Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to demonstrate the brain activation during volitional control of breathing in nine healthy human subjects. This type of breathing was induced by acoustic stimuli dictating the respiratory frequency. During the period of dictated breathing not only the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, but also the parietal lobes were bilaterally activated. The frontal lobe was activated bilaterally in all subjects, with frequent activation of Brodmann areas 4 and 6. In the parietal lobe, activation could mostly be demonstrated in gyrus postcentralis and the same was true for area 22 in the temporal lobe., V. Šmejkal, R. Druga, J. Tintěra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to demonstrate the brain activation during transition from unconscious to conscious breathing in seven healthy human subjects. In right-handed volunteers, the activated areas were found in both hemispheres. The medial part of the precentral gyrus (area 4) was constantly activated in the left hemisphere. Additional activated areas were demonstrated in the premotor cortex and in the posterior parietal cortex. The activated cortical sites exhibited analogous distribution in the right hemisphere. In two out of the seven subjects, activated sites were also observed in the cerebellar hemispheres, and in the lentiform and caudate nuclei., V. Šmejkal, R. Druga, J. Tintěra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The involvement of the intermediate area and Botzinger complex (BOT) of the rostral ventral respiratory group (r-VRG) in laryngeal control and generation of the expiration reflex were studied in anaesthetized non-paralyzed cats. Focal cooling (to 20 °C) of the nucleus paraambigualis (NPA) caused changes in the frequency and timing of breathing with the concomitant rise in laryngeal resistance. Cooling of the nucleus ambiguus resulted in a consistent drop in laryngeal resistance. Alterations in timing and intensity of breathing but no changes in laryngeal patency were found during cooling of the BOT. The expiration reflex was inhibited by cooling of either the NPA or BOT. The role of these medullary regions in the control of laryngeal patency and central integration of the expiration reflex is discussed.