Human breathing patterns in hypercapnia and hypoxia

In 3 young males with different types of breathing pattern, the responses of lung ventilation to hypercapnia and hypoxia were studied. Both kinds of the chemoreceptor activation of respiration increased the depth as well as the frequency of breathing. The subject with tachypnoic pattern of respiration responded to the hypercapnic and hypoxic stimuli mainly with an increase in the tidal volume whereas the bradypnoic subject almost exclusively responded with a faster breathing. The reasons for the above peculiarities are discussed.