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Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons
Published on: May 25, 2015
Phrenic motor neuron TrkB expression is necessary for acute intermittent hypoxia-induced phrenic long-term
Erica A Dale1, Daryl P Fields2, Michael J Devinney1
1Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States.
Abstract:
Phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF) is a form of hypoxia-induced spinal respiratory motor plasticity that requires new synthesis of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and activation of its high-affinity receptor, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB). Since the cellular location of relevant TrkB receptors is not known, we utilized intrapleural siRNA injections to selectively knock down TrkB receptor protein within phrenic motor neurons. TrkB receptors within phrenic motor neurons are necessary for BDNF-dependent acute intermittent hypoxia-induced pLTF, demonstrating that phrenic motor neurons are a critical site of respiratory motor plasticity.
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