Where are the chemoreceptors that detect the acidity of the blood and trigger the respiratory compensation located?
The chemoreceptors that participate in the ventilation control are structures that collect information about the acidity and alkalinity of the blood. The information is then transmitted by nervous fibers to the respiratory center located within the medulla. The center then commands the respiratory muscles to compensate the abnormal pH. There are central and peripheral chemoreceptors. Peripheral chemoreceptors of pH, carbon dioxide partial pressure and oxygen partial pressure are located in the walls of the aorta and of the carotid arteries. Central chemoreceptors that get pH information are located within the medulla in the respiratory center. (The pulmonary ventilation is also controlled by receptors that receive pH information from the cerebrospinal fluid.)
