Identification of human brain regions underlying responses to resistive inspiratory loading with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.92.14.6607
• Publication Date: 2006-05-31T13:14:14Z
• Authors: D Gozal; O Omidvar; K A Kirlew; G M Hathout; R Hamilton; R B Lufkin; R M Harper
• Keywords: Flip angle; Pons; Putamen

Compensatory ventilatory responses to increased inspiratory loading are essential for adequate breathing regulation in a number of pulmonary diseases; however, the human brain sites mediating such unknown. Midsagittal and axial images were acquired 11 healthy volunteers during unloaded loaded (30 cmH2O; 1 cmH2O = 98 Pa) breathing, by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) strategies (1.5-tesla MR; repetition time, 72 msec; echo 45 flip angle, 30 degrees; field view, 26 cm; slice thickness, 5 mm; excitations, 1; matrix, 128 x 256). Digital image subtractions region interest analyses revealed significantly fMRI signal intensity discrete areas ventral dorsal pons, interpeduncular nucleus, basal forebrain, putamen, cerebellar regions. Upon load withdrawal, certain regions displayed rapid off-transient, while others, slower decay emerged. Sustained elicited slow decreases across activated regions, second application an identical resulted smaller increases compared initial (P < 0.001). A moderate is associated with consistent regional activation locations; these have been implicated mediation animal models. We speculate that temporal changes may indicate respiratory after-discharge and/or habituation phenomena.