Review of Medical Physiology - William F. Ganong 2002

Respiration
Regulation of Respiration
Regulation of Respiratory Activity

An increase in PCO2 or H+ concentration in arterial Blood, or a decrease in its PO2, elevates the level of respiratory neuronal activity in the Medulla Oblongata, whereas Changes in the opposite direction exert a slight inhibitory effect. Pulmonary ventilation is influenced by alterations in The chemical properties of blood, which are detected by respiratory chemoreceptors—the carotid and aortic bodies, as well as clusters of Cells within the medulla oblongata and elsewhere that are sensitive to changes in blood chemistry. They initiate impulses that stimulate the respiratory center. On this basis, chemical (humoral) Regulation of Respiration takes place, while other afferent pathways provide non-Chemical Regulation of breathing, which affects respiratory movements under specific conditions (Table 36-1).



Last update: 10/08/2026

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