Higher Brain Centers – Influence on Respiration (Nursing)

00:01 So other influences that can affect respiration rate include influences from our higher brain centers.

00:09 So we have the hypothalamus, which has which is going to act through the limbic system in order to modify the rate and depth of respiration.

00:19 Examples are, when you hold your breath because you're angry or when you gasp and response to pain all of these are going to be controlled by the hypothalamus.

00:31 Also a change in your body temperature leads to a change in your respiration rate.

00:38 So there's a direct correlation between the two as your body temperature rises.

00:45 So does your rate of respiration.

00:47 So for example, when you go for a run, yes, your body is starting to heat up because you're going through all these different metabolic processes.

00:55 But if you notice you also start to breathe a little faster as well.

01:01 We also can control our breathing by way of the cerebral cortex.

01:06 These cortical controls direct signals from the cerebral motor cortex and bypassed the medullary controls.

01:16 An example of this, is voluntarily holding your breath.

01:21 We are able to do this by way of the cerebral cortex.

01:25 However, if we hold our breath too long, we are medullary centers will take over and reinstate breathing so that our blood CO2 levels don't drop too low.

01:41 So another influence are going to be pulmonary irritants.

01:45 So receptors and are bronchioles are able to respond to irritants like dust or accumulated mucus or noxious fumes.

01:55 These receptors are going to communicate with the respiratory centers via the vagal nerve afferents.

02:01 So vagal nerves going up toward the brain.

02:05 This is going to promote reflexive constriction of our air passages.

02:11 And this is what leads to us coughing.