Abstract
The external intercostals are primary respiratory muscles responsible for the maintenance of efficient respiration. Conscious animal load compensation; in particular external intercostal muscle responses to intrinsic, transient tracheal occlusions (ITTO) have not been reported. We hypothesized that ITTO in conscious rats will recruit the external intercostal muscle with increased activation. Adult male rats were instrumented with a tracheal occluder and bilateral EMG electrodes in the external intercostal muscle (EI‐EMG). After 5 days of surgical recovery, the rats received ITTO via cuff inflations for 3–8 sec separated by 10–15 sec of unoccluded breath, for a total trial time of 20 mins. The trial was divided into before, during, between and after ITTO. The EI muscle was recruited 86.3% of time during the ITTO with an increased activation of EI muscles; EMG amplitude during ITTO was 157.8% compared to before ITTO. Two distinct patterns of activation were observed. Large onset amplitude response followed by phasic activity was the predominant pattern. In some cases, gradual increases in EI‐EMG were observed with maximal activation towards the end of ITTO. These results show recruitment of EI muscle activity in response to increased respiratory loads. EI muscles play an important role in mediating chest wall respiratory load compensation responses to ITTO in conscious rats.
Published Version
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