca mulatta/growth & development , Male , Motor ActivityABSTRACT
Premature (28) and mature (4) children who had undergone an intracranial labour trauma revealed major disturbances in the development of integrated reactions to colour stimuli and in the effect of atropine and prozerin on the pulse rate and the vegetative and EEG-components of the reactions. The extent of the disturbance and normalization of reactions, and the effect of the indicated neurotropic drugs depend on the gravity of the trauma. Maximum disturbances of the action of the drugs correspond to the period of the largest deviations from the normal in the development of integrated reactions (seven to thirteen weeks of life). The data obtained attest that the change in the development of reactions to colour stimuli in traumatized children is linked with disturbances of acetylcholin metabolism or of the cholinergic mechanisms involved in their achievement.
Subject(s)
Atropine , Birth Injuries/physiopathology , Brain Injuries/physiopathology , Color Perception , Neostigmine , Brain/physiopathology , Electroencephalography , Heart/physiopathology , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature, Diseases/physiopathology , Photic Stimulation , RespirationABSTRACT
The dynamics of formation of integrated reactions to colour stimuli is substantially disturbed in babies of the first three months of life. Stable disturbances in the development of reactions by EEG and somato-vegetative components parameters, accompanied by changes of the neurological status in children with severe symptoms of intracranial delivery trauma, testify to a profound and stable disturbance of the CNS functions and to a change in cortico-subcortical relationships, possibly in connection with an organic lesion of the brain. In the case of a less severe trauma, the dinamics of the formation of reactions is normalized prior to the improvement of the clinical state and is a good prognostic phenomenon. In the light of published data, changes in the vegetative components of reactions in traumatized babies are regarded as resulting from compensatory reactions of the hypothalamic structures to hypoxia.
