Abstract
Purified scorpion toxin ( Tityus serrulatus) depending upon the dose can produce either stimulation or paralysis of the respiratory movements of rats. Apnea occurs at the expiratory phase, and is not prevented by vagotomy. A shift of base line in the abdominal respiration tracing is probably due to contraction of the skeletal muscles of the abdominal wall. The ‘gasping’ type of breathing produced by the toxin is not related to asphyxia and shows a fairly regular pattern. The respiratory movements between two ‘gasps’ are irregular in rate and amplitude (‘ataxic’) or are absent (periodic breathing). When ‘gasping’ respiration is superimposed on a basic rhythm, re-injections of toxin abolish the latter. It is likely that these respiratory arrhythmias are due to actions of toxin on the peripheral and/or central nervous system.
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