CSB346H1 Lecture 8: CSB346 Study Notes Lecture #8
Document Summary
During quiet wakefulness, breathing is relatively regular and metabolically regulated; this pattern may vary greatly at times when respiratory muscles are used for other behaviours (eg. speech, swallowing) During nrem sleep (slow-wave sleep), breathing becomes deeper and very regular, and petco2 increases slightly. During rem sleep, respiratory rate and depth vary greatly from breath to breath, there are brief suppressions of respiratory activity driven by phasic non-respiratory events characteristic of rem sleep, and overall ventilation may be dissociated from metabolism. During nrem sleep, breathing is slow and deep compared to wakefulness levels. Breathing patterns during stable nrem sleep are remarkably constant. Sleep has major effects on the activity of respiratory neurons in the vrg. This may explain the changes in breathing pattern during sleep. Right is an example of how sleep affects the activity of an individual inspiratory neuron in the vrg of a cat. This neuron discharges vigorously in wakefulness but stops in sleep.