Mid-cervical spinal cord contusion causes robust deficits in respiratory parameters and pattern variability.

ABSTRACT: Mid-cervical spinal cord contusion disrupts both the pathways and motoneurons vital to the activity of inspiratory muscles. The present study was designed to determine if a rat contusion model could result in a measurable deficit to both ventilatory and respiratory motor function under "normal" breathing conditions at acute to chronic stages post trauma. Through whole body plethysmography and electromyography we assessed respiratory output from three days to twelve weeks after a cervical level 3 (C3) contusion. Contused animals showed significant deficits in both tidal and minute volumes which were sustained from acute to chronic time points. We also examined the degree to which the contusion injury impacted ventilatory pattern variability through assessment of Mutual Information and Sampl

SUBMITTER: Warren PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6333202 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature