Cough following low thoracic hemisection in the cat

This study investigates how the cough reflex recovers in cats after a spinal cord injury in the lower thoracic region. Researchers examined the activity of abdominal muscles and pressure changes during coughing before and after the injury. The study found that despite the spinal cord injury, the cats were still able to cough effectively, and their abdominal muscles showed activity similar to that before the injury. This suggests that the cough motor system can compensate for the damage through some form of recovery or preserved function. The researchers propose that this recovery may be due to the spinal cord's ability to reorganize itself, using alternative pathways to control the muscles involved in coughing. Locomotor training might have also played a role.

• 1
  Expiratory motor drive to abdominal muscles is not significantly impaired during cough in cats that are chronically hemisected in the lower thoracic spinal cord.
• 2
  The mechanical features of the cough reflex as determined from esophageal pressure measurements are similarly resilient.
• 3
  No significant change in the average Pes was seen across time points.