부산대학교 도서관

Organized neuronal activity underlies brain functioning. Bothinformation processing and transmission between cortical structuresoccur due to synchronized neuronal activity. In the awake state,one of the mechanisms contributing to integration and synchronizationof cortical activity between functionally linked parts of the centralnervous system is sensory input. The state of deep anesthesia ordeep sleep is also characterized by the presence of organized neuralactivity—slow oscillations (SO). However, under these states, thecentral nervous system is considered to be sensory deprived. WhileSOs have a high level of synchronization between different corticalareas, little is known about the mechanisms that coordinate MOsduring sleep or anesthesia. Using methods of electrophysiologicalrecording of neocortex activity in a in vivo model, we show that duringdeep anesthesia, SOs in different parts of the neocortex are synchronizedby breathing. Despite the different frequencies of SOs and breathing,we found a phase-lock of episodes of cortical activity to breathing.The highest probability of periods of cortical activity is observed duringthe exhalation phase of the anesthetized animal, while the inhalationis accompanied by a decrease in cortical activity. Our results,show that breath plays the role of a driver of the rhythm of corticalactivity at a time when the neocortex is restricted in receive ofan external synchronizing stimulus.