Coordination of Sympathetic and Respiratory Systems: Neurophysiological Experiments

Many sympathetic neurons exhibit respiratory rhythmicity in their activity which is due to a central coupling between respiratory neurons and neurons of autonomic pathways. The presence or absence and the pattern of this respiratory modulation depend on the function of sympathetic neurons and on the way by which both systems are coupled. In the cat, neurons supplying resistance vessels such as muscle vasoconstrictor and visceral vasoconstrictor neurons are activated during inspiration and suppressed during postinspiration. In contrast, most cutaneous vasoconstrictor neurons show no respiratory modulation in their activity, some are inhibited during inspiration and activated during expiration, and others exhibit a weak peak during inspiration. Sudomotor neurons are preferentially active during postinspiration and "inspiratory-type" neurons only during inspiration. In addition to the central coupling between presympathetic and respiratory neurons, cardiovascular afferents, notably the arterial baroreceptors, contribute an important peripheral reflex component of respiratory modulation, but only in neurons of muscle and visceral vasoconstrictor pathways.