Abstract
Lumbar CSF pH is commonly used as an index of the medullary chemoreceptor ventilatory drive. The normal pH in sea level man is 7.32 ± .01. In 1962, my associates and I1 showed that CSF pH averaged-about 7.34 during a one week sojourn at 3800 m altitude, and postulated that CSF pH was regulated to or toward its normal level by active transport of some ion across the blood brain barrier. We observed a fall of CSF [HC0 -3 ] which preceeded the fall of blood [HC0 -3 ], and reasoned that this facilitated the ventilatory increase, and fall of PC0 2, observed during the first several days at altitude. We implied that, in the acclimatized state, CSF pH would be nearly normal, and thus medullary respiratory chemoreceptors would produce a nearly normal ventilatory drive. The additional ventilatory drive at altitude (about 2-3 liter/min) we ascribed to continued hypoxic stimulation of peripheral chemoreceptors.
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References
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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
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Severinghaus, J.W., Crawford, R.D. (1978). Carotid Chemoreceptor Role in CSF Alkalosis at Altitude. In: Fitzgerald, R.S., Gautier, H., Lahiri, S. (eds) The Regulation of Respiration During Sleep and Anesthesia. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 99. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4009-6_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4009-6_19
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