Repeated apneas do not affect the hypercapnic ventilatory response in the short term.

Summary, in English

Long-term training of breath-hold diving reduces the hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR), an index of the CO(2) sensitivity. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether also short-term apnea training (repeating apneas with short intervals) reduces the HCVR, thereby being one contributing factor explaining the progressively increasing breath-holding time (BHT) with repetition of apneas. Fourteen healthy volunteers performed a series of five maximal-duration apneas with face immersion and two measurements of the HCVR, using the Read rebreathing method. The BHT increased by 43% during the series of apneas (P < 0.001). However, the slope of the HCVR test was not affected by the series of apneas, being 2.52 (SD 1.27) and 2.24 (SD 1.14) l min(-1) mmHg(-1) in the control test and in the test performed within 2 min after the last apnea of the series, respectively (NS). Thus, a change in the HCVR cannot explain the observed short-term training effect on BHT.

• Author: Johan Andersson; Erika Schagatay
• Department/s: Functional zoology
• Publishing year: 2009
• Language: English
• Pages: 569-574
• Publication/Series: European Journal of Applied Physiology
• Volume: 105
• Issue: 4
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0936-y
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Springer
• Topic: Physiology
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1439-6327