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Session Schedule

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0:00:00
Introduction

0:01:23
Neural circuitry mediating arousal during sleep apnea and airways motor control during REM sleep
Elda Arrigoni (United States)

0:24:12
The recruitment of abdominal muscles stabilizes the respiratory pattern during REM sleep in newborns and adult rats
Silvia Pagliardini (Canada)

0:45:40
Genetic mouse models of obstructive sleep apnea and chemogenetic modulation of tongue contraction during sleep
Stefano Bastianini (Italy)

1:01:00
Mechanisms of hypoglossal motor control reveal therapeutic targets for obstructive sleep apnea
Richard Horner (Canada)


Summary

Breathing requires the synchronization of a complex motor program to control gas exchange and adequately respond to various physiological and environmental conditions. Breathing is most vulnerable to apneas and other disturbances during sleep in both humans and rodents, especially in the newborn period. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing in developed countries. OSA patients experience repeated cycles of upper airway collapse during sleep, leading to apneas (with consequent hypercapnia and hypoxia), followed by arousals that restore airway patency. This cycle repeats multiple times throughout the night. While these arousals are typically brief, they are lifesaving in the short term, but the result is severe chronic sleep fragmentation. OSA patients are unable to enter deeper stages of sleep, leading to daytime sleepiness and, in the long term, an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Rodents are the species of choice for accelerating the understanding of integrative functions, such as breathing during sleep, as they can be used to advance the discovery of neuronal circuits and neurotransmitters that control breathing rhythms and pattern of inspiratory and expiratory muscles across wake-sleep states. Moreover, rodents have been proven fundamental in developing and testing new therapies for sleep breathing disorders.
This symposium aims at highlighting the latest finding on rodent sleep breathing control and to provide an updated view on innovative genetic approaches to prevent OSA.
The first speaker (Dr. Elda Arrigoni, USA) will present her work on the neural circuitry responsible for the arousals during sleep apnea. Particularly, she will focus on the role of the parabrachial nucleus in hypercarbia and hypoxia mediated arousals (PMID: 29103805).
The second speaker (Dr. Silvia Pagliardini, CAN) will present data on the role of abdominal muscles in stabilizing the breathing pattern during REM sleep in newborn (PMID: 29294135) and adult rats (PMID: 26338455). She will also focus on chemogenetic experiments modulating the neuronal network controlling abdominal activity during REM sleep (PMID: 31747042).
The third speaker (Dr. Stefano Bastianini, ITA) will discuss validated genetic mouse models of OSA (Down Syndrome models and CDKL5 deficient mice; PMID: 34509609 and 39049436) and he will provide data on new chemogenetic approaches to modulate tongue contraction to prevent OSA.
Finally, the fourth speaker (Dr. Richard L Horner, CAN) will present data on optical and pharmacological manipulation of the hypoglossal motor nucleus and its pre-motor inputs to identify mechanisms of control relevant to OSA pharmacotherapy (PMID: 31953471 and 37516800).
The present session combines consolidated researchers (2M and 2F) in the field of respiratory control in sleep and sleep disordered breathing from 4 prestigious Institutions set in 3 different countries (and 2 different Continents). This precious heterogeneity will ensure to mix different knowledges and point of views on the study of respiratory control during sleep in adults and newborns rodents, and at the same time will provide updated information on mouse models of OSA and on the most recent genetic approaches to prevent this condition.