Effects of hypercapnia on ECoG and oxidative metabolism in neonatal dog brain

The effects of hypercapnia on cerebral electrical activity and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation were studied in the anesthetized neonatal dog by using the electrocorticogram (ECoG) and 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Three levels of hypercapnia with arterial PCO2 values of approximately 70, 100, and 140 Torr reduced the intracellular pH of the brain from 7.11 to 6.99, 6.87, and 6.76, respectively. These levels of hypercapnia also reduced ADP concentration ([ADP]) from 21.5 to 18.1, 14.8, and 12.9 microM as well as the average ECoG power output by 20, 30, and 40%. A Michaelis-Menten relationship for the mitochondrial respiratory enzymes was fitted with [ADP] and the change in the average ECoG. The result suggests that mitochondrial respiration is regulated by [ADP] and that the in vivo Michaelis-Menten constant for ADP was 21 microM, a value close to the in vitro value. The mitochondrial maximal reaction velocity was reduced by only 10% during hypercapnia and showed no relationship with the degree of acidosis, suggesting that mitochondrial respiratory enzymes are not responsible for the inhibition of the brain electrical activity.