Title:Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Perspectives on Respiratory Control: Understanding Congenital and Developmental Disorders
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Author(s): Greta Amore, Maria Grella*, Arianna Currò, Maria Pia Lizio and Gabriella Di Rosa
Affiliation:
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age,
"Gaetano Barresi" University of Messina, 98124, Messina, Italy
Keywords:
Brainstem, breathing, cerebellum, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, respiratory control and modulation, rhytmogenesis, respiratory central pattern generator.
Abstract: Breathing is an automatic process generated by the central nervous system, crucial for
the homeostasis of several body processes. This vital process is underpinned by an intricate network
in which distinct functional and anatomical factors and structures play a role. Transcription
factors (i.e., PHOX2B and Pbx proteins), as well as neuromodulators (i.e., serotonin, noradrenaline,
GABA, and glycine), have been demonstrated as implicated in the regulation of breathing.
Besides, the several intertwined excitatory and inhibitory brainstem neural circuits comprising the
so-called central pattern generator (CPG) have recently demonstrated a potential role of cerebellar
structures and circuits in coordinating the complex and coordinated respiratory act in eupnea. A
disruption affecting one of these components, which may also occur on a genetic basis, may indeed
result in complex and heterogeneous disorders, including neurodevelopmental ones (such as
Rett and Prader-Willi syndrome), which may also present with neuropsychiatric and breathing
manifestations and potentially lead to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Herein, we discuss
the main factors and systems involved in respiratory control and modulation, outlining some of
the associated neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) deriving from an impairment in their expression/
function. Further studies are needed to deepen our knowledge of the complexity underpinning
“breathing” and the relation between respiratory implications and congenital and developmental
disorders.