Abstract
In an attempt to understand the quantitative aspects of gas exchange for the control of intermittent ventilatory activity in lover vertebrates we developed a conceptual model of this control system. It was assumed that in most species the onset and duration of ventilatory episodes are governed by an oxygen sensitive hypercapnic drive. As a consequence, the controller governing ventilatory activity in the model was designed as an on-off switch coupled with a sensor monitoring a blood compartment. The internal signal used by the controller to begin and terminate a burst of ventilation is partial pressure of carbon dioxide in blood (PbCO2). The controller initiates a breathing episode when PbCO2 rises above a critical value which is influenced by partial pressure of oxygen in blood (PbO2). Ventilation is terminated when PbCO2 falls below a constant threshold value. The regulated system consists of the stored quantities of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and the blood compartments. These are separated by a diffusive barrier. The model treats the blood as a uniform pool. The quantities of both respiratory gases, reflected by their partial pressures, are altered by continuous metabolic activity and intermittent bursts of ventilation.
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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Topor, Z.L., West, N.H. (1995). Control of Intermittent Ventilation in Lower Vertebrates. In: Semple, S.J.G., Adams, L., Whipp, B.J. (eds) Modeling and Control of Ventilation. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 393. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1933-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1933-1_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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