baroreceptor

baroreceptor definition - medical

bar·o·re·cep·tor (bărˌō-rĭ-sĕpˈtər) or bar·o·cep·tor (bărˈō-sĕpˌtər)

noun
A sensory nerve ending in the walls of the auricles of the heart, vena cava, carotid sinus, and aortic arch, sensitive to stretching of the wall due to increased pressure from within, and functioning as the receptor of central reflex mechanisms that tend to reduce that pressure. Also called pressoreceptor.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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