Behavior of upper cervical inspiratory propriospinal neurons during fictive vomiting

1. The role of upper cervical inspiratory (UCI)-modulated neurons in respiratory muscle control during vomiting was examined by recording the impulse activity of these neurons during fictive vomiting in decerebrate, paralyzed cats. Fictive vomiting was identified by a characteristic series of bursts of coactivation of phrenic and abdominal muscle nerves, elicited either by electrical stimulation of supradiaphragmatic vagal nerve afferents or by emetic drugs, which would be expected to produce expulsion of gastric contents in nonparalyzed animals. 2. Data were recorded from 43 propriospinal UCI neurons, located in the C1-C3 spinal segments near the border of the intermediate gray matter and lateral funiculus, which were antidromically activated with floating pin electrodes placed in the ipsilateral lateral funiculus, usually at T1-T3. Some cells (9/21 tested) were also activated from the upper lumbar cord (L1). During respiration, most neurons (n = 40) had an augmenting discharge pattern during inspiration. In addition, more than one-half (55%) fired tonically during the remainder of the respiratory cycle. About 40% of UCI neurons showed variations in their firing pattern during the noninspiratory portion of respiration. These latter two properties of UCI neurons were not observed in dorsal and ventral respiratory group (DRG and VRG-, respectively) bulbospinal inspiratory (I) neurons previously recorded under similar conditions. 3. During fictive vomiting, the firing pattern of most UCI neurons fell into one of three main categories. More than one-half (53%) were active in phase with bursts of phrenic discharge and were thus classified as Active-type cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)