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Updated: May 29, 2026

Non-invasive Assessment of Changes in Corticomotoneuronal Transmission in Humans
Published on: May 24, 2017
The Fontana paradoxical reflex?
Federico Lavorini1, Giovanni Fontana1, Elisa Chellini1
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence, Italy.
Abstract:
This commentary describes the "deflation cough" caused by deep lung deflations. Deflation cough is a paradoxical reflex similar to that described by Henry Head in 1889 for lung inflations that probably is mediated by the same sensors and afferent fibers in the lungs and activated by gastroesophageal reflux. We discuss how this reflex must be self-limiting, the general role of paradoxical reflexes in the body, and the possible clinical significance of deflation cough.
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