Neural Control of the Respiratory Muscles

Book excerpt: First published in 1997. The respiratory muscles are multifunctional muscles involved in other behaviors besides breathing -- from the protection of the upper airway to cognitive functions such as speech or singing. Neural Control of the Respiratory Muscles presents an overall consideration of how these muscles are regulated by the central nervous system in normal as well as in pathological situations. A group of 40 internationally recognized scientists and clinicians have collaborated to discuss current findings in the field and to identify areas of future development such as o The anatomical and functional organization of the respiratory muscles and the mechanics of the chest wall o Respiratory muscle control by the central nervous system during normal breathing and during disease states o Respiration during sleep, exercise, and locomotion o Respiratory muscle contribution to non-respiratory behaviors; interaction of the central pattern generator for respiration with other central pattern generators o Multifunctional nature of respiratory muscles and respiratory neurons of the central nervous system Although other texts exist that examine the control of breathing and other specialized topics considered in this volume, Neural Control of the Respiratory Muscles is the first major single-volume publication that takes a broad view of muscle control during non-respiratory behaviors and the coordination of respiration with non-respiratory behaviors.