Variations in membrane potential trajectory of post-inspiratory neurons in the ventrolateral medulla of the cat.

In decerebrate cats, intracellular recordings were made in 124 expiratory neurons displaying either a plateau-phase of depolarization during post-inspiration or a steadily decrementing depolarization throughout expiration. Both groups consisted of vagal motoneurons and non-antidromically activated neurons. Five neurons were antidromically activated by both vagal and spinal cord stimuli. The pattern in membrane potential was changed from one type to another either spontaneously or experimentally. The present results suggest that the variable appearance of the membrane potential trajectory does not represent the different functional category of bulbar post-inspiratory neurons.