Doxapram is a respiratory stimulant which acts on peripheral chemoreceptors and central respiratory neurons in a dose-dependent fashion in the adult cat. In the newborn, the mechanisms of action of doxapram are still unclear. To evaluate the effects of doxapram on the carotid chemosensory discharge and its relationship with dopaminergic mechanisms in the carotid body, two groups of kittens less than 13 days old, anesthetized, artificially ventilated and paralyzed, were prepared for the recording of a single or a few chemosensory afferents of the carotid sinus nerve. The chemosensory activity was recorded under five conditions of inspired gas mixtures (21 and 8% O2 in N2, 100% O2, 5 and 10% CO2 in O2). Group 1 (n = 9) received only doxapram and group 2 (n = 8) was pretreated with haloperidol (1 mg/kg), a dopamine D2-receptor blocker, before receiving doxapram. Doxapram significantly stimulated the discharge rate of the carotid chemoafferents under all conditions of inspired gas. The chemosensory discharge was increased by haloperidol, and was raised further after doxapram by an amount similar to group 1. For instance, in normoxia, the activity increased from 2.9 +/- 0.4 to 7.5 +/- 0.9 impulse/s (mean +/- SEM, p < 0.01) in group 1 and from 3.8 +/- 0.6 to 9.1 +/- 1.0 impulse/s (p < 0.01) in group 2. These results indicate that the mechanisms of response of carotid chemoreceptor to doxapram are developed in the newborn kitten and doxapram acts independent of the dopaminergic mechanisms in the carotid body.