The aim of the present study was to analyse to what extent the increased CO2-sensitivity after birth relates to an activation of the CO2-sensitive area of the brainstem, i e the ventral medullary surface(VMS).
Study design: Three groups of rats were studied: Fetuses at embryological day 21 (E21) and rat pups at 30 min and 12 h after birth. Hybridisation was performed in situ using synthetic and radioactive labelled oligonucleotide probes. The transient expression of the immediate early genes was used as an index of increased neuronal activity.
Results: At E21 no mRNA encoding c-fos and c-jun could be found in the VMS. However, 30 min after birth high levels of these mRNAs were present. At 12 h the levels were almost back to the E21 values.
Conclusion: The increase in CO2-sensitivity that occurs after birth may be due to an activation of cells in the VMS-area of the brainstem in rat pups.
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Wickström, R., Holgert, H., Hökfelt, T. et al. Birth-Related Expression of C-FOS and C-JUN mRNA in the CO2-Sensitive Area of the Rat Brain 250. Pediatr Res 40, 556 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199609000-00273
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199609000-00273
