Breathing occurs without thought but is controlled by a complex neural network with a final
output of phrenic motor neurons activating diaphragm muscle fibers (ie, motor units). This …

The risk for respiratory complications and infections is substantially increased in old age,
which may be due, in part, to sarcopenia (aging-related weakness and atrophy) of the …

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is an essential part of modern intensive care medicine. MV is
performed in patients with severe respiratory failure caused by respiratory muscle …

There exists an abundance of barriers that hinder functional recovery following spinal cord
injury, especially at chronic stages. Here, we examine the rescue of breathing up to 1.5 …

Pompe disease is an inherited neuromuscular disease caused by deficiency of lysosomal
acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) leading to glycogen accumulation in muscle and …

Inspiratory function is essential for alveolar ventilation and expulsive behaviors that promote
airway clearance (eg, coughing and sneezing). Current evidence demonstrates that …

Striated respiratory muscles are necessary for lung ventilation and to maintain the patency of
the upper airway. The basic structural and functional properties of respiratory muscles are …

AC 2 cervical spinal cord hemisection (SH) interrupts descending inspiratory-related drive to
phrenic motoneurons located between C 3 and C 5 in rats, paralyzing the ipsilateral …

Symmorphosis is a concept of economy of biological design, whereby structural properties
are matched to functional demands. According to symmorphosis, biological structures are …

The mammalian neuromuscular junction (NMJ) comprises a presynaptic terminal, a
postsynaptic receptor region on the muscle fiber (endplate), and the perisynaptic (terminal) …