Activation of Central Pattern Generator for Respiration Following Complete High Cervical Spinal Cord Interruption

Abstract

The original hypothesis was that intraspinal inhibitory circuits (GABA- and Glycinergic) play an important role of in the control of a spinal central pattern generator (CPG) for breathing. These inhibitory spinal interneurons were hypothesized to contribute to suppression of the respiratory CPG in both intact and post-injury (high cervical transection) conditions. Adhering to the experiments outlined in our SOW, spinal respiratory neurons (cervical C3-C5 and C1-C2 levels) were characterized by their location, pattern (via extra- and intracellular recordings) and sensitivity to blockers of GABAa and Glycine receptors (GABAzine and strychnine).CPG-specific inspiratory bursts, recorded from phrenic nerves, were observed after application of GABAzine and strychnine over C3-C5 cervical segments in spinally transected and intact animals (Ghali and Marchenko, 2016). These spinal bursts were not phase-locked to the supraspinal (ponto-medullary) respiratory rhythm. We recorded spinal interneurons related to the spinal respiratory CPG, a promising target for activation of breathing in tetraplegic patients. These newest findings are being prepared for publication in peer-review scientific journals and presentation at the upcoming annual meeting for the Society for Neuroscience.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1034097

Entities

People

  • Vitaliy Marchenko

Organizations

  • Drexel University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biomedical Research
  • Cells
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Generators
  • Local Governments
  • Medical Personnel
  • Nerve Net
  • Nerves
  • Neurons
  • Peripheral Nervous System
  • Phrenic Nerves
  • Professional Development
  • Respiration
  • Skeletal Muscle
  • Spinal Cord
  • Spinal Injuries
  • Students

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Medicine

Readers

  • Neuroscience
  • Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Medicine.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3