Brainstem opioid peptidergic neurons regulate cough reflexes in mice

Cough is a vital defensive reflex for expelling harmful substances from the airway. The sensory afferents for the cough reflex have been intensively studied. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the cough reflex remain poorly understood. Here, we developed a paradigm to quantitatively measure cough-like reflexes in mice. Using this paradigm, we found that