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Abstract
In order to investigate the role of dopamine in the ventilatory response to sustained,
isocapnic hypoxia six subjects were studied three times in each of three pharmacological
conditions: (1) in the absence of any drug administration, (2) during i.v. infusion
of dopamine (3 micrograms.kg-1.min-1), and (3) after pretreatment with domperidone.
Otherwise the experimental protocol was identical on each day and consisted of holding
the subjects' end-tidal PO2 at 100 Torr for 10 min, then 50 Torr for 20 min and finally
at 100 Torr again for 5 min. End-tidal PCO2 was held constant 2-3 Torr above normal
throughout the experiment. Domperidone increased, and dopamine decreased the magnitudes
of both the fast on- and off-responses, but neither drug affected the magnitude of
the hypoxic ventilatory decline (HVD). The results of this study suggests: (1) that
a peripheral dopaminergic mechanism is not involved in the genesis of HVD, and (2)
the peripheral chemoreflex may be modulated peripherally to produce HVD.