MECHANISMS AND SITES OF VENTILATORY NEUROGENESIS

本文提出的研究活动的目的有两个：1) 评估多个部位的呼吸节律产生能力 在脑干内，2)评估神经生理学基础 可由球脊髓部分支持的换气活动 中枢神经系统。就后者而言，我们认为 球脊髓呼吸节律产生的检查将是 硕果累累，因为鳞茎脊髓元素代表着一种潜在的更简单的 呼吸控制器，从定义上讲，是一个解剖学上更简单的实体 而不是整个脑桥-球脊髓复合体。实验将会是 为实现上述两个目标而进行的行动将作为一个共同目标， 神经活动的可逆性或永久性阻断 桥髓交界处。因此，通过在此描述的程序， 呼吸模式可能会发生可逆性改变， 脑干和脊髓可逆性地从大脑的其他部分分离出来 中枢神经系统。体内的呼吸调节活动 “孤立的神经节段”将通过记录脑电活动来监测。 外周神经和/或脑神经与单个 呼吸调节脑干单位。我们相信研究的结果 在此提出的建议将对机制提供重要的见解 负责自主呼吸活动的神经发生。

The aims of the research activities proposed herein are twofold: 1) to evaluate the capacity for respiratory rhythm generation at multiple sites within the brainstem and, 2) to evaluate the neurophysiological underlying the ventilatory activity which may be supported by the bulbospinal portion of the central nervous system. In the context of the latter, we believe that examinations of bulbospinal respiratory rhythm generation will be fruitful since bulbospinal elements represent a potentially simpler respiratory controller and, by definition, an anatomically simpler entity than the entire pontile-bulbospinal complex. Experiments which will be conducted to fulfill the above two aims will have as one common objective, the reversible or permanent blockade of neural activity at the pontomedullary junction. Thus, by procedures to be described herein, respiratory patterns may be reversibly altered and segments of the brainstem and spinal cord reversibly isolated from other portions of the central nervous system. Respiratory-modulated activity within the "isolated neural segments" will be monitored by recording activity in peripheral and/or cranial nerves and activity of single respiratory-modulated brainstem units. We believe that results of studies proposed herein will provide significant insights into the mechanisms responsible for the neurogenesis of automatic ventilatory activity.