Role of the B�tzinger complex in fastigial nucleus-mediated respiratory responses
✍ Scribed by Zhang, Zhong ;Xu, Fadi ;Frazier, Donald T.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 120 KB
- Volume
- 254
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0003-276X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
We have reported that the phrenic neurogram (PN) is modulated by stimulation of the fastigial nucleus (FN) of the cerebellum. The present study was undertaken to search for brainstem site(s) involved in the FN efferent pathway to modulate phrenic nerve activities. Experiments were performed on 35 anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated cats, using the PN as the index of the respiratory motor output. Results showed that bilateral electrolytic lesions of the red nucleus (RN), the paramedian reticular nucleus (PRN), or the pontine respiratory group (PRG) had little effect on the ability of FN stimulation to modulate the respiratory output. However, the modulation was abolished by bilateral electrolytic lesions of the Bo ¨tzinger complex (Bo ¨tC). Further studies showed that bilateral chemical inactivation of Bo ¨tC neurons produced by topical microinjection of kainic acid or cobalt chloride failed to abolish the modulation. We concluded that fibers of passage, not synapses or cell bodies in the Bo ¨tC, were involved in the modulatory effect of FN stimulation on the PN. The RN, PRN, and PRG appear not to be important in the neural circuitry responsible for the FN modulation of the phrenic activity.