title: EEG and evoked potential changes during gas- and liquid-breathing dives to 1000 msw.
abstract: To test the hypothesis that compression in helium gas and compression without gas (hydrostatic compression) both produce the same neurological symptoms of high pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS), groups of 4 to 5 dogs were exposed to one of the following: (a) a 2-h surface control breathing He-O2 gas; (b) compression to 700-1000 msw breathing He-O2 gas; (c) a 2-h liquid-breathing control [ventilation with warmed (38 degrees C), oxygenated fluorocarbon liquid, FC-80]; and (d) "near hydrostatic" compression to 700-1000 msw while being ventilated with liquid from a sealed reservoir. Power spectra obtained from scalp-recorded EEG signals revealed a significant compression-related shift of power from the normally dominant 5-8 Hz band to the 8-11 Hz band. This effect was greatest at 600 msw and occurred equally in both dive groups. At very high pressures (greater than 900 msw) power in this 6-10 Hz range became reduced whereas 16-22 Hz activity increased as the EEG flattened. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were elicited by subdermal electrical stimulation in the foreleg (n = 120). The latency of P1 (approximately 31 ms) did not change in any group; transmission time to cortex was unaltered by time or pressure. However, the "late-wave" P4 (approximately 250 ms) was slowed by 32-35 ms at 1000 msw in both groups (P less than 0.003 in He-O2). Since these main symptoms were provoked equally in both He-O2 and FC-80 dive groups, helium pressure did not play a significant role in the etiology of HPNS in this animal model. It is concluded that the HPNS is primarily a result of excessive pressure per se or rate of change of pressure per se.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004242:Diving / Q000009:adverse effects; D004285:Dogs; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006371:Helium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
chemical_list: D006371:Helium; D010100:Oxygen