Question

Dr. Freytes goes to Chilli’s (his son’s favorite restaurant) for margarita Thursday but does not order the presidente. Instead he eats way too many salty fries with lots of water. At home he is not feeling well and suspects and increase in his blood pressure. Based on what you learned in class, what physiological response will Dr. Freytes experience that will help him restore blood pressure to normal levels?

Answer 1

Baroreceptor reflex

• Increase in blood pressure will stimulate the baroreceptors of the aortic arch and carotid sinus
• The afferents from these structures carry information to the brain.
• In the brain, the cardio inhibitory centre is stimulated and cardio excitatory centre is inhibited.
• This causes reduces sympathetic influence over the heart
• Therefore the heart rate reduces
• This reduces the cardiac output
• Plus, the sympathetic influence over the blood vessels also reduces.
• This causes vasodilation.
• This reduces the peripheral vascular resistance.
• So the cardiac output and the peripheral vascular resistance is reduced this lower the blood pressure.