RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY GENERATED BY A SPLIT BRAIN-STEM PREPARATION OF THE RABBIT

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 41  (2) , 237-+
Abstract
Mid-sagittal incisions of the brainstem were performed in anesthetized, vagotomized, paralyzed and artificially ventilated rabbits. The activity of both phrenic nerves, blood pressure and percent end-tidal CO2 were continuously monitored. The results fell into 2 groups. In one, a relatively small separation of both halves of the medulla extending from the obex to at least 4 mm rostrally elicited asynchronous firing in both phrenic nerves (split respiratory center). In the other group, in which the incisions were placed either more caudally or more rostrally, or when small strands of the nervous tissue were left to provide connections between both sides of the brainstem, this phenomenon did not appear. There are apparently 2 symmetrical respiratory networks in both halves of the brainstem. Their synchronous firing probably depends on intact connections extending from the obex to the caudal end of the nucleus of the VII nerve.

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