Introduction: Nobel-prize winning physiologist August Krogh developed his now famous, Krogh Principle, stating that for many problems [in physiology and medicine], there is an animal on which that problem can conveniently be studied. This symposium will highlight some key examples of the need for a Modified Krogh Principle - for every problem there is an animal or unique group of humans that can be studied. Studying these unique experiments of nature allow us to navigate the fundamentals of physiology and identify some of the context-dependent physiological trade-offs involved in maintaining oxygen delivery at rest and during exercise in during hypoxic challenges. First, Dr. Catherine Ivy will provide a compelling insight into hypoxic adaptations of deer mice, a species that have adapted to generations of living in high-altitude environments. Next, Dr. Chad Wiggins will discuss oxygen delivery during rest and exercise in a group of patients with rare genetic variations in their oxygen dissociation curves. Dr. Lydia Simpson will present the latest work on how different routes of high-altitude adaptation, in Andean and Himalayan natives, influences blood pressure control. Finally, Dr. Igor Fernandes will talk about how hypertension affects cerebral and peripheral perfusion regulation under hypoxic conditions and the likely underlying mechanisms.
Philip Ainslie ( University of British Columbia-Okanagan )
