Hyperemia
From Psychology Wiki
Community portal · Tasks to do · News · Help
Clinical · Educational · Ind&Org · Other fields · Professional · Transpersonal · World
Assessment |
Biopsychology |
Comparative |
Cognitive |
Developmental |
Language
Personality |
Philosophy |
Research Methods |
Social |
Statistics
Biological: Behavioural genetics · Evolutionary psychology · Neuroanatomy · Neurochemistry · Neuroendocrinology · Psychoneuroimmunology · Physiological Psychology · Psychopharmacology
Hyperemia describes the increase of blood flow to different tissues in the body. It can have medical implications, but is also a regulatory response, allowing change in blood supply to different tissues through vasodilation.
[edit] Hyperemia and the regulation of blood flow
Functional hyperemia is an increase in blood flow to a tissue due to the presence of metabolites and a change in general conditions. When a tissue increases activity there is a well characterized fall in the partial pressure of oxygen and pH, an increase in partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and a rise in temperature and the concentration of potassium ions. The mechanism for vasodilation is unclear, but it may have something to do with the opening of precapillary sphincters.
Active hyperemia is also a term used to describe dilation of arteriolar smooth muscle to increase blood flow in response to an increase in metabolism. Reactive hyperemia is the same but in response to a profound increase in blood flow to an organ after being occluded. There will be a shortage of oxygen and a build-up of metabolic waste.
[edit] External links
- Active and reactive hyperemia. Richard E. Klabunde, Ph.D. Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts. Accessed on 27 February 2006.
| This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Hyperemia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
