A 2-Week-Old Girl in NICU Due to Being Born at 28

A 2-week-old girl in NICU due to being born at 28 weeks gestation and had a birth weight of 1 kg. The patient is on minimal respiratory support via nasal cannula and she is evaluated today due to recurrent apanic episodes and respiratory effort stop for 30 seconds at a time then return normal saturation and respiration Examination of the lungs reveals bilateral, clear breath sounds with easy work of breathing. Ultrasound of the head is normal. Arterial blood gas values are normal. This patient's clinical findings are most likely caused by an abnormality in which of the following areas?

A) Central stimulatory neurons
B) Lower motor neurons
C) Mixed motor sensory nerves
D) Peripheral chemoreceptors
E) Pulmonary stretch receptors