Effect of testosterone on the apneic threshold in women during NREM sleep

2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. S. Zhou ◽  
J. A. Rowley ◽  
F. Demirovic ◽  
M. P. Diamond ◽  
M. S. Badr

The hypocapnic apneic threshold (AT) is lower in women relative to men. To test the hypothesis that the gender difference in AT was due to testosterone, we determined the AT during non-rapid eye movement sleep in eight healthy, nonsnoring, premenopausal women before and after 10–12 days of transdermal testosterone. Hypocapnia was induced via nasal mechanical ventilation (MV) for 3 min with tidal volumes ranging from 175 to 215% above eupneic tidal volume and respiratory frequency matched to eupneic frequency. Cessation of MV resulted in hypocapnic central apnea or hypopnea depending on the magnitude of hypocapnia. Nadir minute ventilation as a percentage of control (%V˙e) was plotted against the change in end-tidal CO2(Pet CO2 ); %V˙e was given a value of zero during central apnea. The AT was defined as the Pet CO2 at which the apnea closest to the last hypopnea occurred; hypocapnic ventilatory response (HPVR) was defined as the slope of the linear regression V˙e vs. Pet CO2 . Both the AT (39.5 ± 2.9 vs. 42.1 ± 3.0 Torr; P = 0.002) and HPVR (0.20 ± 0.05 vs. 0.33 ± 0.11%V˙e/Torr; P = 0.016) increased with testosterone administration. We conclude that testosterone administration increases AT in premenopausal women, suggesting that the increased breathing instability during sleep in men is related to the presence of testosterone.

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. S. Zhou ◽  
S. Shahabuddin ◽  
B. R. Zahn ◽  
M. A. Babcock ◽  
M. S. Badr

We hypothesized that a decreased susceptibility to the development of hypocapnic central apnea during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in women compared with men could be an explanation for the gender difference in the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. We studied eight men (age 25–35 yr) and eight women in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle (age 21–43 yr); we repeated studies in six women during the midfollicular phase. Hypocapnia was induced via nasal mechanical ventilation for 3 min, with respiratory frequency matched to eupneic frequency. Tidal volume (Vt) was increased between 110 and 200% of eupneic control. Cessation of mechanical ventilation resulted in hypocapnic central apnea or hypopnea, depending on the magnitude of hypocapnia. Nadir minute ventilation in the recovery period was plotted against the change in end-tidal Pco 2(Pet CO2 ) per trial; minute ventilation was given a value of 0 during central apnea. The apneic threshold was defined as the x-intercept of the linear regression line. In women, induction of a central apnea required an increase in Vt to 155 ± 29% (mean ± SD) and a reduction of Pet CO2 by −4.72 ± 0.57 Torr. In men, induction of a central apnea required an increase in Vt to 142 ± 13% and a reduction of Pet CO2 by −3.54 ± 0.31 Torr ( P = 0.002). There was no difference in the apneic threshold between the follicular and the luteal phase in women. Premenopausal women are less susceptible to hypocapnic disfacilitation during NREM sleep than men. This effect was not explained by progesterone. Preservation of ventilatory motor output during hypocapnia may explain the gender difference in sleep apnea.


2004 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1673-1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Morelli ◽  
M. Safwan Badr ◽  
Jason H. Mateika

We hypothesized that the acute ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in the presence of low and high levels of oxygen would increase to a greater extent in men compared with women after exposure to episodic hypoxia. Eleven healthy men and women of similar race, age, and body mass index completed a series of rebreathing trials before and after exposure to eight 4-min episodes of hypoxia. During the rebreathing trials, subjects initially hyperventilated to reduce the end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PetCO2) below 25 Torr. Subjects then rebreathed from a bag containing a normocapnic (42 Torr), low (50 Torr), or high oxygen gas mixture (150 Torr). During the trials, PetCO2 increased while the selected level of oxygen was maintained. The point at which minute ventilation began to rise in a linear fashion as PetCO2 increased was considered to be the carbon dioxide set point. The ventilatory response below and above this point was determined. The results showed that the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide above the set point was increased in men compared with women before exposure to episodic hypoxia, independent of the oxygen level that was maintained during the rebreathing trials (50 Torr: men, 5.19 ± 0.82 vs. women, 4.70 ± 0.77 l·min−1·Torr−1; 150 Torr: men, 4.33 ± 1.15 vs. women, 3.21 ± 0.58 l·min−1·Torr−1). Moreover, relative to baseline measures, the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in the presence of low and high oxygen levels increased to a greater extent in men compared with women after exposure to episodic hypoxia (50 Torr: men, 9.52 ± 1.40 vs. women, 5.97 ± 0.71 l·min−1·Torr−1; 150 Torr: men, 5.73 ± 0.81 vs. women, 3.83 ± 0.56 l·min−1·Torr−1). Thus we conclude that enhancement of the acute ventilatory response to carbon dioxide after episodic hypoxia is sex dependent.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 1157-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Georgopoulos ◽  
S. Walker ◽  
N. R. Anthonisen

In adult humans the ventilatory response to sustained hypoxia (VRSH) is biphasic, characterized by an initial brisk increase, due to peripheral chemoreceptor (PC) stimulation, followed by a decline attributed to central depressant action of hypoxia. To study the effects of selective stimulation of PC on the ventilatory response pattern to hypoxia, the VRSH was evaluated after pretreatment with almitrine (A), a PC stimulant. Eight subjects were pretreated with A (75 mg po) or placebo (P) on 2 days in a single-blind manner. Two hours after drug administration, they breathed, in succession, room air (10 min), O2 (5 min), room air (5 min), hypoxia [25 min, arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) = 80%], O2 (5 min), and room air (5 min). End-tidal CO2 was kept constant at the normoxic base-line values. Inspiratory minute ventilation (VI) and breathing patterns were measured over the last 2 min of each period and during minutes 3–5 of hypoxia, and nadirs in VI were assessed just before and after O2 exposure. Independent of the day, the VRSH was biphasic. With P and A pretreatment, early hypoxia increased VI 4.6 +/- 1 and 14.2 +/- 1 (SE) l/min, respectively, from values obtained during the preceding room-air period. On A day the hypoxic ventilatory decline was significantly larger than that on P day, and on both days the decline was a constant fraction of the acute hypoxic response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1984 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1347-1354 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Netick ◽  
W. J. Dugger ◽  
R. A. Symmons

Eucapnic breathing and ventilatory responses to hypercapnia were studied in seven cats during sleep and wakefulness. No significant differences were found in minute ventilation (VE), alveolar ventilation (VA), or alveolar PCO2 (PACO2) between wakefulness (W) and non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, but VA and VE were less during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep than W, and PACO2 declined during REM compared with NREM. To test the hypercapnic response, cats were required to rebreathe from a bag containing 6% CO2 and 94% O2 (to eliminate the hypoxic response). The response curve was displaced to the right during NREM and REM; the slope was reduced only during REM to a value about 75% of W and NREM. Eye movements, quantifying phasic REM, were only slightly correlated (negatively) with the deviation of ventilation from the response curve. The hypercapnic response was diminished, not eliminated, during REM, even during phasic REM. The reduced slope arose principally from the failure of the expiratory time to shorten with hypercapnia as during W and NREM. The cat's hypercapnic response compared with the dog's, measured by others with the same methodology, suggests that differences between species may be more crucial than methodology in explaining earlier contradictory results.


2007 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 1832-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepti Ahuja ◽  
Jason H. Mateika ◽  
Michael P. Diamond ◽  
M. Safwan Badr

We hypothesized that the ventilatory threshold and sensitivity to carbon dioxide in the presence of hypoxia and hyperoxia during wakefulness would be increased following testosterone administration in premenopausal women. Additionally, we hypothesized that the sensitivity to carbon dioxide increases following episodic hypoxia and that this increase is enhanced after testosterone administration. Eleven women completed four modified carbon dioxide rebreathing trials before and after episodic hypoxia. Two rebreathing trials before and after episodic hypoxia were completed with oxygen levels sustained at 150 Torr, the remaining trials were repeated while oxygen was maintained at 50 Torr. The protocol was completed following 8–10 days of treatment with testosterone or placebo skin patches. Resting minute ventilation was greater following treatment with testosterone compared with placebo (testosterone 11.38 ± 0.43 vs. placebo 10.07 ± 0.36 l/min; P < 0.01). This increase was accompanied by an increase in the ventilatory sensitivity to carbon dioxide in the presence of sustained hyperoxia (VSco2hyperoxia) compared with placebo (3.6 ± 0.5 vs. 2.9 ± 0.3; P < 0.03). No change in the ventilatory sensitivity to carbon dioxide in the presence of sustained hypoxia (VSco2 hypoxia) following treatment with testosterone was observed. However, the VSco2 hypoxia was increased after episodic hypoxia. This increase was similar following treatment with placebo or testosterone patches. We conclude that treatment with testosterone leads to increases in the VSco2hyperoxia, indicative of increased central chemoreflex responsiveness. We also conclude that exposure to episodic hypoxia enhances the VSco2 hypoxia, but that this enhancement is unaffected by treatment with testosterone.


1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1885-1892 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Shindoh ◽  
W. Hida ◽  
Y. Kikuchi ◽  
T. Chonan ◽  
H. Inoue ◽  
...  

Ventilatory response to graded external dead space (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 2.5 liters) with hyperoxia and CO2 steady-state inhalation (3, 5, 7, and 8% CO2 in O2) was studied before and after 4% lidocaine aerosol inhalation in nine healthy males. The mean ventilatory response (delta VE/delta PETCO2, where VE is minute ventilation and PETCO2 is end-tidal PCO2) to graded dead space before airway anesthesia was 10.2 +/- 4.6 (SD) l.min-1.Torr-1, which was significantly greater than the steady-state CO2 response (1.4 +/- 0.6 l.min-1.Torr-1, P less than 0.001). Dead-space loading produced greater oscillation in airway PCO2 than did CO2 gas loading. After airway anesthesia, ventilatory response to graded dead space decreased significantly, to 2.1 +/- 0.6 l.min-1.Torr-1 (P less than 0.01) but was still greater than that to CO2. The response to CO2 did not significantly differ (1.3 +/- 0.5 l.min-1.Torr-1). Tidal volume, mean inspiratory flow, respiratory frequency, inspiratory time, and expiratory time during dead-space breathing were also depressed after airway anesthesia, particularly during large dead-space loading. On the other hand, during CO2 inhalation, these respiratory variables did not significantly differ before and after airway anesthesia. These results suggest that in conscious humans vagal airway receptors play a role in the ventilatory response to graded dead space and control of the breathing pattern during dead-space loading by detecting the oscillation in airway PCO2. These receptors do not appear to contribute to the ventilatory response to inhaled CO2.


2010 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1378-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susmita Chowdhuri ◽  
Prabhat Sinha ◽  
Sukanya Pranathiageswaran ◽  
M. Safwan Badr

The present study was designed to determine whether hyperoxia would lower the hypocapnic apneic threshold (AT) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Nasal noninvasive mechanical ventilation was used to induce hypocapnia and subsequent central apnea in healthy subjects during stable NREM sleep. Mechanical ventilation trials were conducted under normoxic (room air) and hyperoxic conditions (inspired Po2 > 250 Torr) in a random order. The CO2 reserve was defined as the minimal change in end-tidal Pco2 (PetCO2) between eupnea and hypocapnic central apnea. The PetCO2 of the apnea closest to eupnea was designated as the AT. The hypocapnic ventilatory response was calculated as the change in ventilation below eupnea for a given change in PetCO2. In nine participants, compared with room air, exposure to hyperoxia was associated with a significant decrease in eupneic PetCO2 (37.5 ± 0.6 vs. 41.1 ± 0.6 Torr, P = 0.001), widening of the CO2 reserve (−3.8 ± 0.8 vs. −2.0 ± 0.3 Torr, P = 0.03), and a subsequent decline in AT (33.3 ± 1.2 vs. 39.0 ± 0.7 Torr; P = 001). The hypocapnic ventilatory response was also decreased with hyperoxia. In conclusion, 1) hyperoxia was associated with a decreased AT and an increase in the magnitude of hypocapnia required for the development of central apnea. 2) Thus hyperoxia may mitigate the effects of hypocapnia on ventilatory motor output by lowering the hypocapnic ventilatory response and lowering the resting eupneic PetCO2, thereby decreasing plant gain.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 642-647. ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Daniel Babenco ◽  
Robert T. Blouin ◽  
Pattilyn F. Conard ◽  
Jeffrey B. Gross

Background Diphenhydramine is used as an antipruritic and antiemetic in patients receiving opioids. Whether it might exacerbate opioid-induced ventilatory depression has not been determined. Methods The ventilatory response to carbon dioxide during hyperoxia and the ventilatory response to hypoxia during hypercapnia (end-tidal pressure of carbon dioxide [PETCO2] is approximately equal to 54 mmHg) were determined in eight healthy volunteers. Ventilatory responses to carbon dioxide and hypoxia were calculated at baseline and during an alfentanil infusion (estimated blood levels approximately equal to 10 ng/ml) before and after diphenhydramine 0.7 mg/kg. Results The slope of the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide decreased from 1.08+/-0.38 to 0.79+/-0.36 l x min(-1) x mmHg(-1) (x +/- SD, P &lt; 0.05) during alfentanil infusion; after diphenhydramine, the slope increased to 1.17+/-0.28 l x min(-1) x mmHg(-1) (P &lt; 0.05). The minute ventilation (VE) at PETCO2 approximately equal to 46 mmHg (VE46) decreased from 12.1+/-3.7 to 9.7+/-3.6 l/min (P &lt; 0.05) and the VE at 54 mmHg (VE54) decreased from 21.3+/-4.8 to 16.6+/-4.7 l/min during alfentanil (P &lt; 0.05). After diphenhydramine, (VE46 did not change significantly, remaining lower than baseline at 9.9+/-2.9 l/min (P &lt; 0.05), whereas VE54 increased significantly to 20.5+/-3.0 l/min. During hypoxia, VE at SpO2 = 90% (VE90) decreased from 30.5+/-9.7 to 23.1+/-6.9 l/min during alfentanil (P &lt; 0.05). After diphenhydramine, the increase in VE90 to 27.2+/-9.2 l/min was not significant (P = 0.06). Conclusions Diphenhydramine counteracts the alfentanil-induced decrease in the slope of the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide. However, at PETCO2 = 46 mmHg, it does not significantly alter the alfentanil-induced shift in the carbon dioxide response curve. In addition, diphenhydramine does not exacerbate the opioid-induced depression of the hypoxic ventilatory response during moderate hypercarbia.


2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 1275-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giora Pillar ◽  
Atul Malhotra ◽  
Robert B. Fogel ◽  
Josee Beauregard ◽  
David I. Slamowitz ◽  
...  

Although pharyngeal muscles respond robustly to increasing Pco 2 during wakefulness, the effect of hypercapnia on upper airway muscle activation during sleep has not been carefully assessed. This may be important, because it has been hypothesized that CO2-driven muscle activation may importantly stabilize the upper airway during stages 3 and 4 sleep. To test this hypothesis, we measured ventilation, airway resistance, genioglossus (GG) and tensor palatini (TP) electromyogram (EMG), plus end-tidal Pco 2(Pet CO2 ) in 18 subjects during wakefulness, stage 2, and slow-wave sleep (SWS). Responses of ventilation and muscle EMG to administered CO2(Pet CO2 = 6 Torr above the eupneic level) were also assessed during SWS ( n = 9) or stage 2 sleep ( n = 7). Pet CO2 increased spontaneously by 0.8 ± 0.1 Torr from stage 2 to SWS (from 43.3 ± 0.6 to 44.1 ± 0.5 Torr, P < 0.05), with no significant change in GG or TP EMG. Despite a significant increase in minute ventilation with induced hypercapnia (from 8.3 ± 0.1 to 11.9 ± 0.3 l/min in stage 2 and 8.6 ± 0.4 to 12.7 ± 0.4 l/min in SWS, P < 0.05 for both), there was no significant change in the GG or TP EMG. These data indicate that supraphysiological levels of Pet CO2 (50.4 ± 1.6 Torr in stage 2, and 50.4 ± 0.9 Torr in SWS) are not a major independent stimulus to pharyngeal dilator muscle activation during either SWS or stage 2 sleep. Thus hypercapnia-induced pharyngeal dilator muscle activation alone is unlikely to explain the paucity of sleep-disordered breathing events during SWS.


1983 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 874-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. White ◽  
N. J. Douglas ◽  
C. K. Pickett ◽  
J. V. Weil ◽  
C. W. Zwillich

Previous investigation has demonstrated that progesterone, a hormone found in premenopausal women, is a ventilatory stimulant. However, fragmentary data suggest that normal women may have lower ventilatory responses to chemical stimuli than men, in whom progesterone is found at low levels. As male-female differences have not been carefully studied, we undertook a systematic comparison of resting ventilation and ventilatory responses to chemical stimuli in men and women. Resting ventilation was found to correlate closely with CO2 production in all subjects (r = 0.71, P less than 0.001), but women tended to have a greater minute ventilation per milliliter of CO2 produced (P less than 0.05) and consequently a lower CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) (men 35.1 +/- 0.5 Torr, women 33.2 +/- 0.5 Torr; P less than 0.02). Women were also found to have lower tidal volumes, even when corrected from body surface area (BSA), and greater respiratory frequency than comparable males. The hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) quantitated by the shape parameter A was significantly greater in men [167 +/- 22 (SE)] than in women (109 +/- 13; P less than 0.05). In men this hypoxic response was found to correlate closely with O2 consumption (r = 0.75, P less than 0.001) but with no measure of size or metabolic rate in women. The hypercapnic ventilatory response, expressed as the slope of ventilation vs. PCO2, was also greater in men (2.30 +/- 0.23) than in women (1.58 +/- 0.19, P less than 0.05). Finally women tended to have higher ventilatory responses in the luteal than in the follicular menstrual phase, but this was significant only for HVR (P less than 0.05). Women, with relatively higher resting ventilation, have lower responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia.


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