Two topics of contention dominate the study of vertebrate respiratory rhythm generation: Are respiratory rhythm generators composed of discrete oscillators or is the circuit distributed? And, how important are intrinsic properties of rhythm generating neurons vs. their synaptic interconnections? In this issue of The Journal of Physiology, Cinelli et al. (2014) report on their ongoing investigation of these issues in the lamprey, the primitive, parasitic jawless fish that patrols near the base of the vertebrate phylogenic tree. The low metabolic rate and hypoxic tolerance of this animal has made its isolated CNS a classic system for studying the neuronal control of locomotion; with renewed interest in how this animal ventilates, it will also likely help unlock the mysteries of respiratory rhythm generation.
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