The physiological significance of postinspiration in respiratory control

The term postinspiration is commonly used in the scientific literature concerned with neural generation and the control of breathing movements. Because postinspiration belongs functionally to the mechanical act of expiration, the physiological significance of postinspiration as a distinct phase of the breathing cycle is often underappreciated. The present review will give an overview of the physiological significance of postinspiratory motor activity in laryngeal adductor (constrictor) muscles and the crural diaphragm. The functional importance of postinspiratory motor activity is discussed for the eupneic respiratory cycle, and for various protective respiratory reflex mediations (e.g., sneeze, cough, and breath-hold). Also, the implications of recruited postinspiratory activity during nonventilatory behaviors such as vocalization, swallowing, or vomiting are underpinned. Finally, we describe the impact of absence or malfunction of postinspiratory motor function in neurological diseases.