Function of brainstem neurons in optimal control of respiratory mechanics

Abstract.

An optimization control procedure is developed to describe the function of the human respiratory controller in determination of the respiratory frequency, the expiratory reserve volume, and the physiological dead space volume at all levels of human activity. The required level of alveolar ventilation is considered to have been determined based on the inputs from the peripheral and central chemoreceptors. The proposed procedure describes the mechanical control of breathing in which the excitation signals are adjusted and transferred from the neuron pools in the brainstem to the respiratory muscles to control the rate and depth of breathing. The criterion of minimum average respiratory work rate is used to find the optimal characteristics of respiration. The respiratory frequency, physiologic dead space volume, and expiratory reserve volume are used simultaneously as the optimization variables to minimize the average respiratory work rate. The optimization procedure has been applied by using different airflow patterns at various levels of ventilation. The theoretical results of the study have been compared with the experimental data in exercise taken from the literature. The results show a close agreement between the experimentally measured data and the theoretical values found by the optimization control procedure. The findings attest to the validity of the minimum average work rate criterion and the proposed multivariable optimization procedure compared with other procedures suggested in the literature in control of respiratory mechanics.