Effects of early hypoxia on breathing pattern in rabbit pups before and after vagotomy

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We examined the influence of vagal pulmonary receptors exerted on the breathing pattern and inspiratory activities of phrenic nerve and intercostal electromyograms (EMG) during hypoxia in rabbit pups. Animals in their second week of life were anaesthetized with ketamine (50 mg/kg) and acepromazine (3 mg/kg) and tracheostomized. While they breathed spontaneously, we recorded tidal volume (VT), integrated phrenic activity (PHR), integrated external intercostal EMG (INT), and blood pressure (BP). To prevent secondary ventilatory depression, animals were exposed to 12% O2 (balanced with N2) for no longer than 5 min before and after vagotomy. All measurements were taken from 1 min following the onset of hypoxic exposure until the end of the run. During hypoxia, VT, PHR, and INT increased in intact rabbit pups. There was an almost immediate decrease in BP that was maintained during the total period of hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia resulted in inconsistent changes in inspiratory (TI) and expiratory (TE) time in intact animals. Following vagotomy, PHR, INT, VT, BP, and TE responses were the same as in intact animals. However, TI significantly decreased in all animals. In response to hypoxia with and without vagal feedback, INT increased less than PHR in most cases. Qualitatively similar effects of hypoxia were observed in an adult rabbit. The results reveal that the increase in VT and the shortening of TI in response to hypoxia do not depend on vagal feedback in rabbits during the early postnatal period. In fact TI shortening was significant only without vagal feedback.