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Population calcium imaging of spontaneous respiratory and novel motor activity in the facial nucleus and ventral brainstem in newborn mice
Author(s) -
Persson Karin,
Rekling Jens C.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.207225
Subject(s) - brainstem , calcium imaging , nucleus , neuroscience , population , calcium , respiratory system , medicine , anatomy , biology , environmental health
Non‐technical summary The brainstem contains neural circuits that control breathing. Groups of neurons produce the rhythm of inspiration and expiration, and other groups produce the motor output that controls respiratory muscles. One such group of neurons is the facial nucleus, which controls muscles in the face. Here we show, using electrical and calcium imaging techniques, that different subregions within the facial nucleus are particularly active during breathing, which suggest an involvement in keeping the airway open during inspiration. Furthermore, the experiments show that a novel rhythm generating circuit is present in the brainstem. These results may help us to a better understanding of how the brainstem controls breathing and other motor behaviours in the upper body.