QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Deban, S. M. Articles by Carrier, D. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Deban, S. M. Articles by Carrier, D. R.

The Journal of Experimental Biology 205, 1953-1967 (2002)
© 2002 The Company of Biologists Limited

Hypaxial muscle activity during running and breathing in dogs

Stephen M. Deban^* and David R. Carrier

Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

^* e-mail: deban{at}mac.com

Accepted 16 April 2002

The axial muscles of terrestrial vertebrates serve two potentially conflicting functions, locomotion and lung ventilation. To differentiate the locomotor and ventilatory functions of the hypaxial muscles in mammals, we examined the locomotor and ventilatory activity of the trunk muscles of trotting dogs under two conditions: when the ventilatory cycle and the locomotor cycle were coupled and when they were uncoupled. Patterns of muscle-activity entrainment with locomotor and ventilatory events revealed (i) that the internal and external abdominal oblique muscles performed primarily locomotor functions during running yet their activity was entrained to expiration when the dogs were standing, (ii) that the internal and external intercostal, external oblique thoracic and transversus abdominis muscles performed both locomotor and respiratory functions simultaneously, (iii) that the parasternal internal intercostal muscle performed a primarily respiratory function (inspiration) and (iv) that the deep pectoralis and longissimus dorsi muscles performed only locomotor functions and were not active while the dogs were standing still. We conclude that the dual function of many hypaxial muscles may produce functional conflicts during running. The redundancy and complexity of the respiratory musculature as well as the particular pattern of respiratory—locomotor coupling in quadrupedal mammals may circumvent these conflicts or minimize their impact on respiration.

Key words: hypaxial muscle, ventilation, locomotion, locomotor—respiratory coupling, mammal, dog, Canis familiaris

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. R. Carrier, S. M. Deban, and T. Fischbein Locomotor function of forelimb protractor and retractor muscles of dogs: evidence of strut-like behavior at the shoulder J. Exp. Biol., January 1, 2008; 211(1): 150 - 162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. R. Carrier, S. M. Deban, and T. Fischbein Locomotor function of the pectoral girdle `muscular sling' in trotting dogs J. Exp. Biol., June 1, 2006; 209(11): 2224 - 2237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. De Troyer, P. A. Kirkwood, and T. A. Wilson Respiratory Action of the Intercostal Muscles Physiol Rev, April 1, 2005; 85(2): 717 - 756. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Codd, D. F. Boggs, S. F. Perry, and D. R. Carrier Activity of three muscles associated with the uncinate processes of the giant Canada goose Branta canadensis maximus J. Exp. Biol., March 1, 2005; 208(5): 849 - 857. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Landberg, J. D. Mailhot, and E. L. Brainerd Lung ventilation during treadmill locomotion in a terrestrial turtle, Terrapene carolina J. Exp. Biol., October 1, 2003; 206(19): 3391 - 3404. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]