Locomotion and respiration in human infants

神经系统中控制行走的中枢与控制呼吸和心率的中枢相互协调。当我们开始走路或跑步时，我们的呼吸和心率会加快，以适应新的需求。但这些变化非常快，基本上与运动同步。在某些情况下，如慢跑，我们的呼吸与我们的跑步运动完全同步。我们将确定1岁以下的婴儿是否也会发生同样的情况。这些婴儿将在实验室进行研究。他们将被支持踩在跑步机上，就像我们过去所做的那样。我们将用视频记录他们的动作，并在跑步机腰带下施力板。我们将用小型热电偶监测他们的呼吸，而心电图将记录心率。在研究1中，我们将研究从静止的坐/站到走路再到静止状态的转变。我们预计呼吸频率会在运动开始时立即发生变化，这种变化将取决于行走的速度。在研究2中，我们将确定在某些情况下呼吸是否与运动完全同步。由于一些人认为协调取决于任务的机械要求，因此我们将研究婴儿的踢、跳、爬和爬行。这些任务被选为代表各种机械约束。在研究3中，我们将确定在特定活动中的练习是否增强了婴儿呼吸和肢体运动之间的协调。我们将使用跳跃，因为飞行员的数据表明呼吸和跳跃往往是同步的。这些实验将为我们理解模式生成器如何在非常年轻的人类中彼此关联开辟新的天地。但目前，关于这些神经中枢在年轻人中如何相互关联还一无所知。如果呼吸确实与肢体运动相协调，那么未来，我们或许能够使用一种节奏来改变或稳定另一种节奏。例如，如果呼吸节奏不规律，它能通过有节奏的肢体运动来改变吗？

Centres in the nervous system that control walking are coordinated with centres that control breathing and heart rate. When we start to walk or run, our breathing and heart rate quicken, in anticipation of the new demand.  These changes are very fast, essentially simultaneous with the movement.  In certain situations such as jogging, our breathing becomes exactly synchronized with our running movements.  We will determine if the same occurs in young babies under the age of 1 year.  Babies will be studied in the lab.  They will be supported to step on a treadmill as we have done in the past.  We will record their movement with video, and force plates under the treadmill belt.  Breathing will be monitored with a small thermocouple, and electrocardiogram will record the heart rate.  In study 1, the transition from stationary sitting/standing to walking and back to stationary conditions will be studied.  We anticipate the rate of breathing will change immediately at the start of movement, and the change will be dependent on the speed of walking.  In study 2, we will determine if breathing is exactly synchronized with movement under certain situations.  Because some believe the coordination is dependent on the mechanical demands of the task, we will study babies kicking, jumping, creeping and crawling.  These tasks were chosen to represent a variety of mechanical constraints.  In study 3, we will determine if practice in a particular activity enhances the coordination between breathing and limb movements in babies.  Jumping will be used, because pilot data indicate breathing and jumping tend to be synchronized.  These sets of experiments will break new ground in our understanding of how pattern generators relate to each other in the very young human.  At present, nothing is known about how these nerve centres relate to each other in the young.  If breathing is indeed coordinated with limb movements, in the future, we may be able to use one type of rhythm to alter or stabilize another rhythm.  For example, if the breathing rhythm is irregular, can it be altered by rhythmic limb movements?