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Published on: November 2, 2015
The influence of chronic hypoxia upon chemoreception
1Department of Medicine and White Mountain Research Station, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0623, USA. fpowell@ucsd.edu
Cellular plasticity in carotid body chemoreceptors drives ventilatory acclimatization to chronic hypoxia. These changes involve ion channels and neurotransmitters, optimizing oxygen sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Carotid body chemoreceptors are crucial for regulating breathing during chronic hypoxia.
- Ventilatory acclimatization involves time-dependent adjustments in respiratory control.
- Early theories emphasized ventilatory stimuli like arterial pH, but cellular mechanisms are now recognized as key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying carotid body chemoreception plasticity during chronic hypoxia.
- To understand how these adaptations contribute to ventilatory acclimatization.
- To investigate potential differences in these mechanisms in human hypoxemia.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of changes in ion channel and neurotransmitter expression/function in carotid bodies.
- Assessment of carotid body afferent activity in response to varying oxygen levels.
- Review of existing literature on medullary respiratory center plasticity.
Main Results:
- Chronic hypoxia induces plasticity in carotid body glomus cells, altering ion channel activity (potassium, sodium, calcium) and increasing excitability.
- Changes in neurotransmitters (dopamine, acetylcholine, ATP) and neuromodulators (endothelin-1) enhance carotid body afferent signaling.
- Medullary respiratory centers also exhibit plasticity in processing carotid body input.
Conclusions:
- Cellular and molecular plasticity of the carotid body is a primary driver of ventilatory acclimatization to chronic hypoxia.
- These adaptations optimize O(2)-sensitivity by modulating glomus cell excitability and afferent activity.
- Further research is needed to determine if these mechanisms apply to patients with chronic hypoxemia and high-altitude natives.
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