Exercise 1: Lung volumes and capacities

1. In the space below, hand draw a representative spirogram that illustrates Tidal Volume,
Inspiratory Reserve Volume, Expiratory Reserve Volume and Vital Capacity. Label this drawing
as Figure 1 and provide an appropriate caption.

2. Use horizontal lines and two-headed vertical arrows on the spirogram above to delineate the
following: Tidal Volume, Inspiratory Reserve Volume, Expiratory Reserve Volume and Vital
Capacity. Label each of these parts.
3. In quiet breathing, muscular effort is used mainly in inspiration, and expiration is largely passive,
due to elastic recoil of the lung. Can you relate this fact to the pattern of expiratory and
inspiratory flow seen on the Lab Tutor recording? Hint: the normal pattern of breathing is
efficient in that it requires muscular effort for only a short time.
4. Explain why RV cannot be determined by ordinary spirometry?

Exercise 2: Pulmonary function tests

5. Interpret the difference between the spirogram's red line and blue line.
6. Were your results for forced breathing consistent across all three trials? If not, why not?

Exercise 3: Simulated airway obstruction

Copy the table for this exercise in Lab Tutor by clicking on the spreadsheet icon in the upper
right-hand corner of the table. Paste into Excel and adjust column widths as necessary, then
select the entire table and from the Borders menu, select All Borders. Copy this formatted
table into the space below.
(Paste table here)
7. Based on your data, what values have been affected by simulated airway obstruction and why?
8. In your own words describe the physiological significance of the FEV1/FVC ratio?

9. In your own words explain the physiological events that occurred during this simulated asthma
attack. Hint: Think about what it felt like and how that would affect your general state of
wellbeing and activity level.

Exercise 4: Effect of Exercise

Note: Enter the Tidal Volume, Inspiratory Reserve Volume, Expiratory Reserve Volume
and Vital Capacity for your subject, both before and after exercise on the instructors
computer at the front of the room.
Use Excel to run the t-tests comparing the various lung volumes before and after exercise,
and enter the p values in the table below. (If you want to hand write the values, that is OK.)
Copy the table for this exercise in Lab Tutor by clicking on the spreadsheet icon in the upper
right-hand corner of the table. Paste into Excel and adjust column widths as necessary, then
select the entire table and from the Borders menu, select All Borders. Copy this formatted
table into the space below.
(Paste table here)
Using class data, design a Figure 2 in Excel describing the effect of a bout of exercise on the
lung volume measurements (including error bars). This graph should have the axes properly
labeled (pre-exercise and post-exercise) and with an appropriate caption.
(Place Fig. 2 here)
10. If any differences were significant, explain the differences physiologically in terms of what
occurred and why these differences would take place.
Consult Sherwoods section dealing with the role of CO2 and central chemoreceptors on
breathing depth and rate. NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO, NOR SHOULD YOU, USE THE
WORD OXYGEN OR ITS FORMULA (O2) IN YOUR EXPLANATION HERE OR IN
SUBSEQUENT ANSWERS, AS LOW O2 PLAYS NO ROLE IN REGULATION OF
BREATHING EXCEPT AS AN EMERGENCY LIFE-SAVING MECHANISM. Also, if you
find that you have used the words need or to verb, your answer is probably wrong.
Due to the group data used, lung volumes (i.e. TV, IRV, ERV, VC) pre and post exercise may
not have shown significant changes. If this is the case, based on your knowledge of lung
function, describe any trends observed and explain what changes SHOULD have occurred and
why they should have occurred. The same good physiological explanations apply

Exercise 5: Breath Holding

a. Using class data create a time course curve describing the effect of hyperventilation
DURATION on breath hold time. This graph should be presented in the form of a scatter plot
with trend line (a continuous variable on each axis), and should be called Figure 3.
(Place Fig. 3 here)
11. Describe any trends or patterns you see in the data and explain physiologically what should have
happened and why.
12. What would you expect to be the breath-hold duration of an individual who exercised briefly
(~2-4 minutes) then engaged in a bout of hyperventilation? Why do you expect these results and
what experimental lab data, if any, support your assumptions?
b. Using class data create a Figure 4 using Excel describing the duration of breath holding for
pre (no hyperventilation) and post-exercise conditions.
(Place Fig. 4 here)
13. What was the p value from your T-test?
14. Draw a conclusion based upon the data and the statistical analysis.
15. Explain physiologically any differences or trends observed in pre-exercise and post-exercise
breath hold time. These differences should be explained with your knowledge of lung function
and pulmonary regulation. If the difference between the means is not significant, describe any
trends you see in the data and explain what should have happened and why.

Note: Before printing this report for submission, check the formatting and
add page breaks as necessary to make sure none of the figures or table are
separated on two pages.