Central Neural Circuits for Coordination of Swallowing, Breathing, and Coughing

Discharge patterns of hypoglossal motoneurons during fictive breathing, coughing, and swallowing.

We performed a series of experiments to study the intracellular activity of 58 hypoglossal motoneurons (HMs) in decerebrate, paralyzed, and ventilated cats. Changes in membrane potentials (MP) and discharge activities were evaluated during fictive breathing (FB), swallowing (FS), and coughing (FC). FS and FC were elicited by electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerves. FB, FS, and F...

Multifunctional laryngeal premotor neurons: their activities during breathing, coughing, sneezing, and swallowing.

To examine whether motor commands of two or more distinct laryngeal motor patterns converge onto a common premotor network, we conducted dual recordings from the laryngeal adductor motoneuron and its premotor neuron within the brainstem respiratory circuitry during fictive breathing, coughing, sneezing, and swallowing in decerebrate paralyzed cats. Expiratory neurons with an augmenting firing p...

The early impact of feeding on infant breathing-swallowing coordination.

This longitudinal study assessed the coordination of nutritive and non-nutritive swallowing with breathing in 10 healthy term infants from birth to 1 year of age. Swallows were classified into five respiratory-phase categories: mid-inspiration (II), mid-expiration (EE), inspiratory-expiratory cusp (IE), expiratory-inspiratory cusp (EI), and mid-pause (P). Breathing-swallowing coordination diffe...

Effects of Moderate Hyperbilirubinemia on Nutritive Swallowing and Swallowing-Breathing Coordination in Preterm Lambs.

BACKGROUND Hyperbilirubinemia (HB) occurs in 90% of preterm newborns. HB induces acute neurological disorders (somnolence, abnormal tone, feeding difficulties, auditory dysfunction) and alterations in respiratory control. These findings suggest brainstem neurotoxicity that could also affect swallowing centers. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that HB impairs nutritive swallowing (NS) and swal...

Airway Protection and Coordination of Breathing and Swallowing in Health and Anesthesia