Respiratory drive can be affected by injury to certain parts of the brain. This is often seen in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
In the setting of TBI, recognizing abnormalities in respirations can be helpful in localizing the injury.
Cheyne-Stokes respiration, in which breathing is rapid for a period and then absent for a period, is associated with injury to the cerebral hemispheres or diencephalon.
Hyperventilation can occur when the brain stem or tegmentum is injured.
