Respiratory rate and depth are modulated by peripheral afferent input converging on the pontine and medullary respiratory centers, principally via vagal (cranial nerve X) sensory fibers, in addition to chemoreceptor-driven control. Pulmonary stretch receptors, subepithelial irritant receptors, and juxtacapillary (J/C-fiber) receptors, together with somatic proprioceptors, higher cortical, hypothalamic, and limbic inputs, adjust ventilation by inhibiting or exciting the dorsal and ventral respiratory groups. This topic belongs to human physiology, specifically the neural regulation of breathing within respiratory physiology, and complements chemical (chemoreceptor) control by supplying mechanical, protective, emotional, and volitional influences over the same brainstem central pattern generators.
Respiratory rate and depth are modulated by peripheral afferent input converging on the pontine and medullary respiratory centers, principally via vagal (cranial nerve X) sensory fibers, in addition …