Cricothyroid muscle activity during sleep in normal adult humans

Previous investigators reported that cricothyroid (CT) muscle usually exhibits phasic inspiratory activity in normal adult humans during wakefulness. The purpose of this study was to determine respiratory-related CT activity in normal adult humans during sleep. Nighttime polysomnograms were performed in 16 subjects. Hooked-wire electrodes were percutaneously implanted in CT with 21-gauge needle-catheter unit that allowed artifact-free monopolar recordings during electrode placement. During wakefulness, CT was usually phasically active on inspiration, with tonic activity throughout the respiratory cycle. Phasic inspiratory activity was present throughout sleep in all subjects, even those without respiratory-related CT activity during wakefulness. Compared with non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, phasic CT activity uniformly increased in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. No differences were apparent in height of phasic CT activity between phasic and tonic REM sleep. Application of nasal continuous positive pressure in stage 3/4 NREM sleep was associated with a decrease in phasic CT activity. Passively induced hypocapnia with positive-pressure ventilation via a nose mask in stage 3/4 NREM sleep was associated with a disappearance of phasic CT activity. Cessation of positive-pressure ventilation under hypocapnic conditions frequently resulted in apnea. Phasic CT activity remained absent during apnea but reappeared coincident with or soon after resumption of spontaneous respiration. In summary, CT's phasic inspiratory activity and respiratory-related response to various stimuli during sleep were very similar to those of posterior cricoarytenoid muscle, the principal vocal cord abductor.