This symposium was organized to present research dealing with the effects of intermittent hypoxia on cardiorespiratory systems and cellular mechanisms. The pattern of neural impulse activity has been shown to be critical in the induction of genes in neuronal cells and involves distinct signaling pathways. Mechanisms associated with different patterns of intermittent hypoxia might share similar ...

RATIONALE Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition leading to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), is associated with hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, and a high cardiovascular risk. A causal link between obstructive sleep apnea and atherosclerosis has not been established. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study was to examine whether CIH may induce atherosclerosis in C57BL/6J mice. METHO...

With only a quarter of young people currently meeting physical activity guidelines, two key areas of concern are the effects of exercise on cardiometabolic health and cognition. Despite the fact that physical activity in young people is typically high intensity and intermittent in nature, much of the literature examines traditional endurance-type exercise. This review provides an update on the ...

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Chronic intermittent hypoxia is used to model the arterial hypoxemia seen in sleep apnea patients and is associated with increased sympathetic nerve activity and a sustained diurnal increase in blood pressure. The renin angiotensin system has been associated with hypertension seen in chronic intermittent hypoxia...

Fletcher, Eugene C. Invited Review: Physiological consequences of intermittent hypoxia: systemic blood pressure. J Appl Physiol 90: 1600–1605, 2001.—One of the major manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea is profound and repeated hypoxia during sleep. Acute hypoxia leads to stimulation of the peripheral chemoreceptors, which in turn increases sympathetic outflow, acutely increasing blood pre...

UNLABELLED To report the puzzling, rare occurrence of coexisting adrenal insufficiency and Cushing's syndrome from chronic, intermittent use of intranasal betamethasone spray. A 62-year-old male was referred to our endocrinology clinic for management of adrenal insufficiency. This previously healthy individual began to experience chronic sinus symptoms in 2007, was treated with multiple ensuing...

Chronic constant hypoxia and chronic intermittent hypoxia are known to have deleterious effects on the central nervous system. Due to the difference in the pattern of hypoxic exposure, it is possible that the pathological outcome would vary. The N-acetyl aspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio is a reliable marker of neuronal integrity and this can be non-invasively measured by proton nuclear magneti...

Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with pulmonary hypertension and raised haematocrit. The multiple episodes of apnoea in this condition cause chronic intermittent hypoxia and hypercapnia but the effects of such blood gas changes on pulmonary pressure or haematocrit are unknown. The present investigation tests the hypothesis that chronic intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia causes increased p...

Spinal injury disrupts connections between the brain and spinal cord, causing life-long paralysis. Most spinal injuries are incomplete, leaving spared neural pathways to motor neurons that initiate and coordinate movement. One therapeutic strategy to induce functional motor recovery is to harness plasticity in these spared neural pathways. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) (72 episodes per nig...

Neubauer, Judith A. Invited Review: Physiological and pathophysiological responses to intermittent hypoxia. J Appl Physiol 90: 1593–1599, 2001.—This mini-review summarizes the physiological adaptations to and pathophysiological consequences of intermittent hypoxia with special emphasis given to the pathophysiology associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Intermittent hypoxia is an effective sti...