[Restoration of the respiratory center functions in rats after its complete cold-induced paralysis ].

White rats were cooled until cessation of their breathing (about 17.6 degrees C) and then transferred to a 19-20 degrees C room. The breathless rats were administered EDTA (experimental group) and saline (control groups). Within 6 min., warming of the brain stem to 18.6 degrees C caused restoration of breathing in experimental rats whereas the control rats remained breathless. The EDTA binds calcium ions in the cells' cytosol and thus restores the normal regulation of metabolism in the brain cells.