Airway receptors and their reflex function--invited article.

Sensory information in the lung is generated by airway receptors located throughout the respiratory tract. This information is mainly carried by the vagus nerves and yields multiple reflex responses in disease states (cough, bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion). Airway receptors are also essential for breathing control and lung defense. A single sensory unit contains homogeneous or heterogeneous types of receptors, providing varied and mixed behavior. Thus, the sensory units are not only transducers, but also processors that integrate information in different modes.