The response serves to limit the oxygen consumption during diving by reserving the available oxygen for the heart and brain and thereby prolonging apneic time. While the reflex function is quite well described in aquatic mammals, much remains unknown about its origin and function in man. The general purpose is to study the integrated cardiovascular control system in mammals, and the specific aim to reveal the mechanisms of initiation and the function of the human diving response. The previous work has localized the site of the temperature receptors initiating the human response and shown that temperature factors are important for its development, that the diving response in man has a prolonging effect on apneic time, and that the bradycardia can be increased by specific training. Studies using trained pigs have shown that the pig is a potential model animal for studies of the mammalian diving response.
Present work is concerned mainly with the metabolic effects of the diving response in man.
The neurobiology research at the Department deals with various aspects of peripheral nerve regeneration including the role played by certain protein phosphorylation systems, neurotrophic factors, neurotransmitters, and neuropeptides. There are two main projects, both sponsored by the Swedish Natural Science Research Council. We focus on mechanisms and regulation of peripheral nerve regeneration with emphasis on integrative processes, since successful axonal outgrowth depends, not only on properties intrinsic to the neuron, but to a great extent on its interactions with other cells, such as satellite cells, Schwann cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. For this purpose, we have developed methods for culturing adult intact peripheral sciatic nerves with attached dorsal root ganglia from frogs and mice. These preparations show regeneration in a microenvironment where the normal cytoarchitecture is maintained.