The lungs are innervated by two autonomic nervous system components:

• parasympathetic/vagus nerves (origin: cranial and sacral nerves)
• sympathetic nerves (origin: thoracolumbar region of the spinal cord)

The image below shows a schematic of pulmonary nerve innervation: afferent fibers transmit information from peripheral organs back to the CNS, while efferent fibers send impulses from the CNS to peripheral organs.

• Research has found several afferent nerves capable of initiating coughs upon activation, with roles in the regulation of breathing patterns
• Nociceptors (peripheral afferents) detect noxious stimuli to mediate coughing and pain responses, with recent literature supporting their ability to cross-talk with pulmonary immune cells