Biomaterial Database

The pattern of cardiovascular response to carotid chemoreceptor stimulation in the cat. 1982

S M Hilton, and J M Marshall

1. The pattern of cardiovascular response evoked by carotid chemoreceptor stimulation has been investigated in cats anesthetized by continuous infusion of Althesin (Glaxo). 2. A variety of chemoreceptor stimulants, injected retrogradely into the lingual artery with the external carotid artery ligated, evoked hyperventilation with variable changes in arterial pressure and heart-rate, but a consistent vasodilatation in limb muscles and vasoconstriction in renal, mesenteric and cutaneous vasculature. 3. The muscle vasodilatation was still obtained after vagotomy and when the animal was paralysed and artificially ventilated; thus, it was not secondary to the hyperventilation. 4. In the majority of experiments the muscle vasodilatation was much reduced or abolished by atropine indicating it was mediated by sympathetic cholinergic fibres, which is characteristic of the alerting stage of the defence reaction in the cat. The cardiovascular pattern was accompanied by the other autonomic features of the alerting response, viz. pupillary dilatation, retraction of the nictitating membranes and pilo-erection. 5. In one and the same animal the pattern of response evoked by carotid chemoreceptor stimulation was the same as that evoked by noxious cutaneous stimulation, and by electrical stimulation in the brain stem defence areas. 6. It is concluded that peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation acts as an excitatory input to the hypothalamic and brain stem defence areas and that it can readily evoke the autonomic components of the alerting stage of the defence reaction. It is suggested that this has been missed in previous studies on anaesthetized animals because of the depressant action of chloralose and barbiturates on transmission in the hypothalamus and mid-brain.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009131	Muscle, Smooth, Vascular	The nonstriated involuntary muscle tissue of blood vessels.	Vascular Smooth Muscle,Muscle, Vascular Smooth,Muscles, Vascular Smooth,Smooth Muscle, Vascular,Smooth Muscles, Vascular,Vascular Smooth Muscles
D012119	Respiration	The act of breathing with the LUNGS, consisting of INHALATION, or the taking into the lungs of the ambient air, and of EXHALATION, or the expelling of the modified air which contains more CARBON DIOXIDE than the air taken in (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed.). This does not include tissue respiration (	Breathing
D001794	Blood Pressure	PRESSURE of the BLOOD on the ARTERIES and other BLOOD VESSELS.	Systolic Pressure,Diastolic Pressure,Pulse Pressure,Pressure, Blood,Pressure, Diastolic,Pressure, Pulse,Pressure, Systolic,Pressures, Systolic
D002339	Carotid Arteries	Either of the two principal arteries on both sides of the neck that supply blood to the head and neck; each divides into two branches, the internal carotid artery and the external carotid artery.	Arteries, Carotid,Artery, Carotid,Carotid Artery
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D002628	Chemoreceptor Cells	Cells specialized to detect chemical substances and relay that information centrally in the nervous system. Chemoreceptor cells may monitor external stimuli, as in TASTE and OLFACTION, or internal stimuli, such as the concentrations of OXYGEN and CARBON DIOXIDE in the blood.	Chemoreceptive Cells,Cell, Chemoreceptive,Cell, Chemoreceptor,Cells, Chemoreceptive,Cells, Chemoreceptor,Chemoreceptive Cell,Chemoreceptor Cell
D003655	Decerebrate State	A condition characterized by abnormal posturing of the limbs that is associated with injury to the brainstem. This may occur as a clinical manifestation or induced experimentally in animals. The extensor reflexes are exaggerated leading to rigid extension of the limbs accompanied by hyperreflexia and opisthotonus. This condition is usually caused by lesions which occur in the region of the brainstem that lies between the red nuclei and the vestibular nuclei. In contrast, decorticate rigidity is characterized by flexion of the elbows and wrists with extension of the legs and feet. The causative lesion for this condition is located above the red nuclei and usually consists of diffuse cerebral damage. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p358)	Decerebrate Posturing,Decorticate Rigidity,Decorticate State,Rigidity, Decerebrate,Rigidity, Decorticate,Decerebrate Posturings,Decerebrate Rigidity,Decerebrate States,Decorticate Rigidities,Decorticate States,Posturing, Decerebrate,Posturings, Decerebrate,Rigidities, Decorticate,State, Decerebrate,States, Decerebrate
D005260	Female		Females
D006321	Heart	The hollow, muscular organ that maintains the circulation of the blood.	Hearts
D006339	Heart Rate	The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute.	Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse