A Snapshot seminar hosted by the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience
Abstract: The carotid body is the key peripheral chemoreceptor in the body that senses and responds to acute hypoxia well before the metabolism of other cell types is impaired. Carotid body stimulation activates vital protective reflexes including hyperventilation, vasoconstriction and a rise in heart rate, that collectively act to maintain enough O2 delivery to the brain and vital organs. The first part of this talk will consider the unique specializations that underpin the exquisite O2 sensitivity of carotid body. More recently it has been demonstrated that the carotid body undergoes adaptive changes in response to chronic intermittent hypoxia and chronic sustained hypoxia, leading to carotid body hyperactivity. This causes chronic reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system, thereby contributing to hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia. The second half of the talk will explore the potential for therapeutic targeting of the carotid body to treat cardiovascular disease in certain patient groups including those with sleep disordered breathing and COPD.
If you'd like to chat with the speaker while they are here, please get in touch with the host Andrew at a.james@bristol.ac.uk