Parabiosis and the Dominant (Digitized & Corrected Edition of the 1927 Classic)

In his seminal 1927 treatise Parabiosis and the Dominant, Aleksei A. Ukhtomsky delineates the neurophysiological doctrine of the dominant focus (dominanta) as a temporarily preeminent constellation of central excitation that directs the vector of an organism’s integrated behavior. Building upon N. E. Vvedensky’s theory of parabiosis, subthreshold summation, and the functional phase of exaltation, Ukhtomsky establishes that a physiological organ is not a static anatomical entity, but rather a dynamic, space-time constellation of forces and rhythms. The paper provides an exhaustive analysis of the mechanisms governing conjugate reciprocal inhibition of competing reflex arcs, the redirection of extraneous afferent impulses toward reinforcing the dominant center, and the intrinsic pathways underlying its physiological resolution or inhibitory dissolution. Core theoretical and experimental concepts of the work: Vvedensky’s tetanized single-twitch experiment as the archetype of the dominant: demonstrating how a passing solitary nerve impulse exalts and translates latent, subminimal local rhythmic excitations into an overt coordinated response. The functional paradigm of a physiological organ: moving beyond rigid morphological determinism by defining an organ as a dynamic, constellation-based synthesis of neural centers united by a common action vector. Four principal criteria of the dominant state: sustained elevated excitability, a pronounced capacity for the summation of heterogeneous subthreshold impulses, stationary temporal persistence of excitation, and prolonged post-excitation inertia. Conjugate inhibition and behavioral vectoring: the dominant center systematically coordinates organismic reactions by inhibiting competing neural pathways and utilizing extraneous afferentation for its own reinforcement. Synthesis of three coordination principles (von Uexküll — Dominant — Hering–Breuer): neural coordination is framed as a continuous phase-dynamic curve of excitation, spanning the redirection of weak baseline impulses (von Uexküll), dominant amplification across functional trajectories, and critical threshold reversal at the culmination peak (Hering–Breuer). Integration with the Theory of the Buteyko Breathing Method (DVBM): Ukhtomsky’s dominant theory provides a critical neurophysiological foundation for the Volitional Elimination of Deep Breathing (VEDB / Buteyko Method). Chronic hyperventilation establishes a persistent, pathological dominant focus within the respiratory network and reticular formation, which continuously assimilates interoceptive and exteroceptive stress triggers. The practice of the Buteyko method constitutes the deliberate cultivation of a new, competitive cortico-visceral dominant—a functional focus of somatic relaxation and carbon dioxide homeostasis. According to the laws of reciprocal conjugate inhibition, reinforcing this new dominant breathing pattern induces the functional dissolution of the inert hyperventilation center, restores neural lability, and systematically stabilizes autonomic tone.