Extended Data Figure 6: Blocking muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors does not abolish the PiCo rhythm.
From: A novel excitatory network for the control of breathing
a, Raw population bursts from PiCo and contralateral preBötC with the progressive addition of 1 μM mecamylamine (nicotinic receptor antagonist), 10 μM atropine (muscarinic receptor antagonist), and 4 μM norepinephrine. b, The left two graphs show n = 5 experiments in which atropine was applied first, and the right graphs illustrate n = 3 experiments in which mecamylamine was applied first. Blockade of muscarinic receptors results in a larger decrease in PiCo burst frequency than blocking nicotinic receptors, while preBötC frequency does not change significantly (top graphs). Blockade of muscarinic receptors increases the amplitude of PiCo bursts (bottom graphs). The PiCo rhythm persists after concurrent blockade of both types of acetylcholine receptors, and PiCo burst frequency rebounds to near baseline levels when an additional 2 μM norepinephrine is applied (total 4 μM norepinephrine; top graphs; mean ± s.e.m.). Two-way ANOVA followed by a Bonferroni post-hoc test. **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05 comparing preBötC to PiCo, ϕP < 0.05 compared to baseline (2 μM norepinephrine).
