Emergence of air breathing in vertebrates

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The transition from water to air breathing is arguably one of the most dramatic changes to occur in animal physiology. While it first took place during vertebrate evolution millions of years ago, the progressive emergence of lung ventilation still takes place routinely during the development of many vertebrate species. Such transition requires important changes within the neural circuits that drive and regulate breathing, yet to this day, the mechanisms that make this fascinating transition possible remain poorly understood. To attend this issue, the long term objective of my research program is to understand the neurophysiological changes within the respiratory control system associated with the emergence of air breathing in vertebrates. Over the next five year, we will use the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) to investigate the impact of challenging environments (e.g. poor oxygen) on the maturation of these neural circuits. We will focus on the role of corticosterone, a steroid hormone, in this process.