Introduction – Control & Regulation of Breathing

00:00 This lecture is about the control of regulation of breathing.

00:04 We have a number of important learning goals to go through.

00:07 The first is to identify afferent inputs to the pulmonary system and the respiratory control centers of the brain stem.

00:14 In this lecture, we will also discuss how the mechanisms by which peripheral and central chemoreceptors sense changes in the various blood gases.

00:24 And finally, we’ll be able to predict the ventilatory response to a given change in our arterial blood gas.

00:32 Okay, let’s get started.

00:34 What are the different parameters that we can control to be able to alter ventilation? We really only have two different things to modulate.

00:43 The first is gonna be breathing frequency or how fast one breathes.

00:47 The second will be the depth of breath such as the tidal volume.

00:53 We have a number of different inputs that will go to the respiratory system.

00:59 There are three main classifications; we’ll start off with chemoreceptors.

01:03 They are both central chemoreceptors and peripheral chemoreceptors.

01:09 There are receptors in the lungs and these will be responsive to things like lung stretch - and this is very important because if the lungs are overstretched, they are very fragile environments around the capillaries and the alveoli and they could stretch too much.

01:29 There are also irritant receptors in the pulmonary system.

01:33 There are specialize sensory fibers known as bronchial C-fibers as well as Juxta-capillary receptors.