CG. Cerebrovascular responsiveness to steady-state changes in end-tidal CO2 during passive heat stress. J Appl Physiol 104: 976-981, 2008. First published January 24, 2008 doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01040.2007.-This study tested the hypothesis that passive heat stress alters cerebrovascular responsiveness to steady-state changes in end-tidal CO2 (PETCO 2 ). Nine healthy subjects (4 men and 5 women), each dressed in a water-perfused suit, underwent normoxic hypocapnic hyperventilation (decrease PETCO 2 ϳ20 Torr) and normoxic hypercapnic (increase in PETCO 2 ϳ9 Torr) challenges under normothermic and passive heat stress conditions. The slope of the relationship between calculated cerebrovascular conductance (CBVC; middle cerebral artery blood velocity/mean arterial blood pressure) and PETCO 2 was used to evaluate cerebrovascular CO2 responsiveness. Passive heat stress increased core temperature (1.1 Ϯ 0.2°C, P Ͻ 0.001) and reduced middle cerebral artery blood velocity by 8 Ϯ 8 cm/s (P ϭ 0.01), reduced CBVC by 0.09 Ϯ 0.09 CBVC units (P ϭ 0.02), and decreased PETCO 2 by 3 Ϯ 4 Torr (P ϭ 0.07), while mean arterial blood pressure was well maintained (P ϭ 0.36). The slope of the CBVC-PET CO 2 relationship to the hypocapnic challenge was not different between normothermia and heat stress conditions (0.009 Ϯ 0.006 vs. 0.009 Ϯ 0.004 CBVC units/Torr, P ϭ 0.63). Similarly, in response to the hypercapnic challenge, the slope of the CBVC-PETCO 2 relationship was not different between normothermia and heat stress conditions (0.028 Ϯ 0.020 vs. 0.023 Ϯ 0.008 CBVC units/Torr, P ϭ 0.31). These results indicate that cerebrovascular CO2 responsiveness, to the prescribed steady-state changes in PETCO 2 , is unchanged during passive heat stress. brain blood flow; hyperthermia; hypocapnia; hypercapnia ORTHOSTATIC TOLERANCE IS REDUCED under heat stress, relative to normothermic, conditions (1,8,19,40,41). Although mechanisms responsible for reduced orthostatic tolerance during heat stress are unclear, they are likely associated with factors that directly or indirectly affect cerebral perfusion pressure, cerebral blood flow, and thus cerebral oxygenation (20, 24,38). Cerebral perfusion is very sensitive to changes in arterial carbon dioxide tension (Pa CO 2 ), such that increases in Pa CO 2 increase cerebral perfusion, whereas decreases in Pa CO 2 decrease cerebral perfusion (16, 36). Previously, our laboratory identified decreases in end-tidal carbon dioxide (PET CO 2 ; surrogate of Pa CO 2 ) of ϳ2 Torr in response to whole body passive heat stress, as well as significant reductions in cerebral perfusion and cerebral vascular conductance (40,41). Decreased cerebral perfusion would theoretically reduce the functional reserve by which cerebral blood flow can decrease further, before the onset of syncopal symptoms.It is unlikely that the relatively small decrease in PET CO 2 (i.e., ϳ2 Torr) in response to passive heat stress is the sole mechanism leading to the observed reduction in cerebral perfusion. However, this assumption is based on ca...