Date of Award

8-1972

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. John Renfrew

Second Advisor

Dr. Fredrick Gault

Third Advisor

Dr. Ronald R. Hutchinson

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

A method for sensing and recording the simultaneous behavioral and electrophysiological activity of epileptic seizures was developed. An activity sensing cage consisting of an inverted loudspeaker translated motor behavior into voltage changes. The resultant voltage changes were integrated, amplified and recorded on a polygraph concurrently with electrophysiological data. The method was shown to 1) sense reliably a repeated standard input, 2) be sensitive to differing minute amounts of force and 3) produce data which lends itself to analysis with less variability than a more conventional technique.

Experimental manipulation of epileptiform activity revealed that a behavioral response to the onset of the CS developed over sessions in Experimental subjects but not in Control subjects. Also paroxysmal spiking activity was suppressed during the CS for approximately 70 per cent of the Experimental sessions. There was no change in the electrophysiological activity of the Control subjects during approximately 70 per cent of the Control sessions.

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