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Breathing has both an automatic (involuntary) and a voluntary control. Of course, you don't have to voluntarily inhale and exhale consciously in order to stay alive; a part of the brain called the brainstem takes care of that. You can, of course control voluntarily the muscles you use for breathing (ie. the diaphragm and the intercostals), which is essential for speech, and many other activities.

The rhythm of the heart is not given by the brain. It comes from the heart's own pacemaker, a small node of special heart muscle called the sinus node or sinoatrial node. What the brain does is only the regulation of the heart rate. When you are relaxed, your heart beats slower, when excited, faster. But the heart is totally automatic: it keeps beating even after totally being separated from the nervous system (which is exactly the case in transplanted hearts).

Of course, the heart needs oxygen, and plenty of it. But, it can keep beating for quite a few minutes without breathing. This is what makes resuscitation possible sometimes even after more than 15 minutes of no breathing and heartbeat.

While the heart can keep beating for some time after the breathing stops, the reverse is practically not possible. Breathing is only possible with a functioning brainstem, and to keep the brainstem working, it needs blood full of oxygen. So, breathing usually stops seconds after the heart stops, and can be restarted only together with the heart during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

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16y ago

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