Work

Hypoxia‐induced phrenic long‐term facilitation: emergent properties

Year: 2013

Type: review

Abstract: As in other neural systems, plasticity is a hallmark of the neural system controlling breathing. One spinal mechanism of respiratory plasticity is phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF) following acute intermittent hypoxia. Although cellular mechanisms giving rise to pLTF occur within the phrenic motor nucleus, different signaling cascades elicit pLTF under different conditions. These cascades, referred to as Q and S pathways to phrenic motor facilitation (pMF), interact via cross-talk inhibition. Whereas the Q pathway dominates pLTF after mild to moderate hypoxic episodes, the S pathway dominates after severe hypoxic episodes. The biological significance of multiple pathways to pMF is unknown. This review will discuss the possibility that interactions between pathways confer emergent properties to pLTF, including pattern sensitivity and metaplasticity. Understanding these mechanisms and their interactions may enable us to optimize intermittent hypoxia-induced plasticity as a treatment for patients that suffer from ventilatory impairment or other motor deficits.

Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12085

Authors: Michael J. Devinney, Adrianne G. Huxtable, Nicole L. Nichols, Gordon S. Mitchell

Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience of respiration and sleep

Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Francis Family Foundation, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences