Describe the role of the nervous system in generating breathing rhythm

Breathing is automatic and is under the control of the brain and the automatic nervous system (ANS), this controls the functions that we do not think about but are necessary for life such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. The sympathetic side to the (ANS) is usually used when the body feels pressure, the parasympathetic helps the body to relax and conserve energy, and these both form part of the (ANS). The breathing rhythm is set to meet the needs of the body, the more carbon dioxide in the blood flow to the brain, will result in an increase of breathing in order to remove it, to speed up the reaction a signal is also sent to the heart, to increase the heart rate. This is all controlled by the medulla oblongata and the pons, which make up part of the brain stem.
(Wright, 2007)
Figure 3