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Contemporary brain research in China
126
BOOK
E l e c t r o e n c e p h a l o g r a p h y a n d Clinical N e u r o p h y s i o l o g y Elsevier Publishing C o m p a n y , A m s t e r d a m - Printed in T h e N e t h e r l a n d s
REVIEWS
Edited by H. PETSCHEand JOHN R. HUGHES Contemporary. brain research in China. -- J. S. Barlow (Trans. and Ed.). (Consultants Bureau, New York, 1971, 112 p., $15.00). Are the "brain sciences" alive and well in China today? If so, to what extent have the lines of inquiry pursued up to the Great Cultural Revolution been continued into the present? Unfortunately, neither question can be answered satisfactorily at this time. Nor will this collection of translations from the Chinese neurophysiological literature provide such answers. The reason for this is that seven of the nine papers in this volume translated from the Chinese by Dr. John S. Barlow derive from issues of Acta Phv~iolo~lica Sinica and Acta Psychologica Sinica published prior to the Great Cultural Revolution. One can only speculate as to the efl[ects this historical event m a y have had on established neurobiological research programs in the Peoples Republic of China. For even the best informed on the subject remain ignorant of the current scientific activities of respected colleagues and friends. At issue here is the nature of these research programs during the 1962 1966 period, rather than a critique of the research reports themselves, Thanks to Barlow's extraordinary linguistic talent for the Chinese language and his professional interests in basic and clinical neurophysiology we are privileged to have available reports from the original Chinese literature which should be of concern to neuroscientists in general, and neurophysiologists in particular. Six of the nine research papers selected by Barlow for inclusion in this volume are by investigators closely associated with Prof. H. T. Chang, although the latter's name does not appear as a co-author of any of the reports. As Barlow indicates in the Introduction, the papers which concern electrophysiological studies both in animals and in m a n in part reflect his own interests. This is fortunate since the studies presented could not be more appropriately related to the interests of the general reader of this Journal. But it would be in error to believe this to be an overriding consideration in Barlow's selection of reports for translation. C h a n g ' s m a n y contributions to electrocortical physiology represent important milestones in the historical development of the field. It is not surprising therefore that his productivity and operational approaches to problems of brain physiology should have had such a powerful influence on his associates and colleagues in Shanghai. (This reviewer m a y be excused for reminding the reader that C h a n g deserves the credit for conceptualizing the consequences of differential synaptic input to the cell body and dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons. Further, his analyses of "dendritic potentials", the interaction of transcallosal and specific evoked responses, and studies of the effects of topically applied convulsants cannot be ignored by serious workers in the field . . even today.) The use of the evoked potential technique as practiced by C h a n g is clearly evident in the following reports appearing in 1962 and 1963: "'Interaction of evoked cortical potentials in the rabbit", "'Cortical repetitive responses elicited by a single contralateral stimulus", "Cortical responses to repeti-
tire contralateral stimulation after sectioning of the corpus callosum", "Cortical excitability changes following transcallosal afferent excitation", and "The interaction of callosal potentials and potentials evoked by thalamic s t i m u l a t i o n Suffice it to say that the interpretations offered in exphmation of the results obtained are fundamentally, simih~r to many recent interpretations of the operations of" cortical neuronal subsystems studied with microphysiological techniques in other laboratories. Although it is clear from Chang's last publication (1966) that extracellular single unit recording was practised in the Shanghai laboratories it is not known whether intracellular recording techniques have since been developed in these laboratories or elsewhere in the Peoples Republic of China. A report entitled. "The effect of electric stimulation of the brain stem on the galvanic skin reflex", provides evidence of proficiency in the use of stereotaxic methods for exploring discrete brain-stem sites for localized stimulation in animals. The literature survey in this report m a y be considered adequate up to the time of its publication (1966). The influence of modern neuropsychological concepts in clinical EEG studies may be appreciated in two reports which conclude the volume of translations: " E E G and galvanic skin investigations of the orienting reflex in m a n " , and " E E G study of temporary connections in m a n " . References to a number of publications in Russian from Soviet workers are included in the latter report along with the works of Gastaut, Jasper, Magoun, Morrell, John and Yoshii. A singularly progressive note is struck in the paper on temporary connections in man in the emphasis placed upon the role of brain-stem reticular regions and non-specific specific interactions in t he establishment of conditioned reflexes. The constraints placed upon interpretations developed from neo-Pavlovian concepls, prominent in the Soviet Union, were evidently not felt by a number of Chinese neuropsychologists. Barlow has included in this volume an appendix listing 37 titles of reports on brain research published in the Scientm Sinica from 1952 to 1966. This listing provides the reader with a general survey of trends in neurobiological research from which it m a y be possible to .judge the extent to which important avenues of investigation were pursued up to 1966. Considerable activity in a number of areas may be inferred from some of the subjects considered : brain nudeoproteins, acetylcholine metabolism in brain, effects of GABA, cortical effects of RNA, selective reinnervation of slow and last muscles, interneuron synapses in h u m a n stellate ganglia, and functions of the basal ganglia. We are indebted to John Barlow for this, the first series of translations of neurophysiological papers in the Chinese language by a scientist for whom Chinese is a learned and not a natural tongue. We c o m m e n d him for this excellent survey of the recent past and join him in his impatience to learn about the present and future of the brain sciences in the Peoples Republic of China. DOMINI( K P. PURPURA Albert Einstein Colleqe O/Medicine, Bronx, New })~rk 10461 /U.S.A.)
Electroenceph. olin. Neurophysio/., 1972, 33:126
BOOK
E l e c t r o e n c e p h a l o g r a p h y a n d Clinical N e u r o p h y s i o l o g y Elsevier Publishing C o m p a n y , A m s t e r d a m - Printed in T h e N e t h e r l a n d s
REVIEWS
Edited by H. PETSCHEand JOHN R. HUGHES Contemporary. brain research in China. -- J. S. Barlow (Trans. and Ed.). (Consultants Bureau, New York, 1971, 112 p., $15.00). Are the "brain sciences" alive and well in China today? If so, to what extent have the lines of inquiry pursued up to the Great Cultural Revolution been continued into the present? Unfortunately, neither question can be answered satisfactorily at this time. Nor will this collection of translations from the Chinese neurophysiological literature provide such answers. The reason for this is that seven of the nine papers in this volume translated from the Chinese by Dr. John S. Barlow derive from issues of Acta Phv~iolo~lica Sinica and Acta Psychologica Sinica published prior to the Great Cultural Revolution. One can only speculate as to the efl[ects this historical event m a y have had on established neurobiological research programs in the Peoples Republic of China. For even the best informed on the subject remain ignorant of the current scientific activities of respected colleagues and friends. At issue here is the nature of these research programs during the 1962 1966 period, rather than a critique of the research reports themselves, Thanks to Barlow's extraordinary linguistic talent for the Chinese language and his professional interests in basic and clinical neurophysiology we are privileged to have available reports from the original Chinese literature which should be of concern to neuroscientists in general, and neurophysiologists in particular. Six of the nine research papers selected by Barlow for inclusion in this volume are by investigators closely associated with Prof. H. T. Chang, although the latter's name does not appear as a co-author of any of the reports. As Barlow indicates in the Introduction, the papers which concern electrophysiological studies both in animals and in m a n in part reflect his own interests. This is fortunate since the studies presented could not be more appropriately related to the interests of the general reader of this Journal. But it would be in error to believe this to be an overriding consideration in Barlow's selection of reports for translation. C h a n g ' s m a n y contributions to electrocortical physiology represent important milestones in the historical development of the field. It is not surprising therefore that his productivity and operational approaches to problems of brain physiology should have had such a powerful influence on his associates and colleagues in Shanghai. (This reviewer m a y be excused for reminding the reader that C h a n g deserves the credit for conceptualizing the consequences of differential synaptic input to the cell body and dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons. Further, his analyses of "dendritic potentials", the interaction of transcallosal and specific evoked responses, and studies of the effects of topically applied convulsants cannot be ignored by serious workers in the field . . even today.) The use of the evoked potential technique as practiced by C h a n g is clearly evident in the following reports appearing in 1962 and 1963: "'Interaction of evoked cortical potentials in the rabbit", "'Cortical repetitive responses elicited by a single contralateral stimulus", "Cortical responses to repeti-
tire contralateral stimulation after sectioning of the corpus callosum", "Cortical excitability changes following transcallosal afferent excitation", and "The interaction of callosal potentials and potentials evoked by thalamic s t i m u l a t i o n Suffice it to say that the interpretations offered in exphmation of the results obtained are fundamentally, simih~r to many recent interpretations of the operations of" cortical neuronal subsystems studied with microphysiological techniques in other laboratories. Although it is clear from Chang's last publication (1966) that extracellular single unit recording was practised in the Shanghai laboratories it is not known whether intracellular recording techniques have since been developed in these laboratories or elsewhere in the Peoples Republic of China. A report entitled. "The effect of electric stimulation of the brain stem on the galvanic skin reflex", provides evidence of proficiency in the use of stereotaxic methods for exploring discrete brain-stem sites for localized stimulation in animals. The literature survey in this report m a y be considered adequate up to the time of its publication (1966). The influence of modern neuropsychological concepts in clinical EEG studies may be appreciated in two reports which conclude the volume of translations: " E E G and galvanic skin investigations of the orienting reflex in m a n " , and " E E G study of temporary connections in m a n " . References to a number of publications in Russian from Soviet workers are included in the latter report along with the works of Gastaut, Jasper, Magoun, Morrell, John and Yoshii. A singularly progressive note is struck in the paper on temporary connections in man in the emphasis placed upon the role of brain-stem reticular regions and non-specific specific interactions in t he establishment of conditioned reflexes. The constraints placed upon interpretations developed from neo-Pavlovian concepls, prominent in the Soviet Union, were evidently not felt by a number of Chinese neuropsychologists. Barlow has included in this volume an appendix listing 37 titles of reports on brain research published in the Scientm Sinica from 1952 to 1966. This listing provides the reader with a general survey of trends in neurobiological research from which it m a y be possible to .judge the extent to which important avenues of investigation were pursued up to 1966. Considerable activity in a number of areas may be inferred from some of the subjects considered : brain nudeoproteins, acetylcholine metabolism in brain, effects of GABA, cortical effects of RNA, selective reinnervation of slow and last muscles, interneuron synapses in h u m a n stellate ganglia, and functions of the basal ganglia. We are indebted to John Barlow for this, the first series of translations of neurophysiological papers in the Chinese language by a scientist for whom Chinese is a learned and not a natural tongue. We c o m m e n d him for this excellent survey of the recent past and join him in his impatience to learn about the present and future of the brain sciences in the Peoples Republic of China. DOMINI( K P. PURPURA Albert Einstein Colleqe O/Medicine, Bronx, New })~rk 10461 /U.S.A.)
Electroenceph. olin. Neurophysio/., 1972, 33:126