Phrenic afferent input to the lateral medullary reticular formation of the cat

The afferent inputs from phrenic nerve stimulation to the lateral reticular formation of the lower brain stem were studied in anesthetized spontaneously breathing cats. The activity of reticular neurons was recorded by means of extracellular tungsten microelectrodes. Electrical stimulation of the central end of the right phrenic nerve evoked excitatory or inhibitory responses in the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN), in the nucleus ambiguus (AMB) and in a region dorsal to the AMB of ipsi- and contralateral sides. Phrenic afferents belonging to the flexor reflex afferent group were involved in these responses. The discharge pattern of the respiratory related units (RRU) of the AMB were exceptionally affected by phrenic nerve stimulations. It is concluded that high threshold phrenic afferents relay in the LRN before projecting to the cerebellar cortex. The overlapping of respiratory and non-respiratory afferents in the reticular formation may participate to the adaptations of respiratory and somatomotor functions during specific behaviors.