Neuropharmacological aspects of central respiratory regulation. An experimental study in the rat.

Neuropharmacological mechanisms in central regulation of respiration in anesthetized rats were studied in a whole body plethysmographic model. Neurotransmitter agonists and antagonists were administered intracerebroventricularly or locally into the brain and the respiratory pattern was analysed. The four anesthetics: enflurance (E), halothane (H), pentobarbital sodium (P) and urethane (U) were found to have different effects on central respiratory regulation. Respiratory frequency was higher after H and U compared to after E and P. Animals anesthetized with H exhibited a lower inspiratory drive and a slightly depressed sensitivity to CO2. The responses to the neuropeptides substance P and TRH as well as the amino acid neurotransmitter GABA were partly modified after the different forms of anesthesia. Apomorphine (i.c.v) induced a biphasic, haloperidol reversible, respiratory response in H- and U- (but not in E- and P-) anesthetized rats. The initial bradypnoic response might be due to a decreased sensitivity to afferent vagal signals, while the following tachypnoic phase might be elicited by dopaminergic mechanisms at posterior diencephalic and upper midbrain levels (hypoxic, hypercapnic tachypnea). The tachypnoic response was inhibited by a graded exposure to CO2. The effects of different neurotransmitters were further analysed in H-anesthetized animals. GABA and the GABA agonist muscimol exerted a depressant effect on ventilation in contrast to the GABA-like drugs GHBA an baclofen. Exogenous GABA depressed all respiratory parameters studied exept for inspiratory time and was found to affect mainly respiratory timing mechanisms. An increase in endogenous GABA levels induced by the GABA transaminase inhibitor AOAA blunted the respiratory response to CO2 and induced a ventilatory depression similar to that seen after exogenous GABA. A significance correlation between brain stem GABA levels and respiratory duty cycle was found. The tripeptide TRH induced a marked tachypnea due to the extrahypothalamic actions of the peptide. A delay in the response was seen after local injection into the nucleus tractus solitarius and the tachypnea was abolished by CO2 exposure. The ventilatory effects might be elicited by mechanisms similar to those involved in the tachypnoic response to apomorphine. The tachypnea was potentiated by GABA (possibly due to that both agents act on inspiratory off-switch lowering mechanism) and by methylatropine or naloxone (possibly due to secondary pertubation by cholinergic or enkephalinergic mechanisms). A stimulation of ventilation (increase in tidal volume) was seen after substance P (SP) due to an increase in inspiratory drive and o