Coordination between cardiovascular and respiratory control systems during and after cerebral ischemia

The dissociation of cardiovascular (arterial hypertension) and respiratory (depression) reactions to severe cerebral ischemia seems to be inconsistent with the usual cooperative behavior of the two systems and their role in managing disturbances in the central chemical environment. In the present study the Cushing reaction was elicited by transient increase of the intracranial pressure 4-11 times in each experiment. The pressor response and changes in the vertebral sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) were compared with the respiratory reaction and with changes in the phrenic nerve activity. The reaction in both nerves developed in two phases. In the phrenic nerve, an initial hyperactivity (increased discharge amplitude and frequency) coincided with augmentation of the rhythmic SND (phase 1) and complete nerve depression developed when the SND was desynchronized (phase 2). The transition in both systems correlated in their latencies and the severity of the ischemia needed for their stimulation. Repetition of the ischemic stimuli increased the occurrence of the respiratory-related rhythmicity in the SND and later changed its character from rhythmic amplitude modulation to respiratory-related high-frequency bursting SND coinciding with the inspiration. It is concluded that, despite the apparent dissociation between the cardiovascular and respiratory reactions, there is a parallel response between the neurophysiological correlates of the two systems to increasing severity of cerebral ischemia.