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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Electrophysiology on Isolated Brainstem-spinal Cord Preparations from Newborn Rodents Allows Neural Respiratory Network Output Recording
Published on: November 19, 2015
Adrenaline contributes to prenatal respiratory maturation in rat medulla-spinal cord preparation
Morimitsu Fujii1, Kazuo Umezawa, Akiko Arata
1Laboratory for Memory and Learning, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
Abstract:
Adrenaline is a potent respiratory regulator. However, adrenergic contribution to the developing respiratory center has not been studied extensively. Adrenaline application on embryonic day 17 medulla-spinal cord block preparations abolished non-respiratory activity and enhanced respiratory frequency. Phentolamine application on neonatal blocks that produced stable neonatal respiration resulted in respiratory destabilization. These results suggest that central adrenergic modulation is involved in fetal respiratory development and maintenance of stable respiration.

