The periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a critical role in autonomic function and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. Recent evidence has revealed the PAG's potential involvement in the perception of breathlessness, a highly threatening respiratory symptom. In this review, we outline the current evidence in animals and humans on the role of the PAG in respiratory control and in the perception of breathlessness. While recent work has unveiled dissociable brain activity within the lateral PAG during perception of breathlessness and ventrolateral PAG during conditioned anticipation in healthy humans, this is yet to be translated into diseases dominated by breathlessness symptomology, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Understanding how the sub-structures of the PAG differentially interact with interoceptive brain networks involved in the perception of breathlessness will help towards understanding discordant symptomology, and may reveal treatment targets for those debilitated by chronic and pervasive breathlessness.

中文翻译：

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中脑导水管周围灰色为呼吸的整合和感知神经结构。

导水管周围的灰色（PAG）在自主功能和对威胁性刺激的行为反应中起着至关重要的作用。最近的证据表明，PAG可能参与了呼吸困难这一高度威胁性呼吸道症状的感知。在这篇综述中，我们概述了动物和人类中PAG在呼吸控制中的作用以及对呼吸困难的感知方面的最新证据。尽管最近的工作揭示了在健康人对呼吸困难的感知期间外侧PAG内可分离的大脑活动和在健康人的有条件的预期期间揭示了腹侧PAG内可分离的大脑活动，但这尚未转化为以呼吸困难症状为主的疾病，例如慢性阻塞性肺疾病。