Cerebellar modulation of ventilatory response to progressive hypercapnia

The cerebellar contribution to the ventilatory response to progressive hypercapnia was examined in 18 anesthetized tracheotomized spontaneously breathing cats. The absolute values for minute ventilation (VE), tidal volume (VT), respiratory frequency (f), inspiratory duty cycle (TI/TT), and mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI) were measured. Progressive hypercapnia [35-65 Torr end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2)] was induced using the rebreathing method. The respiratory variables at each level of PETCO2 and the slopes of ventilatory (VT and f) responses to hypercapnia were compared across the intact, decerebellate, and decerebellate-vagotomized preparations. In 12 cats, decerebellation preceded vagotomy, and in 6 cats the order of the surgical procedures was reversed. The results show that, compared with intact control, decerebellation had little effect on respiratory variables when PETCO2 was 30-35 Torr. However, during a hypercapneic challenge (40-65 Torr PETCO2), VE and the slope of the VE response were significantly reduced. Bilateral vagotomy increased VT and decreased f but failed to alter the ventilatory response in the PETCO2 range of 35-55 Torr. However, combination of decerebellation and vagotomy, regardless of the surgical order, severely blunted VE (35-65 Torr PETCO2) and the slopes of VE, VT and f responses. When decerebellation followed vagotomy, significant decreases in VT (absolute values and slopes) were noted with little further alteration in f response. We conclude that the cerebellum and its interaction with the vagus nerves play a facilitatory or disinhibitory role in the ventilatory responses to hypercapnia.