Dynamics of the diaphragm in the control of respiration

The diaphragm, as the major muscle in respiration, may be regarded as an electro-mechanical transducer contained in the sub-block of the controller in the respiratory feedback system. Its principal purpose is to transform the neural input, originating in the respiratory center, into a mechanical response measured in terms of transpulmonary pressure. Available physiological information and experimental results, in anesthetized animals, suggest a nonlinear tension-pressure relation where the radius of the curvature of the diaphragm is a significant factor. This paper describes the tension-pressure dynamics of the diaphragm.