The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Cough is due to activation of sensory receptors in the larynx and lower respiratory tract, sending impulses to the brainstem. The central organization of cough is poorly understood. The afferent pathways for cough are from receptors in and under the epithelium of the airways. ⋯ The central connections of the C-fibre receptors inhibit cough. Thus, the sensitivity of the cough reflex and its pattern of response is due to a complex interaction between C-fibre receptors and rapidly adapting receptors, with peripheral and central nervous interactions. How these mechanisms apply to clinical cough in patients is at present poorly understood, but is beginning to be clarified.