Dr. Mark Burleson, Sr. Lecturer and Graduate Advisor, at UNT, is currently researching the role of pulmonary stretch receptors in the control of breathing. These are the nerve receptors that let you know when you are inhaling, exhaling and the amount of air in your lungs. They play an important role, for example, in diving. Various chemicals such as sodium and carbon dioxide have effects on their sensitivity to stretch. Alligators are a useful experimental model for understanding the evolution of the control of breathing and how different chemicals in the environment can affect the neural control of ventilation.

If you would like to learn more about this important research, you can contact Dr. Burleson at Mark.Burleson@unt.edu