Desensitization of the cough reflex during limb muscle contraction in anesthetized rabbits

Mathias Poussel (1) , Gilles Bosser (1) , Silvia Varechova (1) , Bruno Demoulin (1) , Bernard Chalon (1) , Odile Ruckebusch (1) , Angelica Cepuc Tiotiu (1) , Pierre Renaud (1) , Cyril Schweitzer (1) , Bruno Chenuel (1)

1 DevAH - Développement, Adaptation et Handicap. Régulations cardio-respiratoires et de la motricité

The 'cough network' exhibits plasticity at the sensor and integration levels leading to modulation of the strength or pattern of the cough reflex. Little is known about the interactions between cough and human activities, especially during exercise. The present study was designed to determine whether exercise, mimicked by electrically induced muscle contractions, can modify the incidence and/or strength of cough following mechanical stimulation of the trachea in anesthetized rabbits. Thirteen anesthetized, tracheotomized rabbits were studied by a total of 311 tracheal stimulations: 196 at rest and 115 during exercise. During muscle contractions, the incidence of the cough reflex (CR) decreased and the expiration reflex (ER) increased (p < 0.0001). The sensitivity of the CR and ER both decreased during exercise compared to the sensitivity of the CR at rest (p < 0.02), while the strength of the expulsive response remained unchanged. These results indicate that adjustments occurring during muscle contractions likely downregulate tracheal defensive reflexes in anesthetized rabbits.

Mots clés: Rabbit; Cough; Expiration reflex; Mechanical stimulation; Muscle contraction

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

Mathias Poussel, Gilles Bosser, Silvia Varechova, Bruno Demoulin, Bernard Chalon, et al.. Desensitization of the cough reflex during limb muscle contraction in anesthetized rabbits. Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2014, 27 (1), pp.96 - 101. ⟨10.1016/j.pupt.2013.07.005⟩. ⟨hal-01710700⟩