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Chapter 9 - Spinal interneurons and breathing
Book chapter

Chapter 9 - Spinal interneurons and breathing

Margo L. Randelman, Lyandysha V. Zholudeva, Steven A. Crone and Michael A. Lane
Spinal Interneurons, pp 251-275
2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819260-3.00014-7

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disease Neuroplasticity Phrenic motor circuit Respiration Spinal cord injury Spinal interneurons
Often taken for granted, breathing is essential for the maintenance of life. However, the vast majority of spinal cord injuries occur at the cervical level, which can disrupt respiratory networks and compromise breathing. Similarly, the terminal stages of many neurodegenerative diseases involve compromised breathing. Yet there are very few treatment options for these individuals aside from assisted ventilation, which itself is often associated with life-threatening secondary complications. Understanding the neural networks that control breathing in the intact or compromised spinal cord will be essential to develop therapies that harness the body's neuroplastic potential and stimulate repair. Among the many spinal neurons that contribute to the control and modulation of breathing, spinal interneurons are increasingly recognized as key elements of respiration and plasticity, and as a viable therapeutic target for promoting recovery after injury or disease.

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