Changes of the Function of Respiratory Oscillator Caused by Cross-Innervation Between Inspiratory Nerve and Flexor Nerve in Turtle

Abstract

We investigated the effects of a cross-innervation between the serratus nerve and the biceps nerve of turtles on the plasticity of respiratory oscillator in the central nervous system. Biceps muscle activity during locomotion, which was independent from respiratory activity before the cross-innervation, was once synchronized with the respiratory activity one week to one month after the cross-innervation, and then returned to be asynchronous to the respiratory activity.
These results suggest that the biceps muscle was once controlled in the rhythm generated in the respiratory oscillator, and then only the part of the respiratory oscillator which corresponds to the biceps muscle, was changed its function to generate a different rhythm from the respiratory rhythm, probably suitable for the locomotion.