Which of the following neurons predominantly fire during forceful expiration?

Correct Answer: B. Ventral group of neurons

The ventral group of neurons (also called ventral respiratory group or VRG) in the medulla is the primary motor control center for forceful expiration. Located in the nucleus retroambiguus region of the ventral medulla, these neurons are predominantly inactive during quiet breathing but become highly active during forced expiration, exercise, coughing, and speaking. The VRG contains both inspiratory and expiratory neurons; the expiratory neurons (expiratory reserve neurons) directly innervate the internal intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles via the spinal cord, which are the active muscles of forced expiration. During quiet breathing, expiration is passive (elastic recoil), so VRG expiratory neurons remain silent. However, during exercise, respiratory distress, or any condition requiring increased minute ventilation (common in Indian patients with chronic respiratory disease, asthma exacerbations, or sepsis), the VRG expiratory neurons fire maximally to recruit abdominal and intercostal muscles for rapid, forceful air expulsion. This is the discriminating feature: VRG activity correlates directly with expiratory effort, making it the correct answer for forceful expiration.

Why the other options are wrong

A. Pneumotaxic center — The pneumotaxic center (located in the rostral pons, nucleus parabrachialis medialis) controls the duration and rhythm of breathing by inhibiting inspiratory neurons, not by driving expiration. It fine-tunes the I:E ratio and prevents excessive inspiration, but plays no direct role in forceful expiration. This is a common trap because students confuse 'respiratory control' with 'expiratory control.' C. Dorsal group of neurons — The dorsal respiratory group (DRG) in the nucleus tractus solitarius is primarily inspiratory in function—it receives sensory input from vagal afferents and drives inspiration via phrenic nerve activation. While DRG has some expiratory neurons, they are inactive during quiet breathing and do not predominantly fire during forced expiration. Confusing DRG with VRG is a classic NBE trap. D. Chemoreceptors — Chemoreceptors (central and peripheral) sense CO₂, O₂, and pH changes and send afferent signals to respiratory centers, but they do not directly execute expiration. They modulate breathing rate and depth reflexively, not forceful expiration specifically. This option tests whether students confuse sensory input with motor output.

High-Yield Facts

Mnemonics

DRG vs VRG Dorsal = Drives inspiration (phrenic); Ventral = Valves out (expiration). DRG is sensory-integrative (nucleus tractus solitarius), VRG is motor-expiratory (nucleus retroambiguus). VRG Activation Triggers FACE: Forced breathing, Abdominal effort, Coughing, Exercise. All require VRG expiratory neuron firing.

NBE Trap

NBE pairs 'respiratory control' with 'pneumotaxic center' to trap students who conflate rhythm/timing control with motor execution of expiration. The pneumotaxic center modulates breathing pattern but does not drive forceful expiration—VRG does.

Clinical Pearl

In Indian ICU practice, patients with COPD exacerbation or severe asthma show accessory muscle recruitment (abdominal and intercostal muscles) during forced expiration—this is direct evidence of VRG expiratory neuron activation. Loss of this response (e.g., in spinal cord injury at C3–C5) severely impairs cough and forced expiration, increasing aspiration risk in post-stroke patients.

_Reference: Guyton & Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology, Ch. 41 (Pulmonary Ventilation); Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Ch. 297 (Respiratory Physiology)_