Lecture 8: Respiratory Control

Question 1

What are the four respiratory centers?

Answer 1

Dorsal Respiratory Group
Ventral Respiratory Group
Pontine Respiratory Group
Botzinger Complex

Question 2

Which is more medial - dorsal or ventral respiratory group?

Answer 2

Dorsal Respiratory Group

Question 3

Which respiratory centers control determine timing of breathing? (how often we breath)
What are their specific roles?

Answer 3

Pontine Respiratory Group: controls length of inspiration

Pre-Botzinger Complex: generates timing

Question 4

What can happen if the pontine respiratory group is lesioned?

Answer 4

No expiration, prolonged inhalation

Question 5

Which respiratory centers control determine depth of breathing? (how much we breath)

Answer 5

Dorsal Respiratory Group

Ventral Respiratory Group

Question 6

What does the dorsal respiratory group do?

Answer 6

Receives sensory information and helps activate phrenic nerve

Question 7

What does the rostral/cephalad portion of the ventral respiratory group do?

Answer 7

Fire during inspiration

• activate inspiratory muscles
• premotor to phrenic nerve

Question 8

What does the caudal portion of the ventral respiratory group do?

Answer 8

Premotor to upper airway

-active expiratory muscles

Question 9

What is apneusis?

Answer 9

Failure to turn inspiration off due to damage in PRG

• holding breath in
• lead increase in CO2 and decrease oxygen

Question 10

What is apnea?

Answer 10

Absence of respiratory effort (no inspiration)

• medullary or spinal damage
• lead increase in CO2 and decrease oxygen

Question 11

During hypoxia or hypercapnia, what do chemoreceptors do?

Answer 11

Activate respiratory system and increase respiration

Question 12

What are the two sets of chemoreceptors and where are they located?

Answer 12

Central: Brain - ventral surface of medulla
Peripheral: aorta and carotid (main)

Question 13

What are central chemoreceptors sensitive to?

Answer 13

decreased pH in CSF (increased in H+)

• hydrogen comes from CO2 and water that crosses blood brain barrier
• converted via carbonic anhydrase
• results in deeper and increased breaths

Question 14

In peripheral chemoreceptors, what neurotransmitter plays a huge role?

Answer 14

Dopamine

Question 15

What are peripheral chemoreceptors sensitive to?

Answer 15

Different cells for:

• oxygen
• carbon dioxide
• hydrogen

Question 16

Which type of chemoreceptors can increase respiratory rate faster?

Answer 16

Peripheral

Question 17

Where are slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors located?

Answer 17

Airways

Question 18

What are slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors sensitive to?

Answer 18

Stretch of airways

-proportional to lung volume

Question 19

What do slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors do?

Answer 19

Inhibit inspiration and prolong expiration

Question 20

Slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors are important for controlling respiration in what population groups?

Answer 20

Infants and exercising adults

Question 21

Where are rapidly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors located?

Answer 21

Airways

Question 22

What are rapidly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors sensitive to?

Answer 22

Irritation
Foreign bodies in airway
Stretch

Question 23

What do rapidly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors do?

Answer 23

Cough

Question 24

Where are juxtacapillary receptors located?

Answer 24

Near blood vessels of alveoli

Question 25

What are juxtacapillary receptors sensitive to?

Answer 25

Pulmonary edema

Question 26

What do juxtacapillary receptors do?

Answer 26

Dry Cough

Tachypnea (fast breathing)

Question 27

Mechanoreceptors send their fibers to what nerve?

Answer 27

Vagus nerve