Species dependence of baroreceptor effects on ventilation in the cat and the dog

Reflex respiratory responses to brief carotid baroreceptor stimuli in vagotomized pentobarbital-anesthetized cats were characterized and compared with those reported previously for chloralose-anesthetized dogs. To eliminate effects due to the anesthetic choice, dogs were reexamined under pentobarbital. Stimuli were applied to the isolated carotid sinus (CS) of both animals within a single respiratory phase. The stimuli were either steps triggered after one of four delays (5, 25, 50, and 75% of the control phase duration) and terminated at the end of the phase or pulses lasting 300-500 ms. In cats, 80-mmHg steps during inspiration shortened inspiratory duration by 23.2*, 25.0*, 20.4*, and 4.1% (*P less than 0.01) at the above four delays, respectively; inspired volume decreased by 21.4*, 18.0*, 8.0*, and 2.2%. Steps during expiration lengthened expiration by 38.4*, 37.1*, 21.9*, and 3.4%; expired volume changed less than 4%. Qualitatively, similar responses were obtained with steps 40 mmHg in amplitude. In dogs, 40-mmHg stimuli lengthened both inspiration (by 12.8*, 8.9*, -1.2, and -2.5%) and expiration (by 75.2*, 57.9*, 54.0*, and 61.4*%) but tidal volume did not change. Similar differences were observed when pulses were used. Selective baroreceptor denervation in the cat and occipital arterial occlusion in the dog confirmed that the responses were not chemoreceptor mediated. We conclude that although CS baroreceptor activity inhibits ventilation in both cats and dogs, the pattern of the responses is strongly species dependent.