7th February 2024

Controller

The controller of respiration is made up of a group of nuclei found throughout the brainstem. They can be considered into different groups:

1. Dorsal respiratory group
   • Controls diaphragmatic contraction.
   • Responsible for everyday tidal volume inspiration
2. Ventral respiratory group
   • Controls intercostal muscles.
     1. Responsible for forced expiration and increased force in inspiration
   • It contains the pre-Botzinger complex, thought to be the respiratory pacemaker.
3. Pneumotaxic centre
   • Fine-tunes respiratory pattern
   • It can increase respiratory rate.
4. Apneustic centre
   • Prevents over-expansion of the lung (as part of the Hering-Bruer reflex – see ‘Receptors’)