Background activity of neurons of the tracheal plexus in the rat

Morphological structure of the nerve plexus of the rat tracheal dorsal muscle wall is described and electrophysiological data on neuronal activity of this plexus are presented. Extracellular recording revealed two types of spontaneous activity including a single-spike type and a serial-spike type. The presence of excitatory and inhibitory interaction between neurons of a single ganglion is shown. Characteristic features of the tracheal part are discussed in comparison with other parts of the metasympathetic system.