Functional and anatomical assessment of lateral parafacial glutamatergic neurons in the coordination of orofacial movements in mice

• Grant number: 25/13297-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 31, 2026
• End date: January 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Davi José de Almeida Moraes
• Grantee: Juliana Reis Souza
• Supervisor: Simon Mcmullan
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Macquarie University, Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/15704-2 - Role of glutamatergic neurons and interneurons of the lateral parafacial region of mice in the control of expiratory and inspiratory activities, and pulmonary ventilation., BP.DR

Abstract

Breathing is generated by brainstem circuits that must coordinate this complex motor behavior with orofacial and upper airway muscles controlling airway resistance. Under high ventilatory demands, active expiration (AE) is recruited and driven by late-expiratory neurons located in the lateral parafacial region (pFL), which are silent at rest but active during hypercapnia or acidosis. Recent evidence indicates that expiratory pFL neurons not only drive AE but can also influence orofacial motor activities. However, the anatomical connectivity and functional significance of this pathway remain unclear. The present proposal aims to investigate whether glutamatergic neurons from the pFL project to cranial motor nuclei and putative pattern-generating circuits that control orofacial behaviors using genetically restricted viral tracing. This study will also explore the functional role of pFL neurons in the coordination of orofacial movements using fiber photometry in freely moving mice. The findings of these studies will provide novel insights into the mechanisms through which respiratory and oromotor pattern-generating circuits operate harmoniously.