The conditional nature of the “Central Rhythm Generator” and the production of episodic breathing

Activation of respiratory-related bursting in an isolated medullary section from adult bullfrogs

Breathing is generated by a rhythmic neural circuit in the brainstem, which contains conserved elements across vertebrate groups. In adult frogs, the 'lung area' located in the reticularis parvocellularis is thought to represent the core rhythm generator for breathing. Although this region is necessary for breathing-related motor output, whether it functions as an endogenous oscillator when isolated from other brainstem centers is not clear. Therefore, we generated thick brainstem sections that encompass the lung area to determine whether it can generate breathing-related motor output in a highly reduced preparation. Brainstem sections did not produce activity. However, subsaturating block of glycine receptors reliably led to the emergence of rhythmic motor output that was further enhanced by blockade of GABAA receptors. Output occurred in singlets and multi-burst episodes resembling the intact network. However, burst frequency was slower and individual bursts had longer durations than those produced by the intact preparation. In addition, burst frequency was reduced by noradrenaline and μ-opioids, and increased by serotonin, as observed in the intact network and in vivo. These results suggest that the lung area can be activated to produce rhythmic respiratory-related motor output in a reduced brainstem section and provide new insights into respiratory rhythm generation in adult amphibians. First, clustering breaths into episodes can occur within the rhythm-generating network without long-range input from structures such as the pons. Second, local inhibition near, or within, the rhythmogenic center may need to be overridden to express the respiratory rhythm.

Evolution of vertebrate respiratory central rhythm generators

Tracing the evolution of the central rhythm generators associated with ventilation in vertebrates is hindered by a lack of information surrounding key transitions. To begin with, central rhythm generation has been studied in detail in only a few species from four vertebrate groups, lamprey, anuran amphibians, turtles, and mammals (primarily rodents). Secondly, there is a lack of information regarding the transition from water breathing fish to air breathing amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals). Specifically, the respiratory rhythm generators of fish appear to be single oscillators capable of generating both phases of the respiratory cycle (expansion and compression) and projecting to motoneurons in cranial nerves innervating bucco-pharyngeal muscles. In the amniotes we find oscillators capable of independently generating separate phases of the respiratory cycle (expiration and inspiration) and projecting to pre-motoneurons in the ventrolateral medulla that in turn project to spinal motoneurons innervating thoracic and abdominal muscles (reptiles, birds, and mammals). Studies of the one group of amphibians that lie at this transition (the anurans), raise intriguing possibilities but, for a variety of reasons that we explore, also raise unanswered questions. In this review we summarize what is known about the rhythm generating circuits associated with breathing that arise from the different rhombomeric segments in each of the different vertebrate classes. Assuming oscillating circuits form in every pair of rhombomeres in every vertebrate during development, we trace what appears to be the evolutionary fate of each and highlight the questions that remain to be answered to properly understand the evolutionary transitions in vertebrate central respiratory rhythm generation.

Effects of opioids on respiration assessed by a contact-free unconstraint respiratory monitor with load cells under the bed in patients with advanced cancer

Nocturnal periodic breathing of chronic opioid users has been predominantly documented by the use of polysomnography. No previous studies have assessed the opioid effects of respiratory rhythms throughout the day without the use of physical restraint. We recently developed a contact-free unconstraint vital sign monitoring system with four load cells placed under the bed legs, which allows continuous measurements of respiratory change at the center of gravity on the bed. We aimed to reveal details of the patient's 24-h respiratory status under a monitoring system and to test the hypothesis that respiratory rhythm abnormalities are opioid dose-dependent and worsen during the night time. Continuous 48-h respiratory measurements were successfully performed in 51 patients with advanced cancer (12 opioid-free patients and 39 opioid-receiving patients). Medians of respiratory variables with minimal body movement artifacts were calculated for each 8-h split time period. Compared with opioid-free patients, opioid-receiving patients had slower respiratory rate with higher respiratory rate irregularity without changing tidal centroid shift regardless of the time period. Irregular ataxic breathing was only identified in opioid-receiving patients (33%, P = 0.023) whereas incidence rate of periodic breathing did not differ between the groups. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that opioid dose was an independent risk factor for occurrence of irregular breathing [odds ratio 1.81 (95% CI: 1.39-2.36), P < 0.001], and ataxic breathing [odds ratio 2.08 (95% CI: 1.60-2.71), P < 0.001]. Females developed the ataxic breathing at lower opioid dose compared with males. We conclude that respiratory rhythm irregularity is a predominant specific feature of opioid dose-dependent respiratory depression particularly in female patients with advanced cancer.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Through usage of a novel contact-free unconstraint vital sign monitoring system with four load cells placed under the bed legs allowing continuous measurements of respiratory changes of center of gravity on the bed, this study is the first to assess detailed respiratory characteristics throughout day and night periods without interference of daily activities in patients with advanced cancer receiving opioids. Respiratory rhythm irregularity is a predominant specific feature of opioid dose-dependent respiratory depression particularly in female patients with advanced cancer.

Orexin-A inhibits fictive air breathing responses to respiratory stimuli in the bullfrog tadpole (Lithobates catesbeianus)

In pre-metamorphic tadpoles, the neural network generating lung ventilation is present but actively inhibited; the mechanisms leading to the onset of air breathing are not well understood. Orexin (ORX) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates several homeostatic functions, including breathing. While ORX has limited effects on breathing at rest, it potentiates reflexive responses to respiratory stimuli mainly via ORX receptor 1 (OX1R). Here, we tested the hypothesis that OX1Rs facilitate the expression of the motor command associated with air breathing in pre-metamorphic bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus). To do so, we used an isolated diencephalic brainstem preparation to determine the contributions of OX1Rs to respiratory motor output during baseline breathing, hypercapnia and hypoxia. A selective OX1R antagonist (SB-334867; 5-25 µmol l-1) or agonist (ORX-A; 200 nmol l-1 to 1 µmol l-1) was added to the superfusion media. Experiments were performed under basal conditions (media equilibrated with 98.2% O2 and 1.8% CO2), hypercapnia (5% CO2) or hypoxia (5-7% O2). Under resting conditions gill, but not lung, motor output was enhanced by the OX1R antagonist and ORX-A. Hypercapnia alone did not stimulate respiratory motor output, but its combination with SB-334867 increased lung burst frequency and amplitude, lung burst episodes, and the number of bursts per episode. Hypoxia alone increased lung burst frequency and its combination with SB-334867 enhanced this effect. Inactivation of OX1Rs during hypoxia also increased gill burst amplitude, but not frequency. In contrast with our initial hypothesis, we conclude that ORX neurons provide inhibitory modulation of the CO2 and O2 chemoreflexes in pre-metamorphic tadpoles.

Baclofen destabilises breathing during sleep in healthy humans: A randomised, controlled, double-blind crossover trial

AIMS

Periodic breathing is frequent in patients with severe heart failure. Apart from being an indicator of severity, periodic breathing has its own deleterious consequences (sleep-related oxygen desaturations, sleep fragmentation), which justifies attempts to correct it irrespective of the underlying disease. Animal models and human data suggest that baclofen can reconfigure respiratory central pattern generators. We hypothesised that baclofen, a GABA_B agonist, may thus be able to correct periodic breathing in humans.

METHODS

Healthy volunteers were exposed to hypoxia during sleep. Participants who developed periodic breathing (n = 14 [53 screened]) were randomly assigned to double-blind oral baclofen (progressively increased to 60 mg/d) or placebo. The primary outcome was the coefficient of variation (CoVar) of respiratory cycle total time considered as an indicator of breathing irregularity. Secondary outcomes included the CoVar of tidal volume, apnoea-hypopnoea index, sleep fragmentation index and ventilatory complexity (noise limit).

RESULTS

The analysis was conducted in 9 subjects after exclusion of incomplete datasets. CoVar of respiratory cycle total time significantly increased with baclofen during non-rapid eye movement sleep (median with placebo 56.00% [37.63-78.95]; baclofen 85.42% [68.37-86.40], P = .020; significant difference during the N1-N2 phases of sleep but not during the N3 phase). CoVar of tidal volume significantly increased during N1-N2 sleep. The apnoea-hypopnoea index, sleep fragmentation index and ventilatory complexity were not significantly different between placebo and baclofen.

CONCLUSION

Baclofen did not stabilise breathing in our model. On the contrary, it increased respiratory variability. Baclofen should probably not be used in patients with or at risk of periodic breathing.

Is there a common drive for buccal movements associated with buccal and lung 'breath' in Lithobates catesbeianus?

In amphibians, there is some evidence that (1) anatomically separate brainstem respiratory oscillators are involved in rhythm generation, one for the buccal rhythm and another for the lung rhythm and (2) they become functionally coupled during metamorphosis. The present analysis, performed on neurograms recorded using brainstem preparations from Lithobates catesbeianus, aims to investigate the temporal organisation of lung and buccal burst types. Continuous Wavelet Transfom applied to the separated buccal and lung signals of a neurogram revealed that both buccal and lung frequency profiles exhibited the same low frequency peak around 1 Hz. This suggests that a common 'clock' organises both rhythms within an animal. A cross-correlation analysis applied to the buccal and lung burst signals revealed their similar intrinsic oscillation features, occurring at approximately 25 Hz. These observations suggest that a coupling between the lung and buccal oscillators emerges at metamorphosis. This coupling may be related to inter-connectivity between the two oscillators, and to a putative common drive.

The Expression of Galanin in the Parafacial Respiratory Group and its Effects on Respiration in Neonatal Rats

The inhibitory peptide galanin is expressed within the retrotrapezoidal nucleus (RTN) - a key central chemoreceptor site that also contains the active expiratory oscillator. It was previously reported that microinjection of galanin into pre-Bötzinger complex - containing the inspiratory oscillator - exerts inhibitory effects on inspiratory motor output and respiratory rhythm. In neonatal rats, the present study aimed to investigate: (1) expression of galanin within the parafacial respiratory group (pFRG), which overlaps anatomically and functionally with the adult RTN, and; (2) effects of galanin on respiratory rhythm using the in vitro brainstem-spinal cord preparation. We showed that 14 ± 2% of Phox2b-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the parafacial region were also galanin-ir. Galanin peptide expression was confirmed within 3/9 CO₂-sensitive, Phox2b-ir Pre-Inspiratory neurons (Pre-I) recorded in parafacial region. Bath application of galanin (0.1-0.2 µM): (1) decreased the duration of membrane depolarization in both Pre-I and inspiratory pFRG neurons, and; (2) decreased the number of C4 bursts that were associated with each burst in Pre-I neurons within the pFRG. In preparations showing episodic breathing at baseline, the respiratory patterning reverted to the 'normal' pattern of single, uniformly rhythmic C4 bursts (n = 10). In preparations with normal respiratory patterning at baseline, slowing of C4 rhythm (n = 7) resulted although rhythmic bursting in recorded Pre-I neurons remained unperturbed (n = 6). This study therefore demonstrates that galanin is expressed within the pFRG of neonatal rats, including neurons that are intrinsically chemosensitive. Overall the peptide has an inhibitory effect on inspiratory motor output, as previously shown in adults.

Effects of environmental hypoxia and hypercarbia on ventilation and gas exchange in Testudines

Background

Ventilatory parameters have been investigated in several species of Testudines, but few species have had their ventilatory pattern fully characterized by presenting all variables necessary to understand changes in breathing pattern seen under varying environmental conditions.

Methods

We measured ventilation and gas exchange at 25 °C in the semi-aquatic turtle Trachemys scripta and the terrestrial tortoise Chelonoidis carbonarius under normoxia, hypoxia, and hypercarbia and furthermore compiled respiratory data of testudine species from the literature to analyze the relative changes in each variable.

Results

During normoxia both species studied showed an episodic breathing pattern with two to three breaths per episode, but the non-ventilatory periods (T_NVP) were three to four times longer in T. scripta than in C. carbonarius. Hypoxia and hypercarbia significantly increased ventilation in both species and decreased T_NVP and oxygen consumption in T. scripta but not in C. carbonarius.

Discussion

Contrary to expectations, the breathing pattern in C. carbonarius did show considerable non-ventilatory periods with more than one breath per breathing episode, and the breathing pattern in T. scripta was found to diverge significantly from predictions based on mechanical analyses of the respiratory system. A quantitative analysis of the literature showed that relative changes in the ventilatory patterns of chelonians in response to hypoxia and hyperbarbia were qualitatively similar among species, although there were variations in the magnitude of change.

How important is the CO2 chemoreflex for the control of breathing? Environmental and evolutionary considerations

Haldane and Priestley (1905) discovered that the ventilatory control system is highly sensitive to CO₂. This "CO₂ chemoreflex" has been interpreted to dominate control of resting arterial PCO₂/pH (P_aCO₂/pH_a) by monitoring P_aCO₂/pH_a and altering ventilation through negative feedback. However, P_aCO₂/pH_a varies little in mammals as ventilation tightly couples to metabolic demands, which may minimize chemoreflex control of P_aCO₂. The purpose of this synthesis is to (1) interpret data from experimental models with meager CO₂ chemoreflexes to infer their role in ventilatory control of steady-state P_aCO₂, and (2) identify physiological causes of respiratory acidosis occurring normally across vertebrate classes. Interestingly, multiple rodent and amphibian models with minimal/absent CO₂ chemoreflexes exhibit normal ventilation, gas exchange, and P_aCO₂/pH_a. The chemoreflex, therefore, plays at most a minor role in ventilatory control at rest; however, the chemoreflex may be critical for recovering P_aCO₂ following acute respiratory acidosis induced by breath-holding and activity in many ectothermic vertebrates. An apparently small role for CO₂ feedback in the genesis of normal breathing contradicts the prevailing view that central CO₂/pH chemoreceptors increased in importance throughout vertebrate evolution. Since the CO₂ chemoreflex contributes minimally to resting ventilation, these CO₂ chemoreceptors may have instead decreased importance throughout tetrapod evolution, particularly with the onset and refinement of neural innovations that improved the matching of ventilation to tissue metabolic demands. This distinct and elusive "metabolic ventilatory drive" likely underlies steady-state P_aCO₂ in air-breathers. Uncovering the mechanisms and evolution of the metabolic ventilatory drive presents a challenge to clinically-oriented and comparative respiratory physiologists alike.

Functional connectivity in raphé-pontomedullary circuits supports active suppression of breathing during hypocapnic apnea

Hyperventilation is a common feature of disordered breathing. Apnea ensues if CO2 drive is sufficiently reduced. We tested the hypothesis that medullary raphé, ventral respiratory column (VRC), and pontine neurons have functional connectivity and persistent or evoked activities appropriate for roles in the suppression of drive and rhythm during hyperventilation and apnea. Phrenic nerve activity, arterial blood pressure, end-tidal CO2, and other parameters were monitored in 10 decerebrate, vagotomized, neuromuscularly-blocked, and artificially ventilated cats. Multielectrode arrays recorded spiking activity of 649 neurons. Loss and return of rhythmic activity during passive hyperventilation to apnea were identified with the S-transform. Diverse fluctuating activity patterns were recorded in the raphé-pontomedullary respiratory network during the transition to hypocapnic apnea. The firing rates of 160 neurons increased during apnea; the rates of 241 others decreased or stopped. VRC inspiratory neurons were usually the last to cease firing or lose rhythmic activity during the transition to apnea. Mayer wave-related oscillations (0.04-0.1 Hz) in firing rate were also disrupted during apnea. Four-hundred neurons (62%) were elements of pairs with at least one hyperventilation-responsive neuron and a correlational signature of interaction identified by cross-correlation or gravitational clustering. Our results support a model with distinct groups of chemoresponsive raphé neurons contributing to hypocapnic apnea through parallel processes that incorporate disfacilitation and active inhibition of inspiratory motor drive by expiratory neurons. During apnea, carotid chemoreceptors can evoke rhythm reemergence and an inspiratory shift in the balance of reciprocal inhibition via suppression of ongoing tonic expiratory neuron activity.

Fentanyl effects on breath generation in C57BL/6J and A/J mouse strains

We examined the effect of fentanyl on chemoresponsiveness in mouse strains divergent in the expression of spontaneous and post-hypoxic pauses. Frequency and tidal volume were recorded with plethysmography in A/J and C57BL/6J (B6) male mice. Mice selected at random received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of either saline, low dose fentanyl (LDF = 0.04 mg/kg), or high dose fentanyl (HDF = 0.4 mg/kg) under hypoxia (8% O2) or hyperoxia (100%O2). LDF produced a decrease in frequency during hypoxia in B6, but not A/J, mice. HDF significantly decreased frequency and tidal volume in both strains under hypoxia and hyperoxia (p<0.01); naloxone, an opioid antagonist, reversed this response. The acute administration of fentanyl at any dose did not promote apneas in strains of mice exhibiting regular or irregular respiratory patterns. However, higher doses depressed respiratory frequency in both strains. The B6 mice responded with a depressive response to hypoxia that did not recover with reoxygenation, but did recover with time or naloxone.

Oxygen in demand: How oxygen has shaped vertebrate physiology

In response to varying environmental and physiological challenges, vertebrates have evolved complex and often overlapping systems. These systems detect changes in environmental oxygen availability and respond by increasing oxygen supply to the tissues and/or by decreasing oxygen demand at the cellular level. This suite of responses is termed the oxygen transport cascade and is comprised of several components. These components include 1) chemosensory detectors that sense changes in oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH in the blood, and initiate changes in 2) ventilation and 3) cardiac work, thereby altering the rate of oxygen delivery to, and carbon dioxide clearance from, the tissues. In addition, changes in 4) cellular and systemic metabolism alters tissue-level metabolic demand. Thus the need for oxygen can be managed locally when increasing oxygen supply is not sufficient or possible. Together, these mechanisms provide a spectrum of responses that facilitate the maintenance of systemic oxygen homeostasis in the face of environmental hypoxia or physiological oxygen depletion (i.e. due to exercise or disease). Bill Milsom has dedicated his career to the study of these responses across phylogenies, repeatedly demonstrating the power of applying the comparative approach to physiological questions. The focus of this review is to discuss the anatomy, signalling pathways, and mechanics of each step of the oxygen transport cascade from the perspective of a Milsomite. That is, by taking into account the developmental, physiological, and evolutionary components of questions related to oxygen transport. We also highlight examples of some of the remarkable species that have captured Bill's attention through their unique adaptations in multiple components of the oxygen transport cascade, which allow them to achieve astounding physiological feats. Bill's research examining the oxygen transport cascade has provided important insight and leadership to the study of the diverse suite of adaptations that maintain cellular oxygen content across vertebrate taxa, which underscores the value of the comparative approach to the study of physiological systems.

Hypoxia switches episodic breathing to singlet breathing in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) via a tropisetron-sensitive mechanism

Hypoxia-induced changes in the chelonian breathing pattern are poorly understood. Thus, breathing was measured in freely swimming adult red-eared slider turtles breathing air prior to breathing nitrogen for 4h. Ventilation increased 10-fold within 10min due to increased breath frequency and tidal volume. Breaths/episode decreased by ∼50% within after 1h of hypoxia while the number of singlet breaths increased from 3.1±1.6singlets/h to a maximum of 66.1±23.5singlets/h. Expiratory and inspiratory duration increased during hypoxia. For doublet and triplet breaths, expiratory duration increased during the first breath only, while inspiratory duration increased for all breaths. Tropisetron (5-HT3 receptor antagonist, 5mg/kg) administration prior to hypoxia attenuated the hypoxia-induced increase in singlet breath frequency. Along with results from previous in vitro studies, this study suggests that 5-HT3 receptor activation may be required for the hypoxia-induced increase in singlet breathing pattern in red-eared slider turtles.

Hibernation and gas exchange

Hibernation in endotherms and ectotherms is characterized by an energy-conserving metabolic depression due to low body temperatures and poorly understood temperature-independent mechanisms. Rates of gas exchange are correspondly reduced. In hibernating mammals, ventilation falls even more than metabolic rate leading to a relative respiratory acidosis that may contribute to metabolic depression. Breathing in some mammals becomes episodic and in some small mammals significant apneic gas exchange may occur by passive diffusion via airways or skin. In ectothermic vertebrates, extrapulmonary gas exchange predominates and in reptiles and amphibians hibernating underwater accounts for all gas exchange. In aerated water diffusive exchange permits amphibians and many species of turtles to remain fully aerobic, but hypoxic conditions can challenge many of these animals. Oxygen uptake into blood in both endotherms and ectotherms is enhanced by increased affinity of hemoglobin for O₂ at low temperature. Regulation of gas exchange in hibernating mammals is predominately linked to CO₂/pH, and in episodic breathers, control is principally directed at the duration of the apneic period. Control in submerged hibernating ectotherms is poorly understood, although skin-diffusing capacity may increase under hypoxic conditions. In aerated water blood pH of frogs and turtles either adheres to alphastat regulation (pH ∼8.0) or may even exhibit respiratory alkalosis. Arousal in hibernating mammals leads to restoration of euthermic temperature, metabolic rate, and gas exchange and occurs periodically even as ambient temperatures remain low, whereas body temperature, metabolic rate, and gas exchange of hibernating ectotherms are tightly linked to ambient temperature.

Stress peptide PACAP stimulates and stabilizes neonatal breathing through distinct mechanisms

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) is an important mediator of the stress response and is crucial in maintaining breathing in neonates. Here we investigate the role of exogenously applied PACAP in neonatal breathing using the neonatal rat in situ working heart-brainstem preparation. A 1-min bolus of 250 nM PACAP-38 caused an increased in respiratory frequency that was rapid and transient, but had no effect on neural tidal volume or neural minute ventilation. Denervation of the carotid body abolished this effect. PACAP had a persistent effect on breathing stability in both carotid body-intact and -denervated preparations, as shown by decreases in respiratory variability 5 min following application. These data suggest that PACAP released during stress acts via carotid body dependent and independent mechanisms to stimulate and stabilize breathing. These mechanisms may account for PACAP's critical role in defending neonatal breathing against environmental stress.

Postnatal development of Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) co-transporter 1 and K(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter 2 immunoreactivity in multiple brain stem respiratory nuclei of the rat

Previously, we reported that in rats, GABA(A) and glycine receptor immunoreactivity increased markedly in multiple brain stem respiratory nuclei around postnatal days (P) 12-13, a critical period when abrupt neurochemical, metabolic, ventilatory, and electrophysiological changes occur in the respiratory network and when the system is under greater inhibition than excitation. Since Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) co-transporter 1 (NKCC1) and K(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter 2 (KCC2) play pivotal roles in determining the responses of GABA(A) and glycine receptors, we hypothesized that NKCC1 and KCC2 undergo significant changes during the critical period. An in-depth immunohistochemical and single neuron optical densitometric study of neurons in seven respiratory-related nuclei (the pre-Bötzinger complex [PBC], nucleus ambiguus [Amb], hypoglossal nucleus [XII], ventrolateral subnucleus of solitary tract nucleus [NTS(VL)], retrotrapezoid nucleus/parafacial respiratory group [retrotrapezoid nucleus/parafacial respiratory group (RTN/pFRG)], dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve [dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMNX)], and inferior olivary nucleus [IO]) and a non-respiratory cuneate nucleus (CN, an internal control) was undertaken in P0-P21 rats. Our data revealed that (1) NKCC1 immunoreactivity exhibited a developmental decrease from P0 to P21 in all eight nuclei examined, being relatively high during the first 1½ postnatal weeks and decreased thereafter. The decrease was abrupt and statistically significant at P12 in the PBC, Amb, and XII; (2) KCC2 immunoreactivity in these eight nuclei showed a developmental increase from P0 to P21; and (3) the significant reduction in NKCC1 and the greater dominance of KCC2 around P12 in multiple respiratory nuclei of the brain stem may form the basis of an enhanced inhibition in the respiratory network during the critical period before the system stabilizes to a more mature state.

Regulation of respiratory-related hypoglossal motor output by α₁ adrenergic and serotonin 5-HT₃ receptor activation in isolated adult turtle brainstems

The effects of brainstem α(1) adrenergic receptor activation on respiratory control in reptiles are poorly understood. Isolated adult turtle brainstems were exposed to phenylephrine (α(1) adrenergic agonist) and respiratory motor bursts were recorded on hypoglossal nerves. Phenylephrine acutely increased burst frequency, amplitude (low concentrations only), and regularity of the time interval between the start of respiratory events (single or clustered bursts), and decreased bursts/respiratory event. Burst frequency and timing changes persisted during a 2.0 h washout. Acute increases in burst frequency and amplitude were blocked by prazosin (α(1) adrenergic antagonist). Pretreatment with prazosin and tropisetron (5-HT(3) antagonist) blocked the increase in respiratory event regularity, but did not alter the decrease in bursts/respiratory event. Intermittent phenylephrine application (4 × 5.0 min separated by 20 min) did not produce long-lasting changes in burst frequency and amplitude, bursts/respiratory event, or respiratory event regularity. Thus, sustained α(1) adrenergic receptor activation in turtle brainstems produces acute and long-lasting changes in respiratory burst frequency and pattern.

Regulation of gas exchange and haemolymph pH in the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea

Ventilatory control of internal CO2 plays an important role in regulating extracellular acid–base balance in terrestrial animals. While this phenomenon is well understood among vertebrates, the role that respiration plays in the acid–base balance of insects is in need of much further study. To measure changes in insect haemolymph pH, we implanted micro pH optodes into the haemocoel of cockroaches (Nauphoeta cinerea). They were then exposed to normoxic, hypoxic, hyperoxic and hypercapnic atmospheres while their haemolymph pH, and abdominal ventilation frequency were measured simultaneously. Intratracheal O2 levels were also measured in separate experiments. It was found that cockroaches breathing continuously control their ventilation to defend a haemolymph pH of 7.3, except under conditions where hypoxia (&lt;10% O2) induces hyperventilation, or where ambient hypercapnia is in excess of haemolymph (&gt;1% CO2). In contrast, intratracheal O2 levels fluctuated widely, but on average remained above 15% in normoxic (21% O2) atmospheres. Decapitation caused the cockroaches to display discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs). The alternating periods of ventilation and apnoea during DGCs caused haemolymph pH to fluctuate by 0.11 units. Exposure to hypoxia caused haemolymph pH to increase and initiated brief bouts of spiracular opening prior to the active ventilation phase. The spontaneous occurrence of DGCs in decapitated cockroaches indicates that central pattern generators in the thoracic and abdominal ganglia generate the periodic gas exchange pattern in the absence of control from the cephalic ganglion. This pattern continues to maintain gas exchange, but with less precision.

Prenatal development of central rhythm generation

Foetal breathing in mice results from prenatal activity of the two coupled hindbrain oscillators considered to be responsible for respiratory rhythm generation after birth: the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC) is active shortly before the onset of foetal breathing; the parafacial respiratory group (e-pF in embryo) starts activity one day earlier. Transcription factors have been identified that are essential to specify neural progenitors and lineages forming each of these oscillators during early development of the neural tube: Hoxa1, Egr2 (Krox20), Phox2b, Lbx1 and Atoh1 for the e-pF; Dbx1 and Evx1 for the preBötC which eventually grow contralateral axons requiring expression of Robo3. Inactivation of the genes encoding these factors leads to mis-specification of these neurons and distinct breathing abnormalities: apneic patterns and loss of central chemosensitivity for the e-pF (central congenital hypoventilation syndrome, CCHS, in humans), complete loss of breathing for the preBötC, right-left desynchronized breathing in Robo3 mutants. Mutations affecting development in more rostral (pontine) respiratory territories change the shape of the inspiratory drive without affecting the rhythm. Other (primordial) embryonic oscillators start in the mouse three days before the e-pF, to generate low frequency (LF) rhythms that are probably required for activity-dependent development of neurones at embryonic stages; in the foetus, however, they are actively silenced to avoid detrimental interaction with the on-going respiratory rhythm. Altogether, these observations provide a strong support to the previously proposed hypothesis that the functional organization of the respiratory generator is specified at early stages of development and is dual in nature, comprising two serially non-homologous oscillators.

Postnatal changes in the cardiorespiratory response and ability to autoresuscitate from hypoxic and hypothermic exposure in mammals

Most mammals are born immature and a great deal of maturational changes must occur early in the early postnatal life to prepare for life as an adult. In addition to the obvious changes such as physical and musculoskeletal growth, a myriad of physiological changes including the cardiorespiratory responses to hypoxia and hypothermia must also occur. The most intriguing developmental effect is perhaps the change in the ability to autoresuscitate, or spontaneous recovery from cardiorespiratory arrest induced by extreme hypoxia or hypothermia. For decades the ability of young animals to autoresuscitate from cardiorespiratory arrest induced by hypoxic or hypothermic exposure has been documented. In some mammalian species, including rats and humans, this ability is lost over development while others retain this ability. This review will examine the changes that occur in the cardiorespiratory response to hypoxia and hypothermia and the change to the ability to autoresuscitate from cardiorespiratory arrest over early postnatal development. Furthermore, the review will explore some of the potential neuroanatomical, neurochemical and neurophysiological changes during early postnatal development that might contribute to the altered reflex response to hypoxia and hypothermia and the ability to autoresuscitate.

Adaptive trends in respiratory control: a comparative perspective

In 1941, August Krogh published a monograph entitled The Comparative Physiology of Respiratory Mechanisms (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1941). Since that time comparative studies have continued to contribute significantly to our understanding of the fundamentals of respiratory physiology and the adaptive trends in these processes that support a broad range of metabolic performance under demanding environmental conditions. This review specifically focuses on recent advances in our understanding of adaptive trends in respiratory control. Respiratory rhythm generators most likely arose from, and must remain integrated with, rhythm generators for chewing, suckling, and swallowing. Within the central nervous system there are multiple “segmental” rhythm generators, and through evolution there is a caudal shift in the predominant respiratory rhythm-generating site. All sites, however, may still be capable of producing or modulating respiratory rhythm under appropriate conditions. Expression of the respiratory rhythm is conditional on (tonic) input. Once the rhythm is expressed, it is often episodic as the basic medullary rhythm is turned on/off subject to a hierarchy of controls. Breathing patterns reflect differences in pulmonary mechanics resulting from differences in body wall and lung architecture and are modulated in different species by various combinations of upper and lower airway mechanoreceptors and arterial chemoreceptors to protect airways, reduce dead space ventilation, enhance gas exchange efficiency, and reduce the cost of breathing.

5-HT3 receptor-dependent modulation of respiratory burst frequency, regularity, and episodicity in isolated adult turtle brainstems

To determine the role of central serotonin 5-HT(3) receptors in respiratory motor control, respiratory motor bursts were recorded from hypoglossal (XII) nerve rootlets on isolated adult turtle brainstems during bath-application of 5-HT(3) receptor agonists and antagonists. mCPBG and PBG (5-HT(3) receptor agonists) acutely increased XII burst frequency and regularity, and decreased bursts/episode. Tropisetron and MDL72222 (5-HT(3) antagonists) increased bursts/episode, suggesting endogenous 5-HT(3) receptor activation modulates burst timing in vitro. Tropisetron blocked all mCPBG effects, and the PBG-induced reduction in bursts/episode. Tropisetron application following mCPBG application did not reverse the long-lasting (2h) mCPBG-induced decrease in bursts/episode. We conclude that endogenous 5-HT(3) receptor activation regulates respiratory frequency, regularity, and episodicity in turtles and may induce a form of respiratory plasticity with the long-lasting changes in respiratory regularity.

Foreword: Respiratory rhythmogenesis

This special issue of Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology summarizes the current standing of research concerned with synaptic mechanisms, membrane properties, plasticity, pre- and postnatal development and evolutionary origin of neurones involved in respiratory rhythm generation and central chemosensitivity. Moreover, a variety of articles link pathophysiological alterations of synaptic function in rhythmogenesis and chemosensitivity with breathing disorders in neurodevelopmental diseases.