Previous studies demonstrated that both ventilatory and phrenic nerve responses to acute hypoxia are greatly attenuated in adult rats (3-5 months old) previously exposed to 1 month of perinatal hyperoxia (60 % O2; perinatal treated rats). The present study tested the hypothesis that this functional impairment recovers spontaneously with advancing age in perinatal treated rats. 2. Hypoxia-induced chemoreflexes were examined by measuring integrated phrenic responses to strictly controlled isocapnic hypoxia in urethane-anaesthetized, vagotomized, paralysed and ventilated rats at different ages. 3. At 50 mmHg Pa,O2 (arterial O2 partial pressure), the hypoxia-induced increase in minute phrenic activity was significantly attenuated in both 3- to 5-month-old (166 +/- 15% of baseline) and 6-month-old (130 +/- 17%) perinatal treated rats, relative to 3- to 6-month-old, untreated control rats (279 +/- 28%; both P < 0.05). However, at 40 mmHg Pa,O2, the hypoxic minute phrenic activity response was attenuated only in 3- to 5-month-old (154 +/- 33%), but not 6-month-old (232 +/- 33%) perinatal treated rats versus control rats (293 +/- 30%). 4. The minute phrenic activity response to hypoxia was not significantly different between geriatric perinatal treated rats (14-15 months) and untreated geriatric control rats at either 50 mmHg (treated: 250 +/- 20% versus control: 274 +/- 23%) or 40 mmHg Pa,O2 (treated: 292 +/- 19% versus control: 315 +/- 36%). 5. These data suggest that partial spontaneous recovery may occur in 6-month-old perinatal treated rats and that full recovery occurs by 15 months of age.
