Depression of peripheral chemosensitivity by a dopaminergic mechanism in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

In the present study, respiratory drives to chemical stimuli and peripheral chemosensitivity were evaluated in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSAS). The effects of oral administration of domperidone, a selective dopamine D2-receptor antagonist, were also examined, to study the respiratory effects of endogenous dopamine on peripheral chemoreceptors. Sixteen patients with OSAS and nine normal control subjects were studied. Respiratory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were measured using the rebreathing method and isocapnic progressive hypoxia method, respectively. The hypoxic withdrawal test, which measures the decrease in ventilation caused by two breaths of 100% O2 under mild hypercapnic hypoxic conditions (end-tidal oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions approximately 8.0 kPa and 5.3-6.7 kPa, respectively), was used to evaluate peripheral chemosensitivity. In the patients with OSAS, ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were significantly decreased compared with those of control subjects. Hypoxic withdrawal tests showed that peripheral chemosensitivity was significantly lower in patients with OSAS than in normal subjects. Hypercapnic ventilatory response and peripheral chemosensitivity were enhanced by administration of domperidone in the patients with OSAS, although no changes in either of these were observed in the control subjects. The hypoxic ventilatory response and peripheral chemosensitivity in the patients with OSAS were each significantly correlated with severity of hypoxia during sleep. These findings suggest that peripheral chemosensitivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome may be decreased as a result of abnormality in dopaminergic mechanisms and that the reduced chemosensitivity observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome may affect the severity of hypoxia during sleep.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. S. Lee, M. S. Badr, and J. H. Mateika Progressive augmentation and ventilatory long-term facilitation are enhanced in sleep apnoea patients and are mitigated by antioxidant administration J. Physiol., November 15, 2009; 587(22): 5451 - 5467. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. D. Kline, G. Hendricks, G. Hermann, R. C. Rogers, and D. L. Kunze Dopamine Inhibits N-Type Channels in Visceral Afferents to Reduce Synaptic Transmitter Release Under Normoxic and Chronic Intermittent Hypoxic Conditions J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2009; 101(5): 2270 - 2278. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. H. Mateika and G. Narwani Intermittent hypoxia and respiratory plasticity in humans and other animals: does exposure to intermittent hypoxia promote or mitigate sleep apnoea? Exp Physiol, March 1, 2009; 94(3): 279 - 296. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. P. Patil, H. Schneider, J. J. Marx, E. Gladmon, A. R. Schwartz, and P. L. Smith Neuromechanical control of upper airway patency during sleep J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2007; 102(2): 547 - 556. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Rey, R. Del Rio, J. Alcayaga, and R. Iturriaga Chronic intermittent hypoxia enhances cat chemosensory and ventilatory responses to hypoxia J. Physiol., October 15, 2004; 560(2): 577 - 586. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Vennelle, P E Brander, R N Kingshott, K Rees, P M Warren, J W Keeling, and N J Douglas Is there a familial association between obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea and the sudden infant death syndrome? Thorax, April 1, 2004; 59(4): 337 - 341. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Katz-Salamon Delayed chemoreceptor responses in infants with apnoea Arch. Dis. Child., March 1, 2004; 89(3): 261 - 266. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. R. Prabhakar and Y.-J. Peng Peripheral chemoreceptors in health and disease J Appl Physiol, January 1, 2004; 96(1): 359 - 366. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Garcia-Rio, J.M. Pino, T. Ramirez, D. Alvaro, A. Alonso, C. Villasante, and J. Villamor Inspiratory neural drive response to hypoxia adequately estimates peripheral chemosensitivity in OSAHS patients Eur. Respir. J., September 1, 2002; 20(3): 724 - 732. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. S. T. LEUNG and T. DOUGLAS BRADLEY Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., December 15, 2001; 164(12): 2147 - 2165. [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. K. Browne, L. Adams, A. K. Simonds, and M. J. Morrell Impact of age on breathing and resistive pressure in people with and without sleep apnea J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2001; 90(3): 1074 - 1082. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Garcia-Rio, M. A. Racionero, J. M. Pino, I. Martinez, F. Ortuno, C. Villasante, and J. Villamor Sleep Apnea and Hypertension Chest, May 1, 2000; 117(5): 1417 - 1425. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]