During the 1976 Fall Meeting of the American Physiological Society Dr. Lahiri and I learned that no plans were being formu lated for holding a symposium on Respiratory Control during the 1977 International Congress. Not to hold such a symposium, we felt, would be the loss of a unique opportunity for us "regula tionists" to exchange ideas viva voce with our international colleagues. It would also break a tradition most recently enjoyed at Srinagar, India in 1974 and at Warsaw, Poland in 1971. After a time-consuming false start we had the good fortune to get advice from Dr. Pierre Dejours to make our plans known to Dr. Henry Gautier. This we did. There resulted an excellent three days of discussion and hospitality at the Faculte de Medecine Saint-Antoine in Paris immediately preceding the International Congress. The aim of the co-chairmen was to gather an international mixture of both the younger and more senior experts to discuss, argue, and maybe even agree on a point or two arising from their current investigations. We wanted to feature, however, recent research trying to determine the influence of sleep and anesthesia on the regulation of respiration. That the sessions were lively and presumably profitable was never more in evidence than when on the second day at 6:15 p.m. after fully nine hours of discussion, argumentation, and some agreement I counted 78 participants still participating.

Inhalt
Section I:The Influence of Sleep and Anesthesia.- Section I:The Influence of Sleep and Anesthesia.- Regional Effects of Nembutal Anesthesia on Brainstem Respiratory Neurones.- Effects of Anesthesia on Activity Patterns of Respiratory Neurones.- Rate of Rise of Inspiration at Various Levels of CNS Excitability.- Breathing During Sleep in Man in Normal and Pathological Conditions.- Regulation of the Activity of Respiratory Muscles During Sleep.- Electric Activity of Cat Respiratory Muscles During Sleep.- Ventilatory Responses Mediated by Peripheral Chemoreceptors in Anaesthetized Man.- Effects of Sleep on the Pattern of C02 Stimulated Breathing in Males and Females.- Breath-to-Breath Control of Ventilation in Normal Infants During Sleep.- Effects of Anesthesia on Breathing Pattern.- Interaction Between the Mechanical Properties of the Respiratory System and Drive in the Control of Breathing of Anesthetized Man.- The Effects of Fentanyl and Thiopental on Breathing in Man.- Effects of Anesthesia and Muscle Paralysis on the Mechanics of the Respiratory System.- Apneic Threshold in Intra-Operative Anesthesia.- Mouth Occlusion Pressure and EMG of the Diaphragm in the Waking and Sleeping States.- Section II:The Influence of Brain Acid-Base Environment.- Section II:The Influence of Brain Acid-Base Environment.- Interaction of Humoral Ventilatory Stimuli at High Altitude.- Carotid Chemoreceptor Role in CSF Alkalosis at Altitude.- Interaction Between PC02 and Plasma [HCO3-]in Regulation of CSF [HCO3-] in Respiratory Alkalosis and Metabolic Acidosis.- O2 Sensitive, Local Regulation of CSF H+ Activity.- Three Compartments Model for the Bicarbonate Exchange of theBrain Extracellular Fluid with Blood and Cells.- The Role of Chloride and Other Anions in Cerebrospinal Fluid Bicarbonate Regulation.- Depressant Effect of Ammonia on the Ventilatory Response to Hypoxia and Hypercapnia.- Section III:The Influence of Peripheral Input.- Section III:The Influence of Peripheral Input.- Slow pH Changes in Blood Plasma Following C02 Exchange.- Delayed pH Equilibration in Blood During Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition.- Pulmonary Carbonic Anhydrase and the Release of Carbon Dioxide from Plasma Bicarbonate.- Aortic Nerve Chemoreceptors are Sensitive to Changes in PaC02.- The Effects of Changes in Arterial Pressure on Sinus Nerve Efferent Activity.- Chemical Stimulation of Rapidly Adapting Receptors in the Airways.- Comparison of the Effects of Histamine and Prostaglandin on Afferent C-Fiber Endings and Irritant Receptors in the Intrapulmonary Airways.- Stretch Receptors of the Trachea.- A Comparison of the Effects of Steady-State and Progressive Hypoxia on the Ventilatory and Frequency Response.- The Different Respiratory Effects of Inspiratory and Expiratory Stimulations of the Carotid Sinus Nerve and Carotid Body.- Carotid Arterial Blood Gas Oscillations and the Phase of the Respiratory Cycle During Exercise in Man: Testing a Model.- Significance of Peripheral Chemoreceptor Response and Adaptation in the Regulation of Breathing.- Ventilatory Control Characteristics of Conditions Resulting in Isocapnic Hyperpnea.- Section IV:The Influence of Central Interaction.- Section IV:The Influence of Central Interaction.- Central Mechanisms Controlling Expiratory Duration.- Termination of Inspiration Through Graded Inhibition of Inspiratory Activity.-Some Effects of Graded Changes in Central Chemoceptor Input by Local Temperature Changes on the Ventral Surface of Medulla.- The Central Multiplicative Interaction of PO2 and PCO2 on Ventilation.- The Effects of Inhalation of Carbon Monoxide on Some Aspects of Neuromechanical Ventilatory Control.- Effects of Increased Respiratory Controller Gain During Hypoxia and Hypercapnia on Periodic Breathing in Cats.- List of Contributors.