Search

Objectives:To investigate the biological factors related to the onset of Bell's palsy, we sought to identify differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma of patients with Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS).Methods:We carried out DNA microarray analyses using PBMCs taken from patients with Bell's palsy at their initial visit and 2 to 4 weeks later. To validate these analyses, we measured the relative messenger RNA levels of α-defensin in paired PBMCs by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The plasma concentrations of α-defensin in patients and healthy volunteers were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The DNA microarray analysis identified α-defensin as a candidate gene related to the onset of Bell's palsy. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the relative α-defensin messenger RNA levels in PBMCs from the later visit were increased at least twofold in 9 of 13 patients (69%) with Bell's palsy and in 4 of 6 patients (67%) with RHS. The plasma α-defensin concentrations in the patients with RHS were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers (p = 0.0013) and in the patients with Bell's palsy (p = 0.0306). Elevations of plasma α-defensin were observed in 5 of the 9 patients with Bell's palsy who demonstrated α-defensin overexpression in PBMCs.Conclusions:α-Defensin may be one of the biological factors related to the onset of Bell's palsy and RHS.

To maintain optimal clarity of objects moving in three dimensions, precise coordination of binocular eye movements is required in frontal‐eyed primates. Caudal parts of the frontal eye fields (FEFs) contain smooth pursuit neurons and the discharge of the majority of them is related to vergence eye movements as well. However, whether or not those pursuit neurons carry true binocular signals has not been tested critically. Using dichoptic stimuli that dissociate horizontal movements of the left and right eyes, we found that all pursuit‐related, FEF neurons tested carried binocular signals.

The smooth pursuit system moves the eyes in space to accurately track objects of interest and maintain their images on the foveae while compensating for conflicting visual inputs from the moving background and/or vestibular inputs during head movements. Under demanding task conditions, young (but not mature) primates have difficulty with upward smooth gaze (eye in space) movement; pursuit breaks down, and they perform the task with saccades. Proper compensation matures later, after preadolescence. Chemical inactivation of the supplementary eye fields in compensated monkeys reproduced the directional asymmetry that had been compensated developmentally, suggesting that the supplemental eye fields may be involved in the compensation.

Improved word perception in hearing-impaired patients following electrical stimulation of ears was shown by means of a grammatically correct but non-sense Japanese 4-segment sentence perception test. Improved word perception was reported in 15 out of 20 patients without tinnitus following electrical stimulation of ears. In 11 out of 15 patients, the number of incorrect words significantly decreased, showing that electrical stimulation of ears improved word perception. Improved word perception was observed in 5 out of 8 patients whose tested ears were contralateral to treated ears while in 8 out of 12 patients whose tested ears were the same as treated ears. The present study suggests that electrical stimulation of ears improves word perception in hearing-impaired patients without tinnitus.

The present study showed that there were close relationships between tinnitus relief and improved word perception by means of a grammatically correct but non-sense Japanese word perception test. Fourteen out of 20 patients reported tinnitus relief and improvement in hearing. Nine out of the 14 patients were thought to be significantly improved in word perception. Improved word perception was observed in 7 out of 10 patients whose ears tested were opposite to ears treated while in 2 out of 10 patients whose ears tested were the same as ears treated. Improved word perception was observed in 5 patients at one segment, 2 patients at two segments and 2 patients at three segments. Improved word perception was observed in one patient at the first segment, 5 patients at the second segment, 5 patients at the third segment and 5 patients at the fourth segment. There were no significant differences in hearing level nor age in patients with and without relief of tinnitus.

The present study aimed to explain how tinnitus relief following electrical promontory stimulation affects detection of changes in pitch frequency. To determine the effects of tinnitus relief on the auditory system, Japanese words with the same sound but different intonation were used to verify the effects of tinnitus relief on pitch detection in tinnitus patients. Eight out of 11 patients experienced relief of tinnitus following treatment. The averaged number of the ratio in 8 patients with relief of tinnitus, 0.58, was significantly higher (p > 0.02) than that in 3 patients without relief, 0.15. In comparison with averaged hearing level, there was no significant difference in averaged hearing level between 8 patients with relief of tinnitus (52.4 dBSL; SD: 11.4) and 3 without relief of tinnitus (58.0 dBSL; SD: 14.7) (p < 0.68). No significant difference in age between patients with and without relief of tinnitus was observed.