Lateralized phrenic nerve responses to stimulating respiratory afferents in the cat

We stimulated electrically pharyngeal branch of both glossopharyngeal nerves (PGLN), internal branch of superior laryngeal nerves (ISLN), and carotid sinus nerves (CSN) in anesthetized cats. We recorded simultaneously, averaged, and compared bilaterally evoked phrenic nerve (PHR) activity. Our objective was to demonstrate a short-latency evoked response in the PHR contralateral to the stimulus. Low-intensity stimulation of PGLN and ISLN during inspiration evoked a short-latency contralateral excitation with a latency of 5.2 ms +/- 0.2 SE (16 cats) for PGLN, and 3.8 ms +/- 0.1 SE (13 cats) for ISLN. This excitation could follow stimuli delivered at 100 Hz. Stimulation during expiration did not result in a lateralized excitation. The excitation is followed by bilateral inhibition. Neither strychnine nor picrotoxin prevented either the lateralized response or the inhibition, though strychnine diminished a delayed bilateral excitation following PGLN stimulation. This dalayed (latency 18.7 ms +/- 0.7 SE) bilateral excitation corresponds to the sniff reflex. CSN stimulation did not result in lateralized excitation. We suggest that the lateralized evoked response results from a gated paucisynaptic reflex pathway involving the PGLN and ISLN, ipsilateral inspiratory neurons, and contralateral PHR motoneurons.