Glutamatergic Receptors Modulate Normoxic but Not Hypoxic Ventilation and Metabolism in Naked Mole Rats.

Naked mole rats () are among the most hypoxia-tolerant mammals, but their physiological responses to acute and chronic sustained hypoxia (CSH), and the molecular underpinnings of these responses, are poorly understood. In the present study we evaluated the acute hypoxic ventilatory response and the occurrence of ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia following CSH exposure (8-10 days in 8% O) of naked mole rats. We also investigated the role of excitatory glutamatergic signaling in the control of ventilation and metabolism in these conditions.