Four Centers + Regulation of Respiration

There are four Centers in central nervous system to Regulate Normal respiration. They are

1.       The Pneumotaxic Centre

2.       The Apneostic Centre

3.       The Inspiratory Centre

4.       The Expiratory Centre

1. The Inspiratory Centre:

• ·          Located dorsal portion of the Medulla
• ·         Nucleus of Tractus Solitaries
• ·         It causes inspiration

2. The Expiratory Centre:

• ·         Antero lateral part of Medulla
• ·         Nucleus Ambiguous
• ·         Almost totally inactive during normal quite respiration
• ·         It causes inhibitory impulse to the Apneostic Centre

3. The Apneostic centre:

• ·         Located lower part of the Pons
• ·         Send stimulatory impulse to the Inspiratory Centre
• ·         Receives inhibitory impulse from The Pneumotaxic Centre
• ·         Send inhibitory impulse in expiratory Centre
• ·         Inhabited by pulmonary stress receptors
• ·         Controls the depth of inhalation & exhalation
•         Continuous stimulation of apneustic centre causes apneusis ( breath holdin)
•               Inhabited by vagus nerve.

4. The Pneumotaxic Centre

• ·         Dorso lateral portion of upper Pons
• ·         Parabrachialis nucleus
• ·         Contain both inspiratory & expiratory neurons
• ·         Controls the Rate and Pattern of breath
• ·         It send impulse to limit inspiration.
•         Damage of pneumotaxic center causes slower  respiration

           Collected & Concise only for postgraduate student