Nancy Inman’s scientific contributions

... these include high pressure neurological syndrome (hPns), which indicates a state of hyperexcitability, the phenomenon of nitrogen (n 2 ) narcosis experienced by animals breathing air during deep diving or during mining operations, anesthesia produced by chemically inert gases such as xenon (Xe), and pressure-reversal of narcosis or anesthesia for a wide variety of agents occurring among many organisms (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). several studies have addressed neuronal conductance and the response of specific ion channels and receptor sites to hyperbaric conditions using electrophysiology methods applied to brain slice preparations and receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). in general, it is observed that conductance velocities and action potential (AP) amplitudes are decreased under hyperbaric conditions, mainly due to slowed kinetics of na+ ion conductance at increased pressure (12). the ensemble of subtle changes within each receptor site and neuronal connection will perturb synaptic transmission and event detection among the neuronal populations that form circuits within the central nervous system (cns). ...

Reference:

Voltage-sensitive dye imaging of neuronal populations under hyperbaric conditions: Preliminary results obtained using a new technique