title: What is eupnea.
abstract: Respiratory neuronal networks in vertebrates appear to be able to generate a variety of rhythmic patterns in vivo, leading to the biological diversity of eupneic patterns as well as to life-threatening dyspneic patterns. Eupnea is best viewed as the collection of respiratory strategies preventing potential dyspneas, the major (and perhaps the only) criterion for a definition being that eupnea allows survival. Specific criteria can then be derived from the physiological identification of neurobiological mechanisms underlying identified dyspneic patterns, by exaggerating (pro-dyspneic mechanisms) or suppressing them (anti-dyspneic mechanisms). Because eupnea is vital, and one of the major targets of evolutionary pressure, identification of dyspnea-related neuronal systems seems to be important to understand the normal biological organization of the respiratory neuronal system.
authors.affiliation: U.P.R. 2216, Neurobiologie Génétique et Intégrative, IFR 2118 Institut de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, C.N.R.S., 1, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France. jean.champagnat@iaf.cnrs-gif.fr
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Champagnat
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001049:Apnea / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D009446:Neurobiology; D012119:Respiration; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena