Journal of applied physiology
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Although rats are a frequent model for studies of plasticity in respiratory motor control, the relative capacity of rat accessory respiratory muscles to express plasticity is not well known, particularly in unanesthetized animals. Here, we characterized external intercostal (T2, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9 EIC) and abdominal muscle (external oblique and rectus abdominis) electromyogram (EMG) activity in unanesthetized rats via radiotelemetry during normoxia (Nx: 21% O2) and following acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH: 10 × 5-min, 10.5% O2; 5-min intervals). Diaphragm and T2-T5 EIC EMG activity, and ventilation were also assessed during maximal chemoreceptor stimulation ( ⋯ 7% CO2, 10.5% O2) and sustained hypoxia (SH: 10.5% O2). In Nx, T2 EIC exhibits prominent inspiratory activity, whereas T4, T5, T6, and T7 EIC inspiratory activity decreases in a caudal direction. T8 and T9 EIC and abdominal muscles show only tonic or sporadic activity, without consistent respiratory activity. MCS increases diaphragm and T2 EIC EMG amplitude and tidal volume more than SH (0.94 ± 0.10 vs. 0.68 ± 0.05 ml/100 g; P < 0.001). Following AIH, T2 EIC EMG amplitude remained above baseline for more than 60 min post-AIH (i.e., EIC long-term facilitation, LTF), and was greater than diaphragm LTF (41.5 ± 1.3% vs. 19.1 ± 2.0% baseline; P < 0.001). We conclude that 1) diaphragm and rostral T2-T5 EIC muscles exhibit inspiratory activity during Nx; 2) MCS elicits greater ventilatory, diaphragm, and rostral T2-T5 EIC muscle activity vs. SH; and 3) AIH induces greater rostral EIC LTF than diaphragm LTF.
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The purpose of this study was to compare hemodynamic and blood analyte responses to reduced central venous pressure (CVP) and pulse pressure (PP) elicited during graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) to those observed during graded blood loss (BL) in conscious humans. We hypothesized that the stimulus-response relationships of CVP and PP to hemodynamic responses during LBNP would mimic those observed during BL. We assessed CVP, PP, heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and other hemodynamic markers in 12 men during LBNP and BL. ⋯ The PP-heart rate trajectory was the only PP-response slope that was statistically different during LBNP compared with BL (-1.85 ± 0.45 vs. -0.46 ± 0.27; P = 0.024). Norepinephrine, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were all lower at termination in the BL protocol compared with LBNP (P < 0.05). Consistent with our hypothesis, LBNP mimics the hemodynamic stimulus-response trajectories observed during BL across a significant range of CVP in humans.
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The purpose of this study was to assess blood flow responses to changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the internal carotid artery (ICA), external carotid artery (ECA), and vertebral artery (VA) during normothermic and hyperthermic conditions. Eleven healthy subjects aged 22 ± 2 (SD) yr were exposed to passive whole body heating followed by spontaneous hypocapnic and hypercapnic challenges in normothermic and hyperthermic conditions. Right ICA, ECA, and VA blood flows, as well as left middle cerebral artery (MCA) mean blood velocity (Vmean), were measured. ⋯ Heat stress did not alter CO2 reactivity in the MCA and VA. However, CO2 reactivity in the ICA was decreased (3.04 ± 1.17 vs. 2.23 ± 1.03%/mmHg; P = 0.039) but that in the ECA was enhanced (0.45 ± 0.47 vs. 0.95 ± 0.61%/mmHg; P = 0.032). These results indicate that hyperthermia is capable of altering dynamic cerebral blood flow regulation.