The neuronal circuit that generates breathing, the regulation of breathing, and its integration with other physiological systems is of utmost importance to human health. However, breathing abnormalities are common, and sleep apnea alone is estimated to affect 18 million in the United States. As one of the major complications of obesity, the prevalence of sleep apnea is likely to increase in the coming years. Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), asthma, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and the pathophysiology of panic and related anxiety states also involve aspects of respiratory control.§Integration in Respiratory Control: From Genes to Systems comprises the proceedings of the 10th Oxford Conference held at Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, from the 19th to the 24th of September, 2006. This series of meetings was originally begun to bring physiologists and mathematicians together, in order to address critical issues in understanding the control of breathing. This volume includes the latest findings and developments at the genomic, cellular, and system levels that pertain to the physiology of cardio-respiratory control, including integrative physiology and modeling, central integration and neuromodulation, rhythm generation and plasticity, chemosensory transduction and signaling, pre- and post-natal development, and post-genomic perspectives.
