Retrograde tracing of the neural circuits that control movement of the jaw and tongue reveals how shared premotor neurons help to ensure coordinated muscle activity.

A new three-step monosynaptic premotor tracing strategy in adult mice, together with registration to the Allen mouse common coordinate framework, uncovered precise spatial relationships of distinct orofacial premotor circuits in the brainstem.

Building on previous work (Wang et al., 2014), we use a combination of genetic, electrophysiology and laser ablation approaches to identify a developmentally defined population of neurons that are a significant source of clinically relevant inspiratory drive to XII motoneurons.

Electrophysiological analyses reveal interactions between gasotransmitter enzymes and their respective products that regulate hypoglossal motoneuron excitability and may drive changes in upper airway tone in obstructive sleep apnea and perturb behaviors such as vocalization and swallowing.

A parallel neuronal network architecture ensures control of basic feeding reflex circuits via integration of crossmodal sensory information to filter multiple biological events and enhance meaningful behavioral choice.

The transmission of signals from the brain to the tongue to control breathing depends, in part, on the balance between two gaseous molecules.

The postinspiratory complex acts as an interface between the swallow pattern generator and the preBötzinger complex to coordinate swallow and breathing.

A predominant but less studied sensory pathway for both vibrissa self-motion and touch inputs is shown to broadcast broadly to brainstem regions involved in regulation of autonomic functions as well as forebrain regions involved in expression of emotional reactions.