Elimination of the post-hypoxic frequency decline in conscious rats lesioned in pontine A5 region.

A decrease in the frequency of breathing following a hypoxic exposure that is below baseline values is called the post-hypoxic frequency decline (phfd) and is due to an elongation of expiratory time (TE). We hypothesized that lesioning the pontine A5 region would eliminate the phfd in conscious rats. Fourteen conscious male rats that demonstrated a phfd received lesions either within the A5 region (n=9) or outside this region (controls, n=5). Compared with pre-lesion values, body temperature decreased and frequency of breathing was lower during exposure to air, hypoxia, and hypercapnia in A5-lesioned, but not in the control-lesioned rats. No effect of A5 lesions was noted on tidal volume. Rats with A5 lesions no longer exhibited a phfd, and TE values following hypoxia were comparable to baseline TE values. These data suggest that the A5 region of the ventrolateral pons modulates the phfd in conscious rats and affects frequency of breathing in response to both hypoxia and hypercapnia.