Discuss the Hering-Breuer reflex and its importance
Discuss the Hering-Breuer reflex and its importance
The Hering-Breuer reflex is a respiratory reflex mechanism that occurs in response to prolonged inhalation. The excessive stretching of the tissues of the lungs triggers the pulmonary stretch receptors located on the bronchial walls of the airways. The activation of these receptors sends signals (in the form of the action potential) via the vagus nerve's myelinated fibers to the inspiratory centers located within the medulla and the apneustic center located in the pons. As a result, the actions of the inspiratory area are directly inhibited, and the activation of the inspiratory area by the apneustic center is also inhibited; these actions, in turn, stop inhalation and initiates exhalation.
The importance of this reflex is to prevent the lung tissues from over-inflating due to prolonged inhalation, which may damage the tissues of the lungs.
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