Effect of hypocapnia on the sensitivity of hyperthermic hyperventilation and the cerebrovascular response in resting heated humans

Elevating core temperature at rest causes increases in minute ventilation (V̇e), which lead to reductions in both arterial CO 2 partial pressure (hypocapnia) and cerebral blood flow. We tested the hypothesis that in resting heated humans this hypocapnia diminishes the ventilatory sensitivity to rising core temperature but does not explain a large portion of the decrease in cerebral blood flow. Fourteen healthy men were passively heated using hot-water immersion (41°C) combined with a water-perfused suit, which caused esophageal temperature (T es ) to reach 39°C. During heating in two separate trials, end-tidal CO 2 partial pressure decreased from the level before heating (39.4 ± 2.0 mmHg) to the end of heating (30.5 ± 6.3 mmHg) ( P = 0.005) in the Control trial. This decrease was prevented by breathing CO 2 -enriched air throughout the heating such that end-tidal CO 2 partial pressure did not differ between the beginning (39.8 ± 1.5 mmHg) and end (40.9 ± 2.7 mmHg) of heating ( P = 1.00). The sensitivity to rising T es (i.e., slope of the T es  - V̇ E relation) did not differ between the Control and CO 2 -breathing trials (37.1 ± 43.1 vs. 16.5 ± 11.1 l·min -1 ·°C -1 , P = 0.31). In both trials, middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAV) decreased early during heating (all P < 0.01), despite the absence of hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia. CO 2 breathing increased MCAV relative to Control at the end of heating ( P = 0.005) and explained 36.6% of the heat-induced reduction in MCAV. These results indicate that during passive heating at rest ventilatory sensitivity to rising core temperature is not suppressed by hypocapnia and that most of the decrease in cerebral blood flow occurs independently of hypocapnia. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Hyperthermia causes hyperventilation and concomitant hypocapnia and cerebral hypoperfusion. The last may underlie central fatigue. We are the first to demonstrate that hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation is not suppressed by the resultant hypocapnia and that hypocapnia explains only 36% of cerebral hypoperfusion elicited by hyperthermia. These new findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms controlling ventilation and cerebral blood flow during heat stress, which may be useful for developing interventions aimed at preventing central fatigue during hyperthermia.