During his chairmanship the research in neuroimaging expanded and separate chairs in PET, neurophysics, and medical radiochemistry were connected to the Department. During this period, much effort was devoted to the development of new diagnostic techniques in neurophysiology. Studies of cognitive function and disordes, epilepsy, sleep disorders and diabetic nervous complications are presently in focus. The senior research faculty comprises Tom Brismar, Lars Eriksson, Martin Ingvar, Hans E Persson, Sharon Stone-Elander, and Eva Svanborg. During the recent four years 11 doctoral theses and 90 original papers were published.
Diabetic patients have an abnormal resistance against ischemic block of nerve conduction.
That is, when a cuff is placed around the arm it takes longer before the nerve blocked than in normal subjects. This has been called a paradoxical phenomena since diabetic subjects are otherwise more prone to get entrapment neuropathy, which might be related to hypoxia in the nerve. In the present study we demonstrate for the first time that the recovery after ischemic block is delayed in diabetic patients. We believe this delay to be important and that it might be part of the mechanism behind the entrapment neuropathies. Hyllienmark, L. and Brismar, T. Effect of hypoxia on membrane potential and resting conductance in rat hippocampal neurons.