Otto Appenzeller

University of New Mexico | UNM · Departments of Neurology and Department of Medicine

This is a self-report. It is age-related because I am 96 years old; about five years ago I was asymptomatic in this respect. I describe the difficulties of thinking to have to take a breath without getting evidence of hypoxia such as flashes of light and other evidence of hypoxia such as loss of muscle tone. The problem I have is loss of autonomic...

This is a self report. It is age related because I am 96 years old; about five years ago I was asymptomatic in this respect. I describe the difficulties to think to have to take a breath without getting evidence of hypoxia such as flashes of light and other evidence of hypoxia such as loss of muscle tone. The problem I have is loss of autonomic fun...

Here we show that naked mole rats (NMRs) have an extraordinary survival advantage. We base this statement on a spectral analysis of the time series of measured intervals in the teeth of 3 species (NMRs, Killer Whales, and Modern Humans). We used Fourier decomposition to analyze the variability of these intervals. We find these animals go through th...

Here we show that naked mole rats (NMR's) have an extraordinary survival advantage. We base this statement on a spectral analysis of the time series of measured intervals in teeth of 3 species (NMR's, Killer Whale, and Modern Humans). We used Fourier decomposition to analyze the variability of these intervals. We find these animals go through their...

Why does a 95-year-old man have to think about every breath he takes? This case report describes a patient who stops breathing, becoming hypoxic and unsteady, whenever he forgets to deliberately inhale.

Background. This is the first report of this kind in the literature. Case presentation. These elderly male white Caucasian subjects aged 94 and 84 presented with transient penile tumescence related to hypoxia. Both subjects are mentally fully competent. Conclusion. We review the history and physiology of penile tumescence and present two cases of u...

The aims of testing autonomic reflex arcs are to recognize the presence, distribution, and severity of autonomic dysfunction. In some cases, testing can detect patterns of autonomic impairment or hyperfunction that can be related to specific disorders. The information derived from autonomic testing is most useful when the findings from a comprehens...

The neuroendocrine system is a complex and well-integrated regulatory system that includes the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and its connections to the brain, and other regions beyond the hypothalamus. The different components of the neuroendocrine system are functionally interconnected and play a critical role in the stress response and comple...

Operant conditioning relies on consequences as a means to modify the occurrence or type of behavior, whereas biofeedback relies solely on the reinforcement of the signal display to prompt individuals to change their physiology. This chapter reviews the principles of biofeedback, operant conditioning, and interoception, and their relevance to autono...

The storage and evacuation of urine depend on the coordinated action of the urinary bladder, the bladder neck, the urethra, and the urethral sphincter. The neural circuitry that controls micturition is complex and involves pathways at many levels of the brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system. This chapter reviews the central and...

Trophic disorders, defined as changes or lesions in limbs and occasionally other structures, can be seen in association with central nervous system and peripheral nerve lesions. This chapter reviews disorders associated with congenital absence of muscles, congenital neuromuscular disorders with localized weakness, congenital neuromuscular disorders...

The enteric nervous system is a large and complex division of the autonomic nervous system that controls motor function and mucosal transport and secretions of the gut. The enteric nervous system also modulates immune and endocrine functions. This chapter reviews the anatomy and physiology of the enteric nervous system from the upper esophagus to t...

The effects of high altitude on the autonomic nervous system depend on the elevation and the rate of ascent. Acute exposure to hypoxia causes altered baroreceptor function and chemoreflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic overactivation may, in turn, contribute to a variety of clinical conditions including pulmonary hyperten...

Paleoneurobiology encompasses a branch of knowledge concerned with the study of the neurobiology of ancient humans and animals. We present findings from the examination of somatic and autonomic nerves in mummified remains and discuss their relevance to human diseases.

Autonomic neuropathies are a group of disorders characterized by damage to small unmyelinated or lightly myelinated autonomic nerves that are responsible for the regulation of involuntary physiologic processes including, but not limited to, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual function. Peripheral autonomic neuropathies ma...

This chapter reviews age-related changes in autonomic nervous system function in healthy humans. We discuss changes in fluid intake and thirst, vasomotor control, cerebral blood flow, thermoregulation, pupillary function, micturition, and sexual function that occur with aging. The second part of the chapter summarizes the effects of acute exercise...

The kidneys play a central role in the regulation of body fluid and cardiovascular homeostasis with the goals of maintenance of body osmolality within narrow limits, and maintenance of extracellular fluid and blood volume at adequate levels. Renal fluid handling is controlled via neural and humoral influences. This chapter reviews the role of the s...

This chapter reviews neurodegenerative disorders associated with progressive autonomic failure with a focus on pure autonomic failure, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. The second part of the chapter discusses other disorders that can be associated with progressive autonomic failures such as human T-cell l...

This chapter reviews the role of the autonomic nervous system in different pain syndromes such as complex regional pain syndrome, erythromelalgia, Raeder’s syndrome, and autonomic faciocephalalgia, among others.

The autonomic nervous system influences the size of the pupil by way of parasympathetic innervation from nerve fibers that originate from neurons in the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia, and by way of sympathetic innervation from nerve fibers that originate from neurons in the superior cervical ganglion. This chapter reviews the anatomy and phys...

Functional interactions between the autonomic nervous system and central nervous system structures are involved in circadian rhythms. This chapter reviews the role of the autonomic nervous system in mediating circadian rhythms, and the effects of light, melatonin, and aging on the circadian system. We also discuss the molecular and circuit-based as...

This chapter reviews historical studies and recent advances in our understanding of the neural control of respiration. We review the brainstem circuitry involved in the control of respiration, and pulmonary respiratory reflexes including, but not limited to, the Hering-Breuer inflation and deflation reflexes, pulmonary vascular reflexes, and the pe...

This chapter reviews autonomic dysfunction secondary to infection by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID). Long-term activation of the extended autonomic nervous system may happen in long-COVID. The pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiovascular dysautonomia in long-COVID are not well understood. Sim...

The autonomic nervous system is activated in response to inflammation. The acute inflammatory response is a controlled process aimed at restoring homeostasis, whereas chronic inflammation can have deleterious consequences including permanent tissue damage, organ dysfunction, and death. Autonomic modulation in acute and chronic inflammation and auto...

This chapter discusses the influence of the autonomic nervous system on sexual behavior, physiology, and human sexual dysfunction. We review the innervation of the male and female sexual organs, the role of the autonomic nervous system in sexual responses, neuroanatomical sex differences, and sexual function in patients with disorders of the nervou...

This chapter summarizes information about autonomic function in spinal cord injuries. The disruption of connections between higher brain centers and the spinal cord manifests a broad range of autonomic abnormalities. We discuss changes in thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, respiratory, bladder, gastrointestinal, pupillomotor, and sexual function fol...

This chapter reviews the physiology of sleep and outlines the neurocircuitry underlying sleep and wakefulness. We discuss sleep disorders such as REM-sleep behavior disorder, insomnia, hypersomnia, sleep-disordered breathing, and the role of circadian and sleep disturbances in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Bodily functions that can proceed independently of volitional activity are regulated atleast in part by reflex mechanisms served by afferent, efferent, and central integrating structures, which are included in the autonomic nervous system. Knowledge of the anatomy, functional organization and neurochemistry of the autonomic nervous system is critic...

The autonomic nervous system maintains internal body temperature with a strict margin of around 37°C (98.6°F) to support homeostasis. This process involves complex thermoregulatory mechanisms that control the balance between heat production and heat loss. This chapter reviews the physiology of the peripheral and central neural mechanisms responsibl...

Introduction to Basic Aspects of the Autonomic Nervous System: Sixth Edition, Volume 1 is an all-encompassing reference on the autonomic nervous system's basic function, dysfunction, and pathology. This volume describes the anatomy of the autonomic nervous system and its role in the regulation of blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, mictu...

Introduction to Clinical Aspects of the Autonomic Nervous System: Sixth edition, Volume 2 is an all-encompassing reference to the autonomic nervous system's function, dysfunction, and pathology. This volume describes the role of the autonomic nervous system in circadian rhythms, sleep and wakefulness, aging, exercise, and its role in pain perceptio...

We describe the peculiar facial morphology of a carved head dating to the end of the Roman Republican period (40 BCE) which displays evident unilateral asymmetry. A comprehensive discussion of the different etiologies is provided and a contextualization of this condition in the broader frame of Roman artistic verism is offered. This case study cont...

More than 200,000 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) present yearly for treatment. The diagnosis is entirely observational that is recognition of the disease is possible clinically, the so called spot diagnosis for the neurologist. We observed passengers on an aerial tram for the past thirty-five years. The passengers were standing for the jour...

We found using statistical modeling that the English sweat (Sudor Anglicus) in the 15th. century was due to an outbreak of Hantavirus disease. [1].

II review here classical (early onset) Tourette syndrome. I also discuss two cases of late–onset Tourette syndrome reported up till now. I describe an additional case in a 57 year old man characterized by sniffing and shoulder dystonic movements under stress. I termed this new syndrome “Late-onset Tourette Syndrome Equivalents”. To expertly diagnos...

I review here classical (early onset) Tourette syndrome. I also discuss two cases of late–onset Tourette syndrome reported up till now. I describe an additional case in a 57 year old man characterized by sniffing and shoulder dystonic movements under stress. I termed this new syndrome “Late-onset Tourette Syndrome Equivalents”. To expertly diagnose...

Dante places the sinners who promoted scandals, schism, and discord in the ninth Ditch of the Inferno. Among those is also the Prophet Muhammad. Describing the Prophet’s punishment, Dante resorts to technical terms and vulgar expressions. This poetic representation highlights Dante’s medical and anatomical knowledge and reflects 14th c. Christian r...

Résumé Il est certainement trop tôt pour faire le point sur les intuitions du professeur Raoult, et ce n'est d'ailleurs pas le but de ce court article. Néanmoins, l'expérience a montré qu'en période de crise sanitaire sans précédent, les prescriptions se révèlent souvent aventureuses, surtout lorsqu'il s'agit d'un nouveau virus. L'imagination colle...

Recent paleopathological cases have shown the usefulness of interdisciplinary odontological studies in the investigation of historical figures. A macroscopic examination of the mandible of Saint-Louis (13th c. AD), conserved in the cathedral of Notre-Dame (Paris, France) was carried out, and compared with biographical data about the life and death...

Sir Martin Frobisher (ca 1535-1594), the famous Elizabethan explorer and privateer, sustained a bullet to the outer plate of his ilium from a low-velocity bullet wound fired at close range from an arquebus, an early form of musket. The bullet was removed, but he subsequently died from gas gangrene. This paper looks at the management of this injury...

Background The upright posture imposes a significant challenge to blood pressure regulation that is compensated through baroreflex-mediated increases in heart rate and vascular resistance. Orthostatic cardiac responses are easily inferred from heart rate, but vascular resistance responses are harder to elucidate. One approach is to determine vascul...

Tourette syndrome is a tic disorder with onset in childhood. By contrast, we report a new Tourette syndrome with onset in late life. We use statistics to support our contention that this behavioral disorder is a hitherto unrecognized variety of Tourette syndrome. There are three tic disorders distinguished by the types of tics present (motor, vocal...

Qualche anno fa, il radiologo R. Gunderman elencava su The Atlantic i sette Classici della Letteratura internazionale che i medici dovrebbero leggere “to always be a student of the human condition”. Tra queste, veniva inserito l’Inferno di Dante Alighieri. Partendo da questa considerazione, gli Autori focalizzano l’attenzione su quegli aspetti dell...

Statistical Methods in Bioarcheology T-test Tooth growth is essential to health and survival. In humans the growth rate can be inferred from the width of perikymata growth intervals. We measured the intervals between perikymata ridges on the surfaces of teeth and in thin sections of molars of modern human molars (which we used as standards), in anc...

Many world-renowned scientists and artists had autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We suggest that the French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) also had ASD. As a boy, he demonstrated his mastery of language, mathematics and science. He showed single-mindedness and obsessive interests in the pursuit of science in his younger years a...

Proposals have been made that endogenous opioids are important in pain modulation, that they influence sleep, respiral!on, sexual activity. endocrine function, and thermoregulation. These physiologic activities are affected by endurance training. We have, therefore, assayed ,B•endorphin, fHipotropin (i· BE•BL), and myoglobin in participants of the...

Films are useful for medical education and introduce Science fiction movies or historic documentaries and pioneering scientists who developed the field of infectious disease research. Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, expert talents such as von Behring, Koch, and Ehrlich were present at the Charité Hospital. These individua...

We analyzed conodonts and rocks using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) using statistical methods to compare the tipping points for arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in conodonts and contemporaneous human tissues. We found that ancient seas contained high levels of As which also occurred in conodont teeth and which was lea...

The discovery of Salvarsan the first useful arsenic based drug for syphilis in 1910 and the effect the accumulation of talent on advances in science and health care _the The Matthew effect of accumulated advantage.

The pathography of the famous painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) shows that he had tuberculosis and died of tubercular meningitis aged 35. The nineteenth century was characterized by numerous milestones in the history of tuberculosis. In 1853, Hermann Brehmer, first used the term tuberculosis referred to at the time as "phthisis". I...

End of school presentation by Charlie Appenzeller

We analyzed conodonts and rocks using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) using statistical methods to compare the tipping points for arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in conodonts and contemporaneous human tissues. We found that ancient seas contained high levels of As which also occurred in conodont teeth and which was lea...

Paleoneurology is the reconstruction of ancient diseases using archived materials such as hair, bone or images of the deceased. Using modern techniques I show that neuropetides are preserved for millennia in the human peripheral and enteric nervous systems. In mummy portraits I find the presence of facial palsies and congenital ptosis and evidence...

The structures of the human hands and feet are shaped by evolution and its effects on the brain, skeleton and other structures, and on behavior. We used measurements obtained of hands and feet from living humans in Europe, the Americas (South and North) and Australia and images of hands and feet in cave art, paintings, and photographs obtained from...

On October 17, 1849, Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) died aged 39. His cause of death remains unknown. An investigation of the documental sources was performed to reconstrcuct the medical history of the artist. Since his earliest years, his life had been dominated by poor health. Recurrent episodes of cough, fever, headaches...