Baroreceptors In The Cardiovascular System

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In the cardiovascular system of the body, blood pressure is the driving force of blood flow through capillaries, distributing blood to tissues throughout the body. Blood pressure is regulated by the autonomic nervous system through mechanoreceptors on the arterial walls of the carotid arteries and the aorta. These mechanoreceptors are called baroreceptors and they send signals to the brain to keep a regulated blood pressure. Along with baroreceptors, blood pressure is maintained through a system of homeostasis called the baroreceptor reflex. This baroreceptor reflex is the cardiovascular control center in the brain stem that tries to retain blood pressure at persistent levels by generating a swift negative feedback loop. For example, in response to an elevated blood pressure, this negative feedback loop would recognize the …show more content…
The response would lower heart rate and dilate the arterioles in an effort to lower total peripheral resistance, and therefore lower the mean arterial blood pressure. In a situation of someone who has chronic high blood pressure, the set points in the baroreceptor reflex would raise permanently and begin to act as though the high blood pressure set point is the new normal in the body. This is how chronic high blood pressure is unable to reverse by itself, due to high set points in the baroreceptor reflex.
An example of a form of chronic high blood pressure the disease Pulmonary Hypertension. Pulmonary Hypertension is a rare disease in which chronic high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries and furthermore increased pulmonary vascular resistance can lead to right heart failure. Pulmonary Hypertension is caused by a narrowing of the pulmonary arteries, which makes it more difficult for blood to flow through the lungs,