Millhorn D E, Eldridge F L
J Appl Physiol (1985). 1986 Oct;61(4):1249-63. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1986.61.4.1249.
It is now widely accepted that the ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata (VLM) plays an important role in regulation of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The VLM has been implicated as being involved in a number of different physiological functions, including central chemoreception, integration of afferent inputs from certain sense organs to the respiratory and cardiovascular controllers, the source of excitatory input to preganglionic sympathetic neurons in the spinal cord, and location of synaptic relay between the higher brain defense areas and spinal cord sympathetic elements. In recent years there have been a number of important findings concerning both the anatomical substrate and neurophysiological characteristics of VLM neurons involved in regulation of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. New anatomical findings show that neuronal networks located in the VLM send projections to and receive projections from brain stem nuclei that have traditionally been associated with respiratory and cardiovascular regulation. Nevertheless, there are still many important questions concerning the role of the VLM in control of these vital systems that have yet to be answered. For instance, are the same VLM neurons involved in control of both systems? Is the VLM the only site for central respiratory chemoreception? This review will endeavor to examine new findings and to reexamine some older findings concerning the VLM.
目前人们普遍认为，延髓腹外侧区（VLM）在呼吸和心血管系统的调节中起着重要作用。VLM被认为参与了许多不同的生理功能，包括中枢化学感受、某些感觉器官的传入输入与呼吸和心血管控制中枢的整合、脊髓节前交感神经元兴奋性输入的来源，以及高等脑防御区域与脊髓交感神经成分之间突触中继的位置。近年来，关于参与呼吸和心血管系统调节的VLM神经元的解剖学基础和神经生理学特征有了许多重要发现。新的解剖学发现表明，位于VLM的神经元网络向传统上与呼吸和心血管调节相关的脑干核发送投射并接收其投射。然而，关于VLM在这些重要系统控制中的作用仍有许多重要问题尚未得到解答。例如，控制这两个系统的是否是相同的VLM神经元？VLM是中枢呼吸化学感受的唯一部位吗？本综述将努力研究有关VLM的新发现并重新审视一些旧发现。
