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Control of Respiration

The document summarizes the neural control of respiration. It discusses three main components: 1) factors that generate the breathing rhythm, 2) factors that regulate ventilation to match needs, and 3) factors that modify breathing for other purposes. The primary control center is the medullary respiratory center, which consists of the dorsal and ventral respiratory groups. Other centers in the pons fine-tune breathing. Various reflexes can modify breathing in response to lung stretch, body movement, irritants, and blood gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen ions.

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Ahmad Khan
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71 views26 pages

Control of Respiration

The document summarizes the neural control of respiration. It discusses three main components: 1) factors that generate the breathing rhythm, 2) factors that regulate ventilation to match needs, and 3) factors that modify breathing for other purposes. The primary control center is the medullary respiratory center, which consists of the dorsal and ventral respiratory groups. Other centers in the pons fine-tune breathing. Various reflexes can modify breathing in response to lung stretch, body movement, irritants, and blood gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen ions.

Uploaded by

Ahmad Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CONTROL OF

RESPIRATION

Asghar Ali
Lecturer ,Dept. of Physiology
INTRODUCTION
 Likeheartbeat, breathing must occur in a
continuous, cyclic pattern to sustain life processes.

 Inspiratorymuscles must rhythmically contract


and relax to alternately fill the lungs with air and
empty them.

 Therhythmic pattern of breathing is established


by cyclic neural activity to the respiratory
muscles.
 The nerve supply to the respiratory system is
absolutely essential in maintaining breathing and
in reflexly adjusting the level of ventilation to
match changing needs for O2 uptake and CO2
removal.

 Respiratoryactivity can be voluntarily modified


to accomplish speaking, singing, whistling,
playing a wind instrument, or holding one’s
breath while swimming.
COMPONENTS OF NEURAL CONTROL
OF RESPIRATION
 Three distinct components:
1) Factors that generate the alternating
inspiration/expiration rhythm

2) Factors that regulate the magnitude of


ventilation (that is, the rate and depth of
breathing) to match body needs,

3) Factors that modify respiratory activity to


serve other purposes.
NEURAL CONTROL
 The primary respiratory control center,
 The Medullary Respiratory Center
 consists of several aggregations of neuronal cell
bodies within the medulla that provide output to the
respiratory muscles.

 Two other respiratory centers lie higher in the


brain stem in the pons
 The Pneumotaxic Center and Apneustic Center
 Thesepontine centers influence output from the
medullary respiratory center
 Themedullary respiratory center consists of
two neuronal clusters known as the

 Dorsal Respiratory Group (DRG)

 Ventral Respiratory Group (VRG)


 Thedorsal respiratory group (DRG) consists
mostly of inspiratory neurons whose
descending fibers terminate on the motor
neurons that supply the inspiratory muscles.

 When neurons fire, inspiration takes place;


 When they cease firing, expiration occurs.
 The ventral respiratory group (VRG) is
composed of inspiratory neurons and expiratory
neurons, both of which remain inactive during
normal quiet breathing.

 Thisregion is called into play by the DRG as an


“overdrive” mechanism during periods when
demands for ventilation are increased.

 It is especially important in active expiration.


THE PNEUMOTAXIC AND APNEUSTIC
CENTERS
 Therespiratory centers in the pons exert “fine-
tuning” influences over the medullary center

 Thepneumotaxic center sends impulses to the


DRG that help “switch off ” the inspiratory
neurons, limiting the duration of inspiration.

 Theapneustic center prevents the inspiratory


neurons from being switched off , thus
providing an extra boost to the inspiratory drive.
 Inthis check-and-balance system, the
pneumotaxic center dominates over the
apneustic center, helping halt inspiration and
letting expiration occur normally.

 Without the pneumotaxic brakes, the breathing


pattern consists of prolonged inspiratory gasps
abruptly interrupted by very brief expirations.
This abnormal breathing pattern is known as
apneusis
REFLEX MODIFICATION OF BREATHING
HERING–BREUER REFLEX
 When the tidal volume is large (greater than 1 liter), as
during exercise, the Hering–Breuer reflex is triggered
to prevent overinflation of the lungs.

 Pulmonary stretch receptors within the smooth muscle


layer of the airways are activated by stretching of the
lungs at large tidal volumes.

 Action potentials from these stretch receptors travel


through afferent nerve fibers to the medullary center and
inhibit the inspiratory neurons.
JOINT RECEPTORS
 Impulses from moving limbs reflexly increase
breathing

 Probablycontribute to the increased ventilation


during exercise
DEFLATION REFLEX
 The deflation reflex is stimulated when the lungs
are compressed or deflated, causing an increased
rate of breathing.

 Precise mechanism for this reflex is not known.


IRRITANT REFLEX
 When the lungs are exposed to toxic gases, the
irritant receptors may be stimulated.

 Theseirritant receptors are subepithelial


mechanoreceptors located in the trachea, bronchi,
and bronchioles.

 When these receptors are activated, a reflex


response causes the ventilatory rate to increase as
well as cough and bronchoconstriction.
JUXTAPULMONARY-CAPILLARY
RECEPTORS
 J receptors are located in the interstitial tissues between the
pulmonary capillaries and the alveoli.
 When these J receptors are stimulated, a reflex response
triggers rapid, shallow breathing.

 J receptors are activated by:


 pulmonary capillary congestion
 capillary hypertension
 edema
 lung deflation
 serotonin
 emboli
FACTORS THAT MAY INCREASE VENTILATION
DURING EXERCISE

 Reflexes originating from body movement

 Increase in body temperature

 Adrenaline release

 Impulses from the cerebral cortex

 Later:accumulation of CO2 and H+ generated by active


muscles
INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL FACTORS ON
RESPIRATION

 The magnitude of ventilation is adjusted in response to


three chemical factors:
 PO2, PCO2, and H.

 Arterial blood gases are maintained within the normal


range by varying the magnitude of ventilation (rate and
depth of breathing) to match the body’s needs for O2
uptake and CO2 removal.
CHEMICAL CONTROL OF RESPIRATION

 An example of a negative feedback control system

 The controlled variables are the blood gas tensions,


especially carbon dioxide

 Chemoreceptors sense the values of the gas tensions


PERIPHERAL CHEMORECEPTORS

Carotid bodies

Aortic bodies

Sense tension of oxygen and carbon dioxide;


and [H+] in the blood
CENTRAL CHEMORECEPTORS
 Situated near the surface of the medulla of the brainstem

 Respond to the [H+] of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

 CSF is separated from the blood by the blood-brain barrier


 Relatively impermeable to H+ and HCO -
3
 CO diffuses readily
2

 CSF contains less protein than blood and hence is less


buffered than blood

CO2 + H2O  H2CO3  H+ + HCO3-


HYPERCAPNIA AND VENTILATION

40
The system is very
Ventilation (l/min)

30 responsive to PCO
2

20

10 CO2 generated H+ through


the central chemoreceptors
20 40 60 80
2.7 5.3 8 10.6

Pco2 (kP) (mmHg)


HYPOXIC DRIVE OF RESPIRATION
 The effect is all via the peripheral chemoreceptors

 Stimulated only when arterial PO2 falls to low levels

 Is not important in normal respiration

 May become important in patients with chronic CO2


retention (e.g. patients with COPD)

 It is important at high altitudes


THE H+ DRIVE OF RESPIRATION
 The effect is via the peripheral chemoreceptors

 H+ doesn’t readily cross the blood brain barrier (CO2 does!)

 The peripheral chemoreceptors play a major role in adjusting


for acidosis caused by the addition of non-carbonic acid H+ to
the blood (e.g. lactic acid during exercise; and diabetic
ketoacidosis)

 Their stimulation by H+ causes hyperventilation and increases


elimination of CO2 from the body (remember CO2 can
generate H+, so its increased elimination help reduce the load
of H+ in the body)

 This is important in acid-base balance


INFLUENCE OF CHEMICAL FACTORS ON
RESPIRATION
Thank you

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