Modeling insights into potential mechanisms of opioid-induced respiratory depression within medullary and pontine networks
A joint neural-biomechanical model that incorporates multiple regions of the brainstem respiratory group was used to test the hypothesis that decreasing synaptic conductances of medullary and pontine neurons produces opioid-mediated respiratory breathing patterns. Simulated results broadly agree with elements of previously reported in vivo data. Furthermore, the behavior of oscillatory elements on the breathing rhythm was significantly changed by incorporation into the larger neural network, supporting the value of decomposing large-scale network models.
Authors
- Varvara Folimonova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7208-5328)
- Wendy L. Olsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7607-8096)
- John A. Hayes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2849-7672)
- Donald C. Bolser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4577-8954)
- Dale Shuman
- Kendall F. Morris
- Thomas Tavera
Institutions
- University of South Florida (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Appalachian State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Neurophysiology
- Published
- 2026-04-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00530.2025
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida Health