2024年7月8日，美国密歇根大学李鹏研究小组在《自然—神经科学》杂志发表论文，报道了小鼠咳嗽样防御行为的迷走-脑干内感受回路。

该课题组发现小鼠孤束核(NTS)包含异质神经元类群，这些神经元群体对呼吸有不同的调控作用。在这些亚型中，表达速激肽1 (tachykinin 1, Tac1)神经元的激活会触发特定的呼吸行为，正如详细特征所揭示的那样，这些呼吸行为是咳嗽样行为。化学遗传沉默或基因清除Tac1神经元可抑制大剂量刺激诱导的咳嗽样行为。

这些Tac1神经元接受迷走神经节中支气管肺化学感觉神经元和机械感觉神经元的突触输入，并协调髓质区域来控制咳嗽样防御行为的不同方面。该研究组提出孤束核中的这些Tac1神经元，是控制小鼠咳嗽样防御行为的气道-迷走-脑神经回路的关键组成部分，并且它们协调下游模块回路以引发强呼气反应的顺序运动模式。

据了解，咳嗽是一种呼吸行为，对保护呼吸系统起着至关重要的作用。

附：英文原文

Title: A vagal–brainstem interoceptive circuit for cough-like defensive behaviors in mice

Author: Gannot, Noam, Li, Xingyu, Phillips, Chrystian D., Ozel, Ayse Bilge, Uchima Koecklin, Karin Harumi, Lloyd, John P., Zhang, Lusi, Emery, Katie, Stern, Tomer, Li, Jun Z., Li, Peng

Issue&Volume: 2024-07-08

Abstract: Coughing is a respiratory behavior that plays a crucial role in protecting the respiratory system. Here we show that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in mice contains heterogenous neuronal populations that differentially control breathing. Within these subtypes, activation of tachykinin 1 (Tac1)-expressing neurons triggers specific respiratory behaviors that, as revealed by our detailed characterization, are cough-like behaviors. Chemogenetic silencing or genetic ablation of Tac1 neurons inhibits cough-like behaviors induced by tussive challenges. These Tac1 neurons receive synaptic inputs from the bronchopulmonary chemosensory and mechanosensory neurons in the vagal ganglion and coordinate medullary regions to control distinct aspects of cough-like defensive behaviors. We propose that these Tac1 neurons in the NTS are a key component of the airway–vagal–brain neural circuit that controls cough-like defensive behaviors in mice and that they coordinate the downstream modular circuits to elicit the sequential motor pattern of forceful expiratory responses.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01712-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01712-5