Interaction of respiration with coughing, feeding, vision and oculomotor control in fish

Data on the interaction between respiration, coughing, feeding, vision and oculomotor control in fish have been analyzed. A self-contained respiratory rhythm generator in the brainstem reticular formation is, at times, interrupted by a coughing generator, which is partly autorhythmic and partly under vagal afferent control. A number of cranial muscles are shared by the respiratory and masticatory systems. Others are predominately allocated to one of these systems but are recruited by the other under heavy loading conditions. The effect of retinal image displacements caused by respiration-induced eye movements appears to be centrally corrected during normal respiration. In addition, excessive eye movements are reduced by extraocular muscle contraction during intense respiration and cough. Both the central visual and the oculomotor corrections are based on open-loop control through input from the respiratory center.