Upregulation of breathing rate during running exercise by central locomotor circuits in mice.

ABSTRACT: While respiratory adaptation to exercise is compulsory to cope with the increased metabolic demand, the neural signals at stake remain poorly identified. Using neural circuit tracing and activity interference strategies in mice, we uncover here two systems by which the central locomotor network can enable respiratory augmentation in relation to running activity. One originates in the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), a conserved locomotor controller. Through direct projections onto the neurons of the preBötzinger complex that generate the inspiratory rhythm, the MLR can trigger a moderate increase of respiratory frequency, prior to, or even in the absence of, locomotion. The other is the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord containing the hindlimb motor circuits. When activated, and t

SUBMITTER: Herent C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10203288 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature