Effect on breathing of ventral medullary surface cooling in neonatal goats

The present study was designed to determine whether neurons near the ventral medullary surface (VMS) that are important to control of breathing in adult mammals are also important to control of breathing in neonates. In 7- day-old goats (n = 22), the VMS was surgically exposed under halothane anesthesia. Stainless steel thermodes (2 x 2 mm) were used to cool (20°C) and thereby create neuronal dysfunction of discrete VMS sites. Bilateral cooling under anesthesia 0-2 or 2-4 mm lateral to the midline between the exit of cranial nerves VI and XII resulted in a reduction (P < 0.05) of breathing and most often in apnea. Cooling caudal or rostral to this area did not have a consistent effect on breathing. In 7-day-old goats (n = 8), 3 x 3- mm thermodes were chronically implanted bilaterally on the VMS surface between the exit of cranial nerves VI and XII. The goats recovered and were studied over several days thereafter. VMS cooling while the goats were awake caused breathing to decrease (P < 0.05), but apnea was never observed. The decrease was less (P < 0.05) than while the goats were anesthetized. After 10 s of cooling, the hypopnea while the goats were awake was uniform during eupnea, hypercapnia, hyperoxia, and hypoxia, but after 10 s of cooling, the decrease was relatively greater (P < 0.05) during hyperoxia and hypercapnia. These effects of VMS cooling are qualitatively the same as in adult goats; thus the data are consistent with mature VMS contribution to the control of breathing in neonatal goats.