American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
-
Am J Phys Med Rehabil · May 2003
Electrophysiologic latency to the external obliques of the laryngeal cough expiration reflex in humans.
The purpose of this study was to trigger the laryngeal cough expiration reflex using inhaled tartaric acid aerosol and to record the latency between the time of initiation of the laryngeal cough expiration reflex component of the laryngeal cough reflex and the onset of electromyographically recorded responses in the external abdominal oblique in humans. ⋯ SIn humans, nebulized tartaric acid stimulates primarily rapid adapting receptors in the supraglottic larynx rather than C-fiber receptors. This receptor location in humans evolved neurologically to protect the airway during speech and swallowing, making the laryngeal cough expiration reflex an inseparable component of the laryngeal cough reflex, thus making it clinically significant when assessing airway protection.