Abstract

DE VITO, Eduardo L. Series on Dyspnea. Part 3. Mechanisms, efferent copy or corollary discharge. Rev. am. med. respir. [online]. 2023, vol.23, n.4, pp.270-276. ISSN 1852-236X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.56538/ramr.okra7194.

All the theories about the mechanisms of generation of dyspnea had defenders and detractors and, interestingly, with the development of sophisticated neurophysiological techniques and functional imaging, it has been possible to rank each one of them. All have survived the passage of time and none can singularly explain dyspnea in all clini cal situations, showing the complex and multifactorial nature of the phenomenon. The concept of length-tension inappropriateness has found support in recent decades with new evidence in its favor. Specially with the discovery of the pathways involved and with the application of neurophysiological knowledge, the length-tension inappropriate ness theory would be refined with the corollary discharge or efferent copy. This corol lary discharge or efferent copy is a basic attribute of the nervous system found in the animal kingdom, from invertebrates to primates and in the human species. This article is dedicated to the history of the efferent copy and its incorporation as a hypothesis to explain dyspnea, which is currently the most accepted one.

Keywords : Dyspnea; Breathing Mechanics; Corollary Discharge; Efferent.

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