Key result
Peripheral vestibular lesions in awake cats significantly increased spontaneous diaphragm and rectus abdominis discharges by approximately 170%.
Why the study?
Does the vestibular system regulate respiratory muscle discharges during postural changes in awake cats?
Does the vestibular system regulate respiratory muscle discharges during postural changes in awake cats?
The vestibular system provides tonic inhibitory influences on rectus abdominis and the diaphragm and contributes to eliciting increases in abdominal muscle activity during some changes in body orientation in cats.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Animal data suggest vestibular tonic inhibition of respiratory muscles; leaves open translational relevance to human postural or clinical respiratory control.
Changes in posture can affect the resting length of the diaphragm, requiring alterations in the activity of both the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm to maintain stable ventilation. To determine the role of the vestibular system in regulating respiratory muscle discharges during postural changes, spontaneous diaphragm and rectus abdominis activity and modulation of the firing of these muscles during nose-up and ear-down tilt were compared before and after removal of labyrinthine inputs in awake cats. In vestibular-intact animals, nose-up and ear-down tilts from the prone position altered rectus abdominis firing, whereas the effects of body rotation on diaphragm activity were not statistically significant. After peripheral vestibular lesions, spontaneous diaphragm and rectus abdominis discharges increased significantly (by approximately 170%), and augmentation of rectus abdominis activity during nose-up body rotation was diminished. However, spontaneous muscle activity and responses to tilt began to recover after a few days after the lesions, presumably because of plasticity in the central vestibular system. These data suggest that the vestibular system provides tonic inhibitory influences on rectus abdominis and the diaphragm and in addition contributes to eliciting increases in abdominal muscle activity during some changes in body orientation.
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Cotter et al. (2001) studied this question. Peripheral vestibular lesions vs. Vestibular-intact state (before lesions) was evaluated on Spontaneous diaphragm and rectus abdominis activity and modulation during tilt. Peripheral vestibular lesions in awake cats significantly increased spontaneous diaphragm and rectus abdominis discharges by approximately 170%.
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