TITLE:
Selecting representative ages for developmental changes of respiratory irregularities and hypoxic ventilatory response in rats
AUTHORS:
Lalah M. Niane, Aida Bairam
KEYWORDS:
Apnea; Hypoxia; Newborn Rat
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Molecular and Integrative Physiology,
Vol.1 No.1,
May
24,
2011
ABSTRACT: Apnea frequency and the weak ventilatory response to hypoxia are a major clinical correlates of the immaturity of respiratory control system in preterm neonates. Rats are frequently used as model to study the respiratory control during development. However, little is known about the postnatal ages that best represent these respiratory irregularities and the hypoxic ventilatory response. Using plethysmography, we assessed baseline minute ventilation, ventilatory response to moderate hypoxia (FiO2 = 12%, 20 min) and apnea frequency in awake and non-anesthetized rats at the postnatal ages of 1, 4, 7, 12, 21 and 90 days old (P1, P4, P7, P12, P21, and P90, respectively). Baseline minute ventilation slightly increased in P4 (~25% vs P1) then gradually decreased with age (age effect: p