The mechanisms by which chronic cervical spinal cord injury alters respiratory function and plasticity are not well understood. We speculated that spinal hemisection at C(2) would alter the respiratory pattern controlled by vagal mechanisms. Expired volume (V(E)) and respiratory rate (RR) were measured in anesthetized control and C(2)-hemisected rats at 1 and 2 mo postinjury. C(2) hemisection a...

Cough is an important defensive reflex that eliminates particles and secretions from the airways and protects the lower airways from the aspiration of foreign materials. Although the classical cough center is thought to be situated in or around the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of the brainstem, our understanding of its profile is still incomplete. Accumulating evidence suggests a new concep...

A method for the accurate time-domain characterization of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) pattern is presented and applied to two groups of healthy subjects to lay the baseline of RSA patterns and to underlay their features: response to standing, stability in successive recordings, and individuality of the shape of RSA pattern. RSA pattern is evaluated by selective averaging of heart rate (H...

We have examined the effects of temperature on metabolic rate and respiratory pattern in the water strider Aquarius remigis. As temperature was increased from 10 to 30°C, the metabolic rate of the insects increased and the respiratory pattern transitioned from discontinuous, to cyclic, to continuous. The discontinuous gas-exchange cycle (DGC) was observed even in insects standing on water when ...

introduction: besides having major effects on the stability of lumbar vertebrae, diaphragm and abdominal muscles play an important role in respiration. the function of these muscles may gradually change in patients with chronic low back pain leading to an inefficacious respiration. the aim of this study was to evaluate respiratory volumes in a group of patients with chronic low back pain and to...

background: pulmonary rehabilitation is an evidence-based, multidisciplinary, comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who are symptomatic and whose daily living activities are often restricted. pulmonary rehabilitation programs are designed to improve the physical and emotional condition of people with chronic respiratory disease and to promote long-term adhere...

We wanted to investigate whether asthmatic subjects change their ventilatory pattern consistently when forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) has declined by at least 20% during bronchial histamine challenge, in order to assess whether respiratory pattern analysis can be used to monitor bronchial obstruction continuously. Histamine challenge was performed twice within a four week period,...

The general objectives of our research, presented in this series of papers, were to develop a computational model of the brain stem respiratory neural network and to explore possible neural mechanisms that provide the genesis of respiratory oscillations and the specific firing patterns of respiratory neurons. The present paper describes models of single respiratory neurons that have been used a...