Breathing is spontaneously initiated in the central nervous system. It occurs without a conscious initiation of inspiration and expiration. ¹

A cycle of inspiration and expiration is automatically generated by neurons located in the brainstem.

 

A cycle of inspiration and expiration is automatically established in the medullary respiratory center. Its output represents a final common pathway to the respiratory muscles, except for some voluntary pathways that may go directly from higher centers to the respiratory muscles (dashed line). Reflex responses from chemoreceptors and other sensors may modify the cycle of inspiration and expiration established by the medullary respiratory center.

Reflexes arising in the lungs, the airways, and the cardiovascular system; information from receptors in contact with the cerebrospinal fluid; and commands from higher centers of the brain such as the hypothalamus, the centers of speech, or other areas in the cortex. The centers that are responsible for the generation of the spontaneous rhythmicity of inspiration and expiration are, therefore, able to alter their activity to meet the increased metabolic demand on the respiratory system during exercise or may even be temporarily superseded or suppressed during speech or breath holding.