The Influence of Sleep on the Behaviour of the Upper Airway Muscles, Genioglossus and Tensor Palatini

人类的呼吸道只有有限的骨骼或软骨支持，需要肌肉活动才能保持呼吸道畅通。睡眠期间，这些肌肉的中枢活动减少，导致阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停障碍。可能的治疗方法包括药理或电刺激上呼吸道肌肉。然而，由于缺乏对上呼吸道肌肉控制的了解，这一点受到了阻碍。这个项目将研究两块关键的肌肉，颧舌肌和腭张肌。

The human airway has limited bone or cartilage support and muscular activity is required to keep the airway open. Central activation of these muscles is reduced during sleep, resulting in the disorder Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Potential treatments include pharmocological or electrical stimulation of upper airway muscles. However, this is hampered by a lack of understanding of the control of upper airway muscles. This project will study two critical muscles, genioglossus and tensor palatini.