Modeling Neural Control of Breathing

   Modeling the brainstem respiratory network

Collaborators:

Julian F. R. Paton
Univ. of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Jeffrey C. Smith
HINDS, NIH, Bethesda, MD

Walter St.-John
Dartmouth Med. Sch.,
Lebanon, NH

Thomas E. Dick
Case Western Univ. Cleveland, OH

Mathias Dutschmann
Univ. of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

Olivier Pierrefiche University of Amiens,
Amiens, France

Schematic of the model of ponto-medullary respiratory network. Each sphere represents a population of 50 neurons (HH type). Red and blue spheres are excitatory and inhibitory populations respectively. Populations of phrenic and hypoglossal motoneurons and P-cells (all grey) are not present in this model. Red arrows and small blue circles represent excitatory and inhibitory synapses respectively. Additional arrows at the circles indicate external excitatory tonic drive to populations.

Performance of the model. Only membrane potential trajectories of one neuron per population are shown (each population consisted of 50 neurons). A: “Eupnea” – performance of the intact network. B: “Vagotomy” – the vagal feedback in the model is disconnected. C: “Apneusis” produced by removal of rPons. D: Complete removal of the pons produces a switch to generation of pacemaker-driven, in vitro-like rhythm.

Related Publications:

Rybak, I. A., Paton, J. F. R., Rogers, R. F., and St. John, W. M. (2002) Generation of the respiratory rhythm: state-dependency and switching. Neurocomputing 44-46: 603-612.

St.-John, W. M., Rybak, I. A., and Paton, J. F. R. (2002) Potential switch from eupnea to fictive gasping after blockade of inhibitory transmission and potassium channels. Am. J. Physiol. (Regul Integr Comp Physiol) 283: R721-R731.

Rybak, I. A., Shevtsova, N. A., St.-John, W. M., Paton, J. F.R., and Pierrefiche, O. (2003) Endogenous rhythm generation in the pre-Bötzinger complex and ionic currents: Modelling and in vitro studies. Eur. J. Neurosci. 18: 239-257.

Rybak, I. A., Shevtsova, N. A., Paton, J. F. R., Dick, T. E., St-John, W. M., Mörschel, M., and Dutschmann, M. (2004) Modeling the ponto-medullary respiratory network. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 143: 307-319.

Potts, J. T., Rybak, I. A., and Paton, J. F. R. (2005) Respiratory rhythm entrainment by somatic afferent stimulation. J. Neurosci. 25: 1965-1978.

Rybak, I. A., Abdala, A. P. L., Markin, S. N., Paton, J. F. R., and Smith, J. C. (2007) Spatial organization and state-dependent mechanisms for respiratory rhythm and pattern generation. Prog. Brain Res. 165: 201-220.

Smith, J. C., Abdala, A. P. L., Koizumi, H., Rybak, I. A., and Paton, J. F. R. (2007) Spatial and functional architecture of the mammalian brainstem respiratory network: a hierarchy of three oscillatory mechanisms. J. Neurophysiol. 98: 3370-3387.

Rybak, I. A., and Smith, J. C. (2008) Computational modeling of the respiratory network. In Encyclopedia of Neuroscience (Eds. Binder MD, Hirokawa N, Windhorst U, Hirsch MC et al.). Springer-Verlag (in press).