The crossed phrenic phenomenon

The cervical spine is the most common site of traumatic vertebral column injuries. Respiratory insufficiency constitutes a significant proportion of the morbidity burden and is the most common cause of mortality in these patients. In seeking to enhance our capacity to treat specifically the respiratory dysfunction following spinal cord injury, investigators have studied the "crossed phrenic phenomenon", wherein contraction of a hemidiaphragm paralyzed by a complete hemisection of the ipsilateral cervical spinal cord above the phrenic nucleus can be induced by respiratory stressors and recovers spontaneously over time. Strengthening of latent contralateral projections to the phrenic nucleus and sprouting of new descending axons have been proposed as mechanisms contributing to the observed recovery. We have recently demonstrated recovery of spontaneous crossed phrenic activity occurring over minutes to hours in C₁-hemisected unanesthetized decerebrate rats. The specific neurochemical and molecular pathways underlying crossed phrenic activity following injury require further clarification. A thorough understanding of these is necessary in order to develop targeted therapies for respiratory neurorehabilitation following spinal trauma. Animal studies provide preliminary evidence for the utility of neuropharmacological manipulation of serotonergic and adenosinergic pathways, nerve grafts, olfactory ensheathing cells, intraspinal microstimulation and a possible role for dorsal rhizotomy in recovering phrenic activity following spinal cord injury.