Received July 18, 2007
Revised September 12, 2007
Accepted after revision January 18, 2008
Concomitant responses of upper airway stabilizing muscles
to transcranial magnetic stimulation in normal humans
Frédéric Sériès 1*,
Wei Wang 2,
Christian Mélot 3,
Thomas Similowski 4
1 Laval Hospital
2 1st Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shen Yang City, Liao Ning Province, China.
3 Hopital Universitaire Erasme
4 Universite Paris 6 Pierre et Marie Curie
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: frederic.series{at}med.ulaval.ca.
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Abstract |
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Upper airway stabilizing muscles play a crucial role in the maintenance of UA patency. Transcranial magnetic stimulation allows the investigation of respiratory muscles' corticomotor activation process. This technique has also been used to evaluate the genioglossus corticomotor response. The aims of this study were to characterize the response of different upper airway stabilizing muscles to focal cortical stimulation of the genioglossus.
Alae nasi, genioglossus, levator palatini, palatoglossus and diaphragm motor evoked potential responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded during expiration, tidal inspiration and deep inspiration in 9 normal awake subjects.
A concomitant response of the four studied upper airway muscles was observed in the majority of cortical stimuli. The response of these muscles was independent of the diaphragmatic one that was only occasionally observed. Significant positive relationships were found between alae nasi, levator palatini and palatoglossus motor evoked potential latencies and amplitudes and the corresponding values of the genioglossus.
We conclude that transcranial magnetic stimulation applied in the genioglossus area induces a concomitant motor response of upper airway stabilizing muscles with consistent changes in their motor responses during inspiratory maneuvers.
Key Words:
Muscle, Respiration, Transcranial stimulation
