Neural adaptive mechanisms in respiratory regulation : theory and experiments

The respiratory regulatory system is an example of a complex biological control system. The principle goal of the regulator is to preserve the chemical balance of 02, CO2 and pH in the body. Although much is known about the visceral aspects of the respiratory control system, such as lung anatomy, gas exchange, and the mechanics of breathing, considerably less is understood about the neural centers in the brainstem that give rise to known varied respiratory responses. A more complete understanding of respiratory regulation necessitates better knowledge of these underling brain mechanisms. While the task of breathing may seem straightforward, the respiratory system faces many challenges that threaten to perturb homeostasis. It has been shown that the respiratory system adapts itself to better meet changing conditions, for example to meet the stresses of high altitude or increased airway resistance. The question remains then: what neural processes in the brainstem controller participate to engender such sophisticated autonomic regulation? The primary aim of this thesis was to uncover and characterize the central adaptive mechanisms involved in modulating respiratory output. A series of in-vivo animal studies is presented that were designed to elucidate the organizational and functional principles of neural adaptation intrinsic to the respiratory control centers. In these open-loop experimental studies, afferent feedback from vagal slowly-adapting receptors and/or carotid chemoreceptors was electrically activated.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Young, Daniel Laurence

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Chi-Sang Poon.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29923

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/29923