Question

If the sympathetic nervous system is highly activated, one effect would be constriction of the afferent glomerular arteriole.  What happens as a result?

Answer 1

Answer

Sympathetic nervous system activation causes constriction of the afferent glomerular arteriole. This results in :

• Decreased renal blood flow due to increased vascular resistance.
• As blood flow is reduced to the glomerulus, the capillary hydrostatic pressure is decreased.
• Decrease is capillary hydrostatic pressure leads to decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
• Low GFR leads to decreased urine production and low urine output.
• Due to less amount of blood being filtered, the blood volume is increased.