title: Effect of upper airway negative pressure and lung inflation on laryngeal motor unit activity in rabbit.
abstract: Distortion of the upper airway by negative transmural pressure (UANP) causes reflex vagal bradycardia. This requires activation of cardiac vagal preganglionic neurons, which exhibit postinspiratory (PI) discharge. We hypothesized that UANP would also stimulate cranial respiratory motoneurons with PI activity. We recorded 32 respiratory modulated motor units from the recurrent laryngeal nerve of seven decerebrate paralyzed rabbits and recorded their responses to UANP and to withholding lung inflation using a phrenic-triggered ventilator. The phasic inspiratory (n = 17) and PI (n = 5) neurons detected were stimulated by -10 cmH(2)O UANP and by withdrawal of lung inflation (P < 0.05, Friedman's ANOVA). Expiratory-inspiratory units (n = 10) were tonically active but transiently inhibited in postinspiration; this inhibition was more pronounced and prolonged during UANP stimuli and during no-inflation tests (P < 0.05). We conclude that, in addition to increasing inspiratory activity in the recurrent laryngeal nerve, UANP also stimulates units with PI activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Ireland.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Walter T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: McNicholas
authors.forename: Ronan G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: O'Regan
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nolan
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007821:Laryngeal Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D007823:Laryngeal Nerves / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000502:physiology*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D015919:Ventilators, Negative-Pressure