The neuronal mechanisms of respiratory rhythm generation.

New, improved in vivo and in vitro approaches have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms that generate respiratory rhythm, which depends on a complex interaction between network and intrinsic membrane properties. The pre-Bötzinger complex in the ventrolateral medulla is particularly important for respiratory rhythm generation. This complex can be studied in isolation, and it contains all the known types of respiratory neurons that are now amenable to detailed cellular and molecular analyses.