Pulmonary Adaptation to High Altitude.

Abstract

This project is aimed at two closely related questions concerning man's adaptation to high altitude hypoxia: (1) What mechanisms regulate the ionic composition of brain intra- and extra-cellular fluid in long-term hypoxia; and (2) What role do these regulatory factors play in mediating ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia; In the second year of our contract, we have accomplished the following: (a) found that CSF (H+) changed as a function of ventilation during normoxia deacclimatization from chronic hypoxia; (b) established the rat as an animal model for human ventilatory acclimatization to chronic hypoxia, and observed the relative insensitivity of ventilation to alakline brain perfusion in chronic hypoxia; (c) established the near-perfect regulation of brain pHi in short-term hypoxia and/or hypocapnia and determined the contribution of changes in brain metabolism of this regulation; (d) established the necessary biochemical and physiologic methods and then showed a close link between CNS serotonin metabolism and the control of air-breathing eupnea in the awake rat; and (e) showed the difference in and importance of ventilatory adaptation in other physiologic states--sleep and exercise. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 22, 1978
Accession Number
ADA068317

Entities

People

  • Jerome A. Dempsey

Organizations

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acclimatization
  • Altitude
  • Biomedical Research
  • Blood
  • Brain
  • Contracts
  • Health Services
  • High Altitude
  • Hypocapnia
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • Metabolism
  • Perfusion
  • Regulations
  • Respiration
  • Respiration Disorders
  • Sea Level

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology