Vol. 115 No. 1/2 (2010)
Original Article

Anatomical basis of hypoxic and hyperoxic injuries to the centres of cardiorespiratory regulation

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  • Raffaele De Caro,
  • Anna Sandra Belloni,
  • Sergio Galli,
  • Piera Rebuffat,
  • Giovanna Albertin,
  • Veronica Macchi,
  • Andrea Porzionato,
  • Carla Stecco,
  • Cinzia Tortorella,
  • Pietro Franco Munari

Published 2010-09-07

Keywords

  • nucleus tractus solitarii,
  • carotid body,
  • hypoxia

How to Cite

De Caro, R., Belloni, A. S., Galli, S., Rebuffat, P., Albertin, G., Macchi, V., Porzionato, A., Stecco, C., Tortorella, C., & Munari, P. F. (2010). Anatomical basis of hypoxic and hyperoxic injuries to the centres of cardiorespiratory regulation. Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 115(1/2), 47–51. Retrieved from https://oajournals.fupress.net/index.php/ijae/article/view/1057
Copyright Notice

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to briefly review the changes occurring in the nucleus tractus solitarii and carotid body in response to hypoxic and hyperoxic injuries. Selective alterations of dendrites and Fos­-immunoreactivity of neurons have been observed in the subnucleus gelati­nosus of the nucleus tractus solitarii of adult subjects dying after hypoxic­ischaemic injury. The selective vulnerability of this portion of the nucleus tractus solitarii may be explained main­ly with reference to the vascularization of medullary tegmentum. In the carotid body, chronic hypoxia and hyperoxia cause a series of morphological, cellular and biochemical changes which may play a major role during the first postnatal period and may have implications in the patho­genesis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Intermittent hypoxia may cause hypersensitivity of the carotid body, possibly increasing the risk of unstable respiration. Conversely, hyperoxia exposure has been reported to cause hyposensitivity and reduction in volume of the carotid body, possibly leading to ineffective response.
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