Steven Peterson - US grants

A four element research plan is proposed to develop a novel solution to the problem of urinary incontinence. The proposed device consists of a non-surgically implanted flexible seal and an externally manipulated position controller. A silicone rubber mold of a dog's bladder will be used to evaluate the first prototype device. Based on this evaluation, one or more adult dogs will be used for in vivo studies. The main research interests will be concentrated in three areas: 1) The development of a satisfactory sealing material; 2) Evaluating the degree to which functional continence can be maintained over time; and 3) Assessing the dynamics of the micturition and re-sealing process in a free roaming dog.

Decisionmaking by the Supreme Court can be seen as a flow of steps and procedures which include reviewing appeals and appli- cations to hear a case, oral argument, conference discussion and vote, opinion assignment, opinion writing and circulation, and announcement of the decision on Decision Day. Each of the stages in the process has an impact on the final outcome. Research has revealed much about each of the stages with the exception of oral argument where very little is known. The oral argument can be seen either as a key event influencing judicial decisionmaking or as an opportunity to observe the decisional predispositions of justices. From either vantage, it is reve- latory to understanding its relationship to individual justice's attitudes and votes as well as to leadership and decisionmaking in the Supreme Court. By rendering oral argument susceptible to identification, measurement, and analysis, this project provides the first comprehensive behavioral study of the role of oral argument in Supreme Court decisionmaking. A sample of 300 cases will be selected from the Burger Court period, with half of the cases involving criminal procedure issues and half randomly selected from other issue areas. Data will be developed from transcripts and real-time audio recordings of the behavioral events that occurred during oral arguments. Techniques of verbal content analysis and voice analysis will be used to develop indicators of verbal and nonverbal aspects of behavior. The issue content of the oral argument and the opinions will also be coded. These data will be integrated with existing archived data on judicial attitudes, attributes, and case characteristics. Theoretical objectives include (1) analyzing the relationship between the verbal behavior of Justices in oral argument and their voting decisions; (2) analyzing the issues considered in oral argument and the content of majority and minority opinions; and (3) explaining patterns of involvement, leadership, and affective behavior by Justices during oral argument. In addition to filling an important gap in our understanding of the Supreme Court decisionmaking process, this study will provide a unique opportunity to observe directly expressions of judicial attitudes across issues, across cases, and across time. Prior studies have inferred attitudes about political ideology through voting behavior. This research will complement and extend these studies with direct observation. The development and application of techniques and methods for direct observation and measurement will have far reaching impacts on many other areas in the behavioral and social sciences that would be advanced by systematic observational methods.

The proposed research will characterize pharmacologically the anticonvulsant activity mediated by a discrete brainstem site, the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis (RPO). Evidence is presented that focal microinfusion of the strychnine-insensitive glycine site partial agonist, D-cycloserine, into the RPO inhibits the tonic hindlimb extension component of maximal electroshock seizures (MES) in rats. Because the anticonvulsant activity induced by RPO microinfusions of D- cycloserine is dose-related, stereospecific and antagonized by 7- chlorokynurenic acid, it is hypothesized that the anticonvulsant activity mediated by the RPO is regulated in part by the strychnine-insensitive glycine site and possibly other receptors known to influence the MES response. The proposed experiment will define the role of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor/ionophore complex and the associated strychnine- insensitive glycine site within the RPO in the regulation of tonic hindlimb extension. RPO microinfusion of other strychnine-insensitive glycine site partial agonists ((+)HA-966, ACPC) will be tested in MES to determine if the anticonvulsant activity is common to all partial agonists. Agonists (glycine, D-serine) and antagonists (5,7- dichlorokynurenic acid) of the strychnine-insensitive glycine site will be microfused into the RPO to determine if the anticonvulsant effect is mediated by antagonist activity at strychnine-insensitive glycine sites within the RPO. Agonists (NMDA), competitive antagonists (CPP, AP7), and noncompetitive antagonists (MK-801, PCP) of the NMDA receptor will be microfused to further verify the hypothesized RPO NMDA mechanism. To test for other neurotransmitter systems that may mediate anticonvulsant activity in the RPO, microinfusions of GABAergic, cholinergic and noradrenergic agents will also be tested. This includes GABA agonists (muscimol, baclofon) and antagonists (bicuculline, 2-hydroxysaclofen); cholinergic agonist (carbachol) and antagonist (atropine); noradrenergic agonists (corynanthine, clonidine, isoproternol) and antagonists (prazosin, yohimbine, propranolol). The results will identify the RPO as a specific and novel site of anticonvulsant drug action and will delineate specific NMDA receptor and strychnine-insensitive glycine site mechanisms as well as GABAergic, cholinergic and noradrenergic mechanisms within the RPO that mediate the observed anticonvulsant activity in MES. This will enhance the understanding of the basic mechanisms of epilepsy and may provide an improved pharmacological treatment.