To investigate the effects of lavender oil aroma on the excitatory state of spinal motor neurons, we performed F-wave measurements as an index for testing muscle tone in the upper extremity. We conducted two experiments. In experiment 1, the effects of one drop (0.05ml) of lavender oil were studied in 18 healthy volunteers, whereas in experiment 2, the effects of three drops (0.15ml) of lavender oil were studied in 26 healthy volunteers. For each experiment, a control group of 9 healthy volunteers was used for comparison. Subjects wore masks and assumed a supine position. Lavender oil was added to a tissue in a freezer bag, and the strength of the aroma was measured. The freezer bag was inserted into the mask worn by subjects who were asked to breathe in the aroma of the lavender oil for 2 min. Persistence, latency, and F/M amplitude ratio were recorded from the thenar muscles of the left upper extremity before baseline, during (0 and 1 min), and after (5, 10, and 15 min) lavender oil inhalation. After lavender oil inhalation, excitability of spinal motor neurons that innervate the upper extremities decreased. Furthermore, inhalation of three drops of lavender oil increased excitability of the spinal neurons in subjects who had no previous experience of lavender inhalation.

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BESA Epilepsy (BESAE) is a software package that automatically detects spike-like activities and is expected to reduce the burden of EEG review by helping inexperienced reviewers accurately analyze EEGs. In this study, we investigated the concordance in BESAE-assisted spike detection by experienced and inexperienced reviewers. Eighty-three patients (13–64 years, 31 male) underwent an average of 80 hours of long-term video EEG monitoring (LTVEEG). Fifty-nine of 83 patients were diagnosed with localization-related epilepsy, 7 were diagnosed with generalized epilepsy, 10 were diagnosed with non-epilepsy disorders, and 7 were diagnosed with unclassified seizure disorders. BE-assisted EEG reviews were independently performed by EEG-tech trainees and a board-certified clinical neurophysiologist. We compared the interpretations and localizations of the interictal spikes between the two types of reviewers. In 91% of the cases, EEG-tech trainees and the board-certified clinical neurophysiologist reported the same interpretation and localization of spikes. The reasons for discordance were inaccurate interpretations (four patients) and overlooked spikes (four patients). BESAE-assisted EEG review was associated with a high rate of concordance between EEG-tech trainees and a board-certified clinical neurophysiologist. BESAE-assisted spike detection is a useful technique that helps inexperienced reviewers analyze EEGs with greater accuracy.

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