The midbrain periaqueductal gray as an integrative and interoceptive neural structure for breathing

Faull, Olivia K; Subramanian, Hari H; Ezra, Martyn; Pattinson, Kyle T S

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.020

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Faull, O. K., Subramanian, H. H., Ezra, M., & Pattinson, K. T. S. (2019). The midbrain periaqueductal gray as an integrative and interoceptive neural structure for breathing. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 98, 135–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.020

Abstract

The periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a critical role in autonomic function and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. Recent evidence has revealed the PAG's potential involvement in the perception of breathlessness, a highly threatening respiratory symptom. In this review, we outline the current evidence in animals and humans on the role of the PAG in respiratory control and in the perception of breathlessness. While recent work has unveiled dissociable brain activity within the lateral PAG during perception of breathlessness an