Peripheral chemoreflex contribution to ventilatory long‐term facilitation induced by acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia in males and females

Key points Ventilatory long‐term facilitation (vLTF) refers to respiratory neuroplasticity that develops following intermittent hypoxia in both healthy and clinical populations. A sustained hypercapnic background is argued to be required for full vLTF expression in humans. We determined whether acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia elicits vLTF during isocapnic‐normoxic recovery in healthy males and females. We further assessed whether tonic peripheral chemoreflex drive is necessary and contributes to the expression of vLTF. Following 40 min of intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia, minute ventilation was increased throughout 50 min of isocapnic‐normoxic recovery. Inhibition of peripheral chemoreflex drive with hyperoxia attenuated the magnitude of vLTF. Males and females achieve vLTF through different respiratory recruitment patterns. Ventilatory long‐term facilitation (vLTF) refers to respiratory neuroplasticity that manifests as increased minute ventilation (V̇I) following intermittent hypoxia. In humans, hypercapnia sustained throughout intermittent hypoxia and recovery is considered necessary for vLTF expression. We examined whether acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (IHH) induces vLTF, and if peripheral chemoreflex drive contributes to vLTF throughout isocapnic‐normoxic recovery. In 19 individuals (9 females, age: 22 ± 3 years; mean ± SD), measurements of tidal volume (VT), breathing frequency (fB), V̇I, and end‐tidal gases (PETO2 and PETCO2), were made at baseline, during IHH and 50 min of recovery. Totalling 40 min, IHH included 1 min intervals of 40 s hypercapnic hypoxia (target PETO2 = 50 mmHg and PETCO2 = +4 mmHg above baseline) and 20 s normoxia. During baseline and recovery, dynamic end‐tidal forcing maintained resting PETO2 and PETCO2 and delivered 1 min of hyperoxia (PETO2 = 355 ± 7 mmHg) every 5 min. The depression in V̇I during hyperoxia was considered an index of peripheral chemoreflex drive. Throughout recovery V̇I was increased 4.6 ± 3.7 l min−1 from baseline (P