Possible locations of pH-dependent central chemoreceptors: intramedullary regions with acidic shift of extracellular fluid pH during hypercapnia.

Using liquid membrane pH microelectrodes, we evaluated rapid and transient changes in extracellular fluid (ECF) pH within the medulla during vertebral artery injections of CO2-saturated saline (0.5 ml) in anesthetized (Dial-urethane), spontaneously breathing cats. We found intramedullary regions where ECF pH shifted to the acid side in the time course analogous to respiratory excitation during the CO2 loadings: the acidic shift occurred just before the respiratory excitation. Since most of the tested regions showed no or few changes in ECF pH, the responsive regions are thought to be specific local environments fitting the central chemoreceptors. Forty (85%) out of the 47 responsive regions were found to be scattered in the ventrolateral medulla, i.e. a long narrow zone extending from the ventrolateral surface to the ventral respiratory group (VRG) areas where inspiratory or expiratory activity was frequently recorded. The responsive regions were not necessarily restricted to the superficial ventral layers. We were also able to find the responsive regions in the dorsal area ventral to the nucleus tractus solitarii, though they were fewer in number (7/47). The distributions corresponded rougly to the areas where we had previously identified the tonically firing neurons excited exclusively by stimulation of the central chemoreceptors. These results indicate a possibility that the pH-dependent central chemoreceptors, if any, would be located within the regions demonstrated in this study.