The synchronization of ventilation and locomotion in horses (Equus caballus).
Abstract: Ciné film and synchronized records of respiratory flow were obtained from Thoroughbred racehorses cantering on a treadmill at speeds of 9 and 11 m s-1. Horses and some other galloping and hopping mammals link their breathing and locomotion, taking exactly one breath per stride. Three theoretical mechanisms by which the movements of locomotion might drive ventilation are considered. (i) Flexion of the lumbosacral joint and the resulting forward sweep of the pelvis pushes the viscera against the diaphragm. However, back flexion lags behind ventilation at 11 m s-1 and could not exclusively drive ventilation at this speed. (ii) Loading of the thorax by the impact of the forelimbs with the ground might force air out of the lungs. If the respiratory system were damped sufficiently to perform as this mechanism requires, the work of driving ventilation would make up approximately 15% of the total work of running. In comparison with other estimates of the work of ventilation this seems improbably high. (iii) The observed phase relationship between displacements of the viscera, caused by the accelerations of the body during running, and respiratory airflow is not consistent with a tuned visceral piston mechanism driving breathing. Thus, it would seem likely that back flexion is likely to contribute towards driving ventilation but loading of the thorax and the visceral piston mechanism do not.
Publication Date: 1992-05-01 PubMed ID: 1602274DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166.1.19Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study analyzed the synchronization of breathing and movement in Thoroughbred racehorses while cantering. It scrutinized three hypothetical mechanisms that might tie locomotion to ventilation and concluded that back flexion is likely to contribute to ventilatory drive, but that loading of the thorax and a visceral piston mechanism do not.
Experiment Setup
- The study used ciné film and synchronized records of respiratory flow to gather data from Thoroughbred racehorses cantering on a treadmill at speeds of 9 and 11 meters per second.
- It’s observed that horses, like some other galloping and hopping animals, link their breathing to their stride, taking exactly one breath per stride.
- The research aimed to explore the physiological mechanisms underlying this synchronization.
Theoretical Mechanisms Examined
- The first mechanism considered was the forward sweep of the pelvis as a result of the flexion of the lumbosacral joint, pushing the viscera against the diaphragm.
- However, this study found that the back flexion did not coincide with ventilation at 11 meters per second and could not exclusively drive ventilation at this speed.
- The second hypothetical mechanism was the impact of the forelimbs on the ground loading the thorax, forcing air out of the lungs.
- The research calculated that for this mechanism to be effective, the work of driving ventilation would need to account for approximately 15% of the total work of running. The researchers deemed this percentage to be implausibly high when compared with other estimations of the work of ventilation.
- Lastly, the study considered a ‘visceral piston mechanism’, where displacements of the viscera, triggered by body accelerations during running, would drive respiration.
- This mechanism was also rejected because the observed phase relationship between visceral displacements and respiratory airflow did not match the characteristics required for a tuned visceral piston mechanism.
Conclusion of the Study
- The research concluded that while back flexion might have some impact on driving ventilation, neither the thoracic loading nor the visceral piston mechanism appeared to contribute significantly.
- Thus, the study provided useful insights into the complex interactions between locomotion and ventilation in horses and opened up avenues for further research.
Cite This Article
APA
Young IS, Alexander R, Woakes AJ, Butler PJ, Anderson L.
(1992).
The synchronization of ventilation and locomotion in horses (Equus caballus).
J Exp Biol, 166, 19-31.
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.166.1.19 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Leeds.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Gait / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Locomotion / physiology
- Models, Biological
- Periodicity
- Respiratory Mechanics / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Fogarty MJ, Sieck GC. Evolution and Functional Differentiation of the Diaphragm Muscle of Mammals. Compr Physiol 2019 Mar 14;9(2):715-766.
- Alves JA, Boerner BC, Laplagne DA. Flexible Coupling of Respiration and Vocalizations with Locomotion and Head Movements in the Freely Behaving Rat. Neural Plast 2016;2016:4065073.
- Jones KE. New insights on equid locomotor evolution from the lumbar region of fossil horses. Proc Biol Sci 2016 Apr 27;283(1829).
- Stickford AS, Stickford JL, Tanner DA, Stager JM, Chapman RF. Runners maintain locomotor-respiratory coupling following isocapnic voluntary hyperpnea to task failure. Eur J Appl Physiol 2015 Nov;115(11):2395-405.
- Cotten PB, Piscitelli MA, McLellan WA, Rommel SA, Dearolf JL, Pabst DA. The gross morphology and histochemistry of respiratory muscles in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. J Morphol 2008 Dec;269(12):1520-38.
- McDermott WJ, Van Emmerik RE, Hamill J. Running training and adaptive strategies of locomotor-respiratory coordination. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003 Jun;89(5):435-44.
- Nadim F, Manor Y, Nusbaum MP, Marder E. Frequency regulation of a slow rhythm by a fast periodic input. J Neurosci 1998 Jul 1;18(13):5053-67.
- Clemens S, Massabuau JC, Legeay A, Meyrand P, Simmers J. In vivo modulation of interacting central pattern generators in lobster stomatogastric ganglion: influence of feeding and partial pressure of oxygen. J Neurosci 1998 Apr 1;18(7):2788-99.
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