Breathing arises from the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) and adjacent regions of the ventral respiratory column, where intrinsic biophysical properties generate the rhythmic activity essential for life. This core rhythm is continuously shaped by reflexive feedback to maintain homeostasis. Yet breathing is not purely automatic. It must adapt to behavioral and emotional demands—such as exploration, fear, or pain—that temporarily override homeostatic control. Opioids further complicate this balance by acting on distinct components of these homeostatic and non-homeostatic circuits, producing respiratory depression that varies with state and context. Our lab investigates how these layers of control interact to shape breathing under normal and pathological conditions. We combine computational modeling, viral circuit mapping and manipulation, and electrophysiological recording to uncover the cellular, synaptic, and systems-level mechanisms at play. Recent and ongoing work includes: 1) demonstrating how dynamic changes in spike shape tune the interdependent cellular and network properties that generate preBötC rhythm; 2) identifying parabrachial neurons that are selectively engaged to drive rapid breathing in awake animals; 3) defining the neurotransmitter phenotype and opioid sensitivity of brain-wide inputs to the preBötC; and 4) uncovering the cells and circuits that mediate endogenous opioid signaling and their influence on respiratory control. Together, these efforts aim to build a cohesive framework for how breathing is generated, modulated, and disrupted across physiological and behavioral states. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
Nathan Baertsch (Fri,) studied this question.