baroreceptorimpulsen

Baroreceptor impulses (baroreceptorimpulsen) are afferent neural signals produced by arterial baroreceptors in response to stretch of the arterial wall caused by arterial pressure. The primary sensors are located in the carotid sinus and the aortic arch. When blood pressure rises, baroreceptors stretch more and increase firing rate; when it falls, firing rate decreases. These impulses travel via glossopharyngeal nerve (carotid sinus) and vagus nerve (aortic arch) to the nucleus tractus solitarius in the medulla oblongata. The NTS integrates baroreceptor input with other sensory signals and modulates autonomic outflow. Increased baroreceptor activity leads to activation of parasympathetic influence and inhibition of sympathetic outflow, producing a slower heart rate, reduced contractility, and vasodilation; decreased baroreceptor activity has opposite effects, raising heart rate and vascular tone to restore blood pressure. The baroreflex thus acts as a rapid, short-term regulator of mean arterial pressure, adjusting within seconds to fluctuations in posture, activity, or blood loss. Baroreceptor sensitivity can adapt or reset with sustained blood pressure changes, such as chronic hypertension, shifting the operating point upward while preserving reflex function. Clinically, diminished baroreflex sensitivity is associated with autonomic dysfunction and increased cardiovascular risk; testing (e.g., pharmacologic or mechanical perturbations) and microneurographic recordings are used in research and diagnostics. Understanding baroreceptor impulses is central to the study of short-term blood pressure regulation and autonomic control.