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Caffeine is a respiratory stimulant without effect on sleep in the short-term in late-preterm infants. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:776-782. [PMID: 34718352 PMCID: PMC9556325 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01794-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caffeine is widely used in preterm infants for apnea control. It has no effect on sleep in the only existing polysomnographic study including ten preterm infants Behavioral and polygraphic studies have conflicting results. METHODS We studied 21 late-preterm infants at a median gestational age of 36 weeks. Polysomnography was performed twice, at baseline on day 1 and on the day after the onset of caffeine treatment (20 mg/kg loading and 5 mg/kg morning maintenance dose). RESULTS Caffeine acted short term as a breathing stimulant with reduction of apneas, improved baseline SpO2 (p < 0.001), and decreased 95 percentile of end-tidal carbon dioxide level (p < 0.01). It also increased arousal frequency to SpO2 desaturations of more than 5% (p < 0.001). Caffeine did not affect sleep stage distribution, sleep efficiency, frequency of sleep stage transitions, appearance of REM periods, or the high number of spontaneous arousals. The median spontaneous arousal count was 18 per hour at baseline, and 16 per hour during caffeine treatment (p = 0.88). CONCLUSIONS In late-preterm infants, caffeine has a clear short-term respiratory stimulant effect, and it increases the arousal frequency to hypoxia. However, caffeine does not appear to act as a central nervous system stimulant, and it has no acute effect on sleep quality. IMPACT Effects of caffeine on sleep in preterm infants has previously been investigated with only one full polysomnographic study including ten preterm infants. The study showed no effect. The current study shows that caffeine acts short term as a respiratory stimulant and increases arousal frequency to hypoxia. Although a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant in adults, caffeine does not seem to have similar acute CNS effect in late-preterm infants. The onset of caffeine treatment has no short-term effect on sleep stage distribution, sleep efficiency, frequency of sleep stage transitions, appearance of REM periods, or the high number of spontaneous arousals.
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Analgesia for fetal pain during prenatal surgery: 10 years of progress. Pediatr Res 2021; 89:1612-1618. [PMID: 32971529 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-01170-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Some doubts on the necessity and safety of providing analgesia to the fetus during prenatal surgery were raised 10 years ago. They were related to four matters: fetal sleep due to neuroinhibitors in fetal blood, the immaturity of the cerebral cortex, safety, and the need for fetal direct analgesia. These objections now seem obsolete. This review shows that neuroinhibitors give fetuses at most some transient sedation, but not a complete analgesia, that the cerebral cortex is not indispensable to feel pain, when subcortical structures for pain perception are present, and that maternal anesthesia seems not sufficient to anesthetize the fetus. Current drugs used for maternal analgesia pass through the placenta only partially so that they cannot guarantee a sufficient analgesia to the fetus. Extraction indices, that is, how much each analgesic drug crosses the placenta, are provided here. We here report safety guidelines for fetal direct analgesia. In conclusion, the human fetus can feel pain when it undergoes surgical interventions and direct analgesia must be provided to it. IMPACT: Fetal pain is evident in the second half of pregnancy. Progress in the physiology of fetal pain, which is reviewed in this report, supports the notion that the fetus reacts to painful interventions during fetal surgery. Evidence here reported shows that it is an error to believe that the fetus is in a continuous and unchanging state of sedation and analgesia. Data are given that disclose that drugs used for maternal analgesia cross the placenta only partially, so that they cannot guarantee a sufficient analgesia to the fetus. Safety guidelines are given for fetal direct analgesia.
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Abstract
The development of the control of breathing begins in utero and continues postnatally. Fetal breathing movements are needed for establishing connectivity between the lungs and central mechanisms controlling breathing. Maturation of the control of breathing, including the increase of hypoxia chemosensitivity, continues postnatally. Insufficient oxygenation, or hypoxia, is a major stressor that can manifest for different reasons in the fetus and neonate. Though the fetus and neonate have different hypoxia sensing mechanisms and respond differently to acute hypoxia, both responses prevent deviations to respiratory and other developmental processes. Intermittent and chronic hypoxia pose much greater threats to the normal developmental respiratory processes. Gestational intermittent hypoxia, due to maternal sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea, increases eupneic breathing and decreases the hypoxic ventilatory response associated with impaired gasping and autoresuscitation postnatally. Chronic fetal hypoxia, due to biologic or environmental (i.e. high-altitude) factors, is implicated in fetal growth restriction and preterm birth causing a decrease in the postnatal hypoxic ventilatory responses with increases in irregular eupneic breathing. Mechanisms driving these changes include delayed chemoreceptor development, catecholaminergic activity, abnormal myelination, increased astrocyte proliferation in the dorsal respiratory group, among others. Long-term high-altitude residents demonstrate favorable adaptations to chronic hypoxia as do their offspring. Neonatal intermittent hypoxia is common among preterm infants due to immature respiratory systems and thus, display a reduced drive to breathe and apneas due to insufficient hypoxic sensitivity. However, ongoing intermittent hypoxia can enhance hypoxic sensitivity causing ventilatory overshoots followed by apnea; the number of apneas is positively correlated with degree of hypoxic sensitivity in preterm infants. Chronic neonatal hypoxia may arise from fetal complications like maternal smoking or from postnatal cardiovascular problems, causing blunting of the hypoxic ventilatory responses throughout at least adolescence due to attenuation of carotid body fibers responses to hypoxia with potential roles of brainstem serotonin, microglia, and inflammation, though these effects depend on the age in which chronic hypoxia initiates. Fetal and neonatal intermittent and chronic hypoxia are implicated in preterm birth and complicate the respiratory system through their direct effects on hypoxia sensing mechanisms and interruptions to the normal developmental processes. Thus, precise regulation of oxygen homeostasis is crucial for normal development of the respiratory control network. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1653-1677, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary C. Mouradian
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Satyan Lakshminrusimha
- Department of Pediatrics, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, UC Davis Health, UC Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Girija G. Konduri
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Children’s Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Seppä-Moilanen M, Andersson S, Kirjavainen T. Spontaneous and apnea arousals from sleep in preterm infants. Pediatr Res 2021; 89:1261-1267. [PMID: 32682326 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-1068-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The significance of arousal in apnea termination in preterm infants is not known. METHODS We investigated the appearance of arousals from sleep with polysomnography for 21 preterm infants at a median age of 36 gestational weeks. RESULTS The polysomnographic appearance of sleep was fragmented by frequent arousals. The number of spontaneous arousals unrelated to apneas was 18 per hour in sleep; higher in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than in non-REM sleep (p < 0.001). Eighty-two percent of arousals were regarded as spontaneous, and 18% were related to apneas. In turn, arousal followed 5% of all apneas; 30% of mixed, 2% of central, and 20% of long apneas defined as apnea of prematurity. Apneas without an arousal led to lower oxygen saturation levels than those followed by an arousal (p < 0.001). Mixed apneas with an arousal had stronger breathing effort and a higher number of breaths compared with apneas without an arousal (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In preterm infants, frequent spontaneous arousals or arousal-type phenomena make the polysomnographic appearance of sleep fragmented. However, even long apneas or hypoxia commonly fail to elicit arousals or any sign of sleep interruption. Our findings suggest that arousal appears not to be the main mechanism for apnea termination in preterm infants. IMPACT Polysomnographic appearance of sleep in preterm infants is fragmented by arousals. Contrary to older children and adults, arousal to apnea is uncommon in preterm infants. Even long mixed apneas with desaturation mostly fail to elicit an arousal response. In preterm infants, apnea termination appears not to depend on an arousal. Low arousability is suggested to be caused by a low ventilation response to hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maija Seppä-Moilanen
- Children's Hospital and Pediatric Research Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Sture Andersson
- Children's Hospital and Pediatric Research Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Turkka Kirjavainen
- Children's Hospital and Pediatric Research Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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Cummings KJ, Leiter JC. Take a deep breath and wake up: The protean role of serotonin preventing sudden death in infancy. Exp Neurol 2020; 326:113165. [PMID: 31887304 PMCID: PMC6956249 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Recordings from infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly demonstrate the occurrence of recurring apneas, ineffective gasping, and finally, failure to restore eupnea and arouse prior to death. Immunohistochemical and autoradiographic data demonstrate a constellation of serotonergic defects in the caudal raphe nuclei in infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The purpose of this review is to synthesize what is known about adaptive responses of the infant to severely hypoxic conditions, which unleash a flood of neuromodulators that inhibit cardiorespiratory function, thermogenesis, and arousal and the emerging role of serotonin, which combats this cardiorespiratory inhibition to foster autoresuscitation, eupnea, and arousal to ensure survival following an hypoxic episode. The laryngeal and carotid body chemoreflexes are potent in newborns and infants, and both reflexes can induce apnea and bradycardia, which may be adaptive initially, but must be terminated if an infant is to survive. Serotonin has a unique ability to touch on each of the processes that may be required to recover from hypoxic reflex apnea: gasping, the restoration of heart rate and blood pressure, termination of apneas and, eventually, stimulation of eupnea and arousal. Recurrent apneic events, bradycardia, ineffective gasping and a failure to terminate apneas and restore eupnea are observed in animals harboring defects in the caudal serotonergic system models - all of these phenotypes are reminiscent of and compatible with the cardiorespiratory recordings made in infants who subsequently died of SIDS. The caudal serotonergic system provides an organized, multi-pronged defense against reflex cardiorespiratory inhibition and the hypoxia that accompanies prolonged apnea, bradycardia and hypotension, and any deficiency of caudal serotonergic function will increase the propensity for sudden unexplained infant death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Cummings
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, 134 Research Park Drive, Columbia, MO 65203, USA
| | - James C Leiter
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, One Rope Ferry Road, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
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Ventilatory and carotid body responses to acute hypoxia in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia during the first and second postnatal weeks. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2020; 275:103400. [PMID: 32006667 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2020.103400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Chronic hypoxia (CH) during postnatal development causes a blunted hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in neonatal mammals. The magnitude of the HVR generally increases with age, so CH could blunt the HVR by delaying this process. Accordingly, we predicted that CH would have different effects on the respiratory control of neonatal rats if initiated at birth versus initiated later in postnatal development (i.e., after the HVR has had time to mature). Rats had blunted ventilatory and carotid body responses to hypoxia whether CH (12 % O2) occurred for the first postnatal week (P0 to P7) or second postnatal week (P7 to P14). However, if initiated at P0, CH also caused the HVR to retain the "biphasic" shape characteristic of newborn mammals; CH during the second postnatal week did not result in a biphasic HVR. CH from birth delayed the transition from a biphasic HVR to a sustained HVR until at least P9-11, but the HVR attained a sustained (albeit blunted) phenotype by P13-15. Since delayed maturation of the HVR did not completely explain the blunted HVR, we tested the alternative hypothesis that the blunted HVR was caused by an inflammatory response to CH. Daily administration of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (4 mg kg-1, i.p.) did not alter the effects of CH on the HVR. Collectively, these data suggest that CH blunts the HVR in neonatal rats by impairing carotid body responses to hypoxia and by delaying (but not preventing) postnatal maturation of the biphasic HVR. The mechanisms underlying this plasticity require further investigation.
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Zera T, Moraes DJA, da Silva MP, Fisher JP, Paton JFR. The Logic of Carotid Body Connectivity to the Brain. Physiology (Bethesda) 2020; 34:264-282. [PMID: 31165684 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00057.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The carotid body has emerged as a therapeutic target for cardio-respiratory-metabolic diseases. With the expansive functions of the chemoreflex, we sought mechanisms to explain differential control of individual responses. We purport a remarkable correlation between phenotype of a chemosensory unit (glomus cell-sensory afferent) with a distinct component of the reflex response. This logic could permit differential modulation of distinct chemoreflex responses, a strategy ideal for therapeutic exploitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tymoteusz Zera
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Physiology, Laboratory of Centre for Preclinical Research, Medical University of Warsaw , Warsaw , Poland
| | - Davi J A Moraes
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Melina P da Silva
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo , São Paulo , Brazil
| | - James P Fisher
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Julian F R Paton
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
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Ramirez S, Allen T, Villagracia L, Chae Y, Ramirez JM, Rubens DD. Inner ear lesion and the differential roles of hypoxia and hypercarbia in triggering active movements: Potential implication for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Neuroscience 2016; 337:9-16. [PMID: 27634772 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Infants that succumb to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have been identified with inner ear dysfunction (IED) at birth and on autopsy. We previously investigated whether IED could play a mechanistic role in SIDS. We discovered that animals with IED displayed significant suppression of movement arousal to a hypoxic-hypercarbic gas mixture under light anesthesia. In the current study we investigated the role of each gas in triggering movements and the response to hypercarbia during natural sleep without anesthesia. Seventeen-day-old CD-1 mice received intra-tympanic gentamicin (IT-Gent) injections to precipitate IED. The movement response to hypercarbia, hypoxia and hypoxia-hypercarbia was compared to controls under light anesthesia. Hypercarbia did not stimulate vigorous movements in any animals under either sleep condition. Hypoxia triggered vigorous movements in controls (p<0.05) and a decreased response in IT-Gent animals under light anesthesia. This contrasted with combined hypoxia-hypercarbia, in which IT-Gent animals displaced significantly suppressed movements compared to controls (p<0.05). Our findings portray that a degree of intact inner ear function is necessary for instigating the movement response. Additionally, hypoxia is the trigger for the movement response while carbon dioxide (CO2) suppresses it. The finding that carbon dioxide did not stimulate movement during natural sleep is an important finding. This contrasts with other studies that have identified hypercarbia as an arousal stimulus with EEG. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the precise role of the inner ear in the movement response and potential association with SIDS. The early detection of IED in SIDS predisposed cases could be invaluable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
| | - Travis Allen
- Department of Anesthesia, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, United States; Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States; Department of Anesthesia, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Lindsay Villagracia
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
| | - Yooree Chae
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
| | - Jan M Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Daniel D Rubens
- Department of Anesthesia, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, United States; Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, United States; Department of Anesthesia, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
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MacFarlane PM, Mayer CA, Litvin DG. Microglia modulate brainstem serotonergic expression following neonatal sustained hypoxia exposure: implications for sudden infant death syndrome. J Physiol 2016; 594:3079-94. [PMID: 26659585 DOI: 10.1113/jp271845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Neonatal sustained hypoxia exposure modifies brainstem microglia and serotonin expression. The altered brainstem neurochemistry is associated with impaired ventilatory responses to acute hypoxia and mortality. The deleterious effects of sustained hypoxia exposure can be prevented by an inhibitor of activated microglia. These observations demonstrate a potential cause of the brainstem serotonin abnormalities thought to be involved in sudden infant death syndrome. ABSTRACT We showed previously that the end of the second postnatal week (days P11-15) represents a period of development during which the respiratory neural control system exhibits a heightened vulnerability to sustained hypoxia (SH, 11% O2 , 5 days) exposure. In the current study, we investigated whether the vulnerability to SH during the same developmental time period is associated with changes in brainstem serotonin (5-HT) expression and whether it can be prevented by the microglia inhibitor minocycline. Using whole-body plethysmography, SH attenuated the acute (5 min) hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) and caused a high incidence of mortality compared to normoxia rats. SH also increased microglia cell numbers and decreased 5-HT immunoreactivity in the nucleus of the solitary tract (nTS) and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMNV). The attenuated HVR, mortality, and changes in nTS and DMNV immunoreactivity was prevented by minocycline (25 mg kg(-1) /2 days during SH). These data demonstrate that the 5-HT abnormalities in distinct respiratory neural control regions can be initiated by prolonged hypoxia exposure and may be modulated by microglia activity. These observations share several commonalities with the risk factors thought to underlie the aetiology of sudden infant death syndrome, including: (1) a vulnerable neonate; (2) a critical period of development; (3) evidence of hypoxia; (4) brainstem gliosis (particularly the nTS and DMNV); and (5) 5-HT abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M MacFarlane
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - C A Mayer
- Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - D G Litvin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
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Abstract
Recent advances have clarified how the brain detects CO2 to regulate breathing (central respiratory chemoreception). These mechanisms are reviewed and their significance is presented in the general context of CO2/pH homeostasis through breathing. At rest, respiratory chemoreflexes initiated at peripheral and central sites mediate rapid stabilization of arterial PCO2 and pH. Specific brainstem neurons (e.g., retrotrapezoid nucleus, RTN; serotonergic) are activated by PCO2 and stimulate breathing. RTN neurons detect CO2 via intrinsic proton receptors (TASK-2, GPR4), synaptic input from peripheral chemoreceptors and signals from astrocytes. Respiratory chemoreflexes are arousal state dependent whereas chemoreceptor stimulation produces arousal. When abnormal, these interactions lead to sleep-disordered breathing. During exercise, central command and reflexes from exercising muscles produce the breathing stimulation required to maintain arterial PCO2 and pH despite elevated metabolic activity. The neural circuits underlying central command and muscle afferent control of breathing remain elusive and represent a fertile area for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, 1340 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0735, USA.
| | - Douglas A Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, 1340 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0735, USA
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Lun R, Zhang C, Fewell JE. Carotid chemoreceptors do not mediate hypoxic-induced gasping and autoresuscitation in newborn rats. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2015; 212-214:33-8. [PMID: 25907031 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2015.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Experiments were carried out on 48, 5-6-day-old rat pups to investigate the influence of carotid denervation on their time to last gasp during a single period of hypoxia, and on their ability to autoresuscitate from primary apnea during repeated hypoxic challenge. One group of pups was studied with intact carotid chemoreceptors and one group was studied following surgical denervation of the carotid chemoreceptors. Carotid denervation eliminated the early tachypneic phase during exposure to hypoxia and delayed the time to arousal/excitement but did not alter the time to primary apnea, the time to last gasp or the total number of gasps during exposure to a single period of unrelenting hypoxia. Furthermore, carotid denervation did not alter the number of successful autoresuscitations from primary apnea during repeated hypoxic exposure. Thus, the carotid chemoreceptors are not essential for the initiation or maintenance of gasping nor are they are integral to gasping effecting successful autoresuscitation from hypoxic-induced apnea in newborn rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongzhi Lun
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4 N1, Canada
| | - Chunfen Zhang
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4 N1, Canada
| | - James E Fewell
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4 N1, Canada.
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Abstract
Lung ventilation fluctuates widely with behavior but arterial PCO2 remains stable. Under normal conditions, the chemoreflexes contribute to PaCO2 stability by producing small corrective cardiorespiratory adjustments mediated by lower brainstem circuits. Carotid body (CB) information reaches the respiratory pattern generator (RPG) via nucleus solitarius (NTS) glutamatergic neurons which also target rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) presympathetic neurons thereby raising sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). Chemoreceptors also regulate presympathetic neurons and cardiovagal preganglionic neurons indirectly via inputs from the RPG. Secondary effects of chemoreceptors on the autonomic outflows result from changes in lung stretch afferent and baroreceptor activity. Central respiratory chemosensitivity is caused by direct effects of acid on neurons and indirect effects of CO2 via astrocytes. Central respiratory chemoreceptors are not definitively identified but the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is a particularly strong candidate. The absence of RTN likely causes severe central apneas in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Like other stressors, intense chemosensory stimuli produce arousal and activate circuits that are wake- or attention-promoting. Such pathways (e.g., locus coeruleus, raphe, and orexin system) modulate the chemoreflexes in a state-dependent manner and their activation by strong chemosensory stimuli intensifies these reflexes. In essential hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and congestive heart failure, chronically elevated CB afferent activity contributes to raising SNA but breathing is unchanged or becomes periodic (severe CHF). Extreme CNS hypoxia produces a stereotyped cardiorespiratory response (gasping, increased SNA). The effects of these various pathologies on brainstem cardiorespiratory networks are discussed, special consideration being given to the interactions between central and peripheral chemoreflexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
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Buchanan GF. Timing, sleep, and respiration in health and disease. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2014; 119:191-219. [PMID: 23899599 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-396971-2.00008-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Breathing is perhaps the physiological function that is most vital to human survival. Without breathing and adequate oxygenation of tissues, life ceases. As would be expected for such a vital function, breathing occurs automatically, without the requirement of conscious input. Breathing is subject to regulation by a variety of factors including circadian rhythms and vigilance state. Given the need for breathing to occur continuously with little tolerance for interruption, it is not surprising that breathing is subject to both circadian phase-dependent and vigilance-state-dependent regulation. Similarly, the information regarding respiratory state, including blood-gas concentrations, can affect circadian timing and sleep-wake state. The exact nature of the interactions between breathing, circadian phase, and vigilance state can vary depending upon the species studied and the methodologies employed. These interactions between breathing, circadian phase, and vigilance state may have important implications for a variety of human diseases, including sleep apnea, asthma, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, and sudden infant death syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon F Buchanan
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Guyenet PG, Abbott SBG. Chemoreception and asphyxia-induced arousal. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2013; 188:333-43. [PMID: 23608705 PMCID: PMC3749262 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2013.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Arousal protects against the adverse and potentially fatal effects of asphyxia during sleep. Asphyxia stimulates the carotid bodies and central chemoreceptors but the sequence of events leading to arousal is uncertain. In this review, the theoretical mechanisms leading to arousal from sleep are briefly summarized and the issue of whether central respiratory chemoreceptors (CRCs) or other types of CO2-responsive CNS neurons contribute to asphyxia-induced arousal is discussed. We focus on the role of the retrotrapezoid nucleus, the raphe and the locus coeruleus and emphasize the anatomical and neurophysiological evidence which suggests that these putative central chemoreceptors could contribute to arousal independently of their effects on breathing. Finally, we describe recent attempts to test the contribution of specific brainstem pathways to asphyxia-induced arousal using optogenetic and other tools and the possible contribution of a group of hypoxia-sensitive brainstem neurons (the C1 cells) to breathing and arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, United States.
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Carroll JL, Donnelly DF, Bairam A. Foreword. Development of the carotid body. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2013; 185:1-2. [PMID: 23078973 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John L Carroll
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Hospital, 1 Children's Way, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA.
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