[Amphibians as a model system for the investigation of respiratory control development].
Recent medical advances have made it possible for babies to survive premature birth at increasingly earlier developmental stages. This population requires costly and sophisticated medical care to address the problems associated with immaturity of the respiratory system. In addition to pulmonary complications, respiratory instability and apnea reflecting immaturity of the respiratory control system are major causes of hospitalization and morbidity in this highly vulnerable population. These medical concerns, combined with the curiosity of physiologists, have contributed to the expansion of research in respiratory neurobiology. While most researchers working in this field commonly use rodents as an animal model, recent research using in vitro brainstem preparation from bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) have revealed the technical advantages of this animal model, and shown that the basic principles underlying respiratory control and its ontogeny are very similar between these two groups of vertebrates. The present review highlights the recent advances in the area of research with a focus on intermittent (episodic) breathing and the role of serotonergic and GABAergic modulation of respiratory activity during development.
Département de Pédiatrie, Université Laval, Centre de recherche, Hôpital Saint-François d'Assise, 10, rue de l'Espinay, Québec, G1L 3L5 Canada.
Olivier
O
Belzile
Edith
E
Simard
Roumiana
R
Gulemetova
Aida
A
Bairam
Richard
R
Kinkead
D000663:Amphibians / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology; D023421:Models, Animal; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*