Respiratory motor responses to cranial nerve efferent stimulation in rats

The respiratory motor responses of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) and the pharyngeal branch of vagus (X) were analyzed in rats and cats during short latency excitations by SLN stimulation. The rats and cats exhibited different qualitative reflex responses during the stimulation of X and SLN due to the paucity of the bulbospinal respiratory neurons of the rats. Furthermore, the cats exhibited dysinaptic excitation in response to SLN stimulation in the contralateral phrenic nerve which is not present in rats.