Figure 10.

Swallow-associated dorsolateral pontine neurons. Recordings from central vagus nerve (cVN), phrenic nerve (PN), and single unit activity in the dorsolateral pons were made using an in situ preparation of rat. Example traces for three experiments demonstrating dorsolateral pontine neurons involved with fictive breathing and swallowing are shown at baseline (left) and ∼30 s after perfusion of fentanyl (300 nM) (right). Dorsolateral pontine inspiratory (A), expiratory decrementing (B), and inspiratory/expiratory phase-spanning (IEPS, C) respiratory patterned neurons burst with spontaneous fictive swallows (orange highlight) at baseline. After fentanyl perfusion (300 nM), the IEPS neuron (C) ceases to fire. At the same time, the inspiratory neuron (A) and expiratory neuron (B) are still firing. Note in A, there is decreased firing of the inspiratory neuron during the swallow in fentanyl compared to the swallow at baseline.