Recovery of airway protective behaviors after spinal cord injury.
Pulmonary morbidity is high following spinal cord injury and is due, in part, to impairment of airway protective behaviors. These airway protective behaviors include augmented breaths, the cough reflex, and expiration reflexes. Functional recovery of these behaviors has been reported after spinal cord injury. In humans, evidence for functional recovery is restricted to alterations in motor strategy and changes in the frequency of occurrence of these behaviors. In animal models, compensatory alterations in motor strategy have been identified. Crossed descending respiratory motor pathways at the thoracic spinal cord levels exist that are composed of crossed premotor axons, local circuit interneurons, and propriospinal neurons. These pathways can collectively form a substrate that supports maintenance and/or recovery of function, especially after asymmetric spinal cord injury. Local sprouting of premotor axons in the thoracic spinal cord also can occur following chronic spinal cord injury. These mechanisms may contribute to functional resiliency of the cough reflex that has been observed following chronic spinal cord injury in the cat.
Bolser
Donald C
DC
Dept. of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, United States. bolser@vetmed.ufl.edu
Jefferson
Stephanie C
SC
Rose
Melanie J
MJ
Tester
Nicole J
NJ
Reier
Paul J
PJ
Fuller
David D
DD
Davenport
Paul W
PW
Howland
Dena R
DR
D056151:Airway Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D012133:Respiratory Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae