Gasping developed spontaneously in 23 of 24 moribund infants with cardio-respiratory monitoring and saved 15% of them [1]. Gasping developed also during experimental ventricular fibrillation and autoresuscitated 10% of pigs and rats [2]. However, various methods of stimulation of the nasopharynx or adjacent regions in cats can regularly induce powerful spasmodic inspiratory efforts called gasp-, sniff- or hiccough-like aspiration reflex having similar resuscitation properties as gasping [3,4]. Whole-night polysomnographic examination with detection of >30 parameters was performed in 101 adults with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and divided into five groups of severity according to their apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI). AHI was 40/h in severe (SAS III; n=25). Arousal from sleep was increased in all groups, but in SAS III it was caused by respiratory arousal: 75.8±15.3/h due to severe hypoxaemia- average O ₂ saturation 86.6±1.2% (M±SE) and minimum O ₂ saturation 59.7±2.6%, p<0.05 for all compared with other groups (t test). Typical features for separate groups are: sigh (augmented breath) + micro-arousal) for SS, as well as hyperventilation+ autonomic arousal and hypertension for UARS. In obstructive SAS there are apnoeic episodes followed by choking + arousal. In severe asphyxia with depressed cough reflex, the persisting aspiration reflex supports development of aspiration pneumonia or sino-bronchial syndrome. In very severe asphyxia autoresuscitation by gasping induces gradual normalisation of blood pressure and gases, EEG activity, brainstem evoked potentials and breathing. However, the autoresuscitation may fail in sudden infant death syndrome or sudden cardiac death. Using the immunohistochemical c-Fos method in anaesthetized cats (40 mg/kg i.p.; and humanely killed at the end of the experiments), a significant 1.6- to 12-fold increase in the number of many brainstem neurones subserving respiratory and cardiovascular control mechanisms and in both ascending and descending neurones of reticular formation activated by aspiration reflex (p<0.05-0.001, Mann-Witney test), was observed in 14 of 35 nuclei. Strong recruitment of neurones in brainstem cardiovascular centres suggests vigorous sympathoadrenal activation, which may stop paroxysmal tachyarrhythmias, including ventricular fibrillation in animals and humans. The aspiration reflex proved to interrupt also laryngospasm, bronchospasm and even severe hypoxic coma accompanied by apnoea and arrhythmias in cats and resuscitate them from nearly a clinical death [5]. The aspiration reflex provokes activity in many brainstem neurones in the reticular formation and the respiratory and cardiovascular control mechanisms, imitating various typical features of SDB and could provide an effevtive tool for both research and treatment. We suppose that the aspiration reflex could interrupt various paroxysmal episodes of functional character, such as hiccough, spastic events, etc.