Research overview: laryngeal control and the purr central pattern generator

The dominant model of purring posits a neural oscillator, or central pattern generator, that drives rhythmic contraction of the laryngeal muscles to modulate airflow. This overview surveys the evidence for and debates around that model, including electromyographic studies showing regular muscle bursts and the question of whether continuous neural input is required to sustain a purr. It contrasts the active-control view with newer findings suggesting passive biomechanical properties of the vocal folds may contribute to low-frequency self-sustaining oscillation. The survey explains how reconciling these perspectives matters for understanding why purring spans both inhalation and exhalation and why it has such an unusually low pitch, framing the mechanism as a combination of neural rhythm generation and the special structure of the feline larynx.