Respiration 3 Flashcards
What division of the nervous system normally initiates and controls breathing?
Autonomic NS
What happens during normal expiration?
Respiratory muscles relax
Lungs empty primarily through elastic recoil
What type of muscles are the respiratory muscles?
Skeletal
What type of neuron stimulates the respiratory muscles?
α-motor neurons
What is the main respiratory muscle and what stimulates it?
Diaphragm
Two branches of phrenic nerve (C3-5)
What innervates the intercostal muscles?
Segmental spinal nerves (intercostal nerves)
Where is the basic rhythmicity of breathing generated?
Brainstem - primarily medulla oblongata
What is the medullary respiratory centre also referred to as?
Respiratory rhythm generator
What do the dorsal respiratory groups do?
Contain inspiratory neurons which demonstrate rhythmic activity and stimulate inspiratory muscles
Receives afferent/sensory inputs from lung receptors via vagus nerve
What do the ventral respiratory groups do?
Contain neurons with a degree of spontaneous rhythmic electrical pacemaker activity
Inspiratory and expiratory neurons
Receives inputs from dorsal respiratory group and central chemoreceptors
Describe the processes in normal quiet breathing.
Pacemaker neurons stimulate inspiratory neurons causing inspiratory muscle contraction
Expiration is mostly passive recoil - minimal expiratory neuron activity
Describe the processes in breathing during exercise.
Pacemaker neurons stimulate inspiratory neurons causing inspiratory muscle contraction
Other inputs stimulate expiratory neurons causing expiratory muscle contraction
Alternate stimulation/mutual inhibition of inspiratory and expiratory neurons
What is the general function of the pons?
Receive inputs from cerebrum and hypothalamus and feed them into the medullary respiratory centre
Fine tuning of rhythmicity
What are the two parts of the pons involved in breathing?
Pneumotaxic centre
Apneustic centre
What is the function of the pneumotaxic centre?
Smooths transitions between inspiration and expiration by regulating apneustic centre and dorsal respiratory group
What is the function of the apneustic centre?
Stimulates the dorsal respiratory group to promote inspiration and increase breath duration
What is the function of the hypothalamus and limbic system?
Mediate response to changes in temperature and emotional state (involuntary)