[Hokkaido igaku zasshi] The Hokkaido journal of medical science
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Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi · Mar 1998
Comparative StudyEffects of volatile anesthetics on respiratory activity and chemosensitivity in the isolated brainstem-spinal cord of the newborn rat.
To elucidate the various actions of volatile anesthetics on respiratory activity and chemosensitivity, we have studied the activities of the respiration-related structures in the medulla of the in vitro brainstem-spinal cord preparation of the newborn rat. Halothane decreased respiratory burst frequency (fR), inspiratory duration (Ti), integrated ventral C4 root activity (integral of C4) and respiratory minute activity (RMA) in a concentration-dependent fashion. Bicuculline counteracted the depressive effect of halothane on fR, integral of C4, and RMA. ⋯ Prolongation of Ti by enflurane, seen clinically, does not seem to be either central or GABAergic. These findings demonstrate the responsiveness to CO2 and the respiratory compensation mechanism via respiratory frequency in the isolated preparation. It is, furthermore, indicated that halothane preserves the central chemosensitivity while its concentration is high enough to reduce the respiratory activities.