Journal
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 110, Issue 2, Pages 318-328Publisher
AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00788.2010
Keywords
chemoreception; carbon dioxide; control of breathing; serotonin; sudden infant death syndrome
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Funding
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [PO1-HD-036379]
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Malnutrition during pregnancy adversely affects postnatal forebrain development; its effect upon brain stem development is less certain. To evaluate the role of tryptophan [ critical for serotonin (5-HT) synthesis] on brain stem 5-HT and the development of cardiorespiratory function, we fed dams a diet similar to 45% deficient in tryptophan during gestation and early postnatal life and studied cardiorespiratory variables in the developing pups. Deficient pups were of normal weight at postnatal day (P) 5 but weighed less than control pups at P15 and P25 (P < 0.001) and had lower body temperatures at P15 (P < 0.001) and P25 (P < 0.05; females only). Oxygen consumption ((V) over dotO(2)) was unaffected. At P15, deficient pups had an altered breathing pattern and slower heart rates. At P25, they had significantly lower ventilation ((V) over dot(E)) and (V) over dot(E)-to-(V) over dotO(2) ratios in both air and 7% CO2. The ventilatory response to CO2 (% increase in (V) over dot(E)/(V) over dotO(2)) was significantly increased at P5 (males) and reduced at P15 and P25 (males and females). Deficient pups had 41-56% less medullary 5-HT (P < 0.01) compared with control pups, without a difference in 5-HT neuronal number. These data indicate important interactions between nutrition, brain stem physiology, and age that are potentially relevant to understanding 5-HT deficiency in the sudden infant death syndrome.
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