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Abstract

Key points

• High altitude‐induced hypoxia in humans evokes a pattern of breathing known as periodic breathing (PB), in which the regular oscillations corresponding to rhythmic expiration and inspiration are modulated by slow periodic oscillations.

• The phase coherence between instantaneous heart rate and respiration is shown to increase significantly at the frequency of periodic breathing during acute and sustained normobaric and hypobaric hypoxia.

• It is also shown that polymorphism in specific genes, NOTCH4 and CAT, is significantly correlated with this coherence, and thus with the incidence of PB.

• Differences in phase shifts between blood flow signals and respiratory and PB oscillations clearly demonstrate contrasting origins of the mechanisms underlying normal respiration and PB.

• These novel findings provide a better understanding of both the genetic and the physiological mechanisms responsible for respiratory control during hypoxia at altitude, by linking genetic factors with cardiovascular dynamics, as evaluated by phase coherence.

Abstract

Periodic breathing (PB) occurs in most humans at high altitudes and is characterised by low‐frequency periodic alternation between hyperventilation and apnoea. In hypoxia‐induced PB the dynamics and coher

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