Do canine scalene and sternomastoid muscles play a role in breathing?

To assess the respiratory function of the scalene and sternomastoid muscles in the dog, we studied the effect of graded increases in inspiratory airflow resistance and single-breath airway occlusion on the electrical activity of these muscles in 18 supine anesthetized spontaneously breathing animals. The sternomastoids never showed any activity, and the scalenes showed some inspiratory activity during occlusion in only two animals. The adoption of the prone position and bilateral cervical vagotomy did not affect this pattern. Hypercapnia also did not elicit any sternomastoid activity and induced scalene inspiratory activity during occlusion in only four of nine animals. On microscopic examination, however, both muscles were found to contain large numbers of spindles, suggesting that they have the capacity to respond to stretch. In addition, with increases in inspiratory resistance, both the sternum and ribs were displaced in the caudal direction. As a result, the scalenes demonstrated a gradual inspiratory lengthening and the normal inspiratory lengthening of the sternomastoids was accentuated. Additional studies in three unanesthetized animals showed consistent activity in the scalene and sternomastoid muscles during movements of the trunk and neck but no activity during breathing, including occluded breathing. These observations thus indicate that the alpha-motoneurons of the scalene and sternomastoid muscles in the dog have very small central respiratory drive potentials with respect to their critical firing threshold. In this animal, these muscles do not have a significant respiratory function.