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Preparation of Rhythmically-active In Vitro Neonatal Rodent Brainstem-spinal Cord and Thin Slice

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Respiratory rhythms generated in the lamprey rhombencephalon.

B Martel¹, J C Guimond, J F Gariépy

¹Centre de Recherche en Sciences Neurologiques, Université de Montréal, Casier Postal 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7.

|July 10, 2007

Summary

Lamprey breathing relies on rostral brainstem networks for fast rhythms and caudal networks for slow patterns. This study pinpoints these neural circuits controlling respiratory activity in lampreys.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Comparative Physiology
Respiratory Control

Background:

The neural basis of respiratory rhythm generation in primitive vertebrates like lampreys remains incompletely understood.
Lamprey respiratory networks offer a model for investigating fundamental mechanisms of breathing control.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize respiratory activity patterns in lampreys.
To identify the specific brainstem regions responsible for generating these respiratory rhythms.

Main Methods:

Recording respiratory nerve discharges in semi-intact and isolated lamprey brainstem preparations.
Utilizing pharmacological manipulations with glutamate agonists (AMPA) and antagonists (CNQX, AP5) in specific brainstem areas.
Employing localized brainstem lesions to delineate functional regions.

Main Results:

Identified two distinct respiratory patterns: a fast rhythm (1.0 Hz) and a slow pattern (37.4 s period).
Pharmacological and lesion studies localized the fast rhythm generation to the rostral rhombencephalon, lateral to the trigeminal motor nucleus.
The caudal rhombencephalon was implicated in generating the slow respiratory pattern.

Conclusions:

Normal lamprey breathing is critically dependent on neural networks in the rostral rhombencephalon.
The caudal rhombencephalon plays a role in generating a slower, intermittent respiratory pattern.
These findings elucidate the functional organization of the lamprey respiratory control system.