BRAINCAKEControl of Heart Rate
Heart rate is controlled so that the supply of blood matches the tissues' need for oxygen and glucose and for removal of carbon dioxide. The volume of blood pumped by one ventricle per minute is the cardiac output:
cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume
Worked example: at rest, heart rate = 70 beats min−1 and stroke volume = 75 cm3. Cardiac output = 70 × 75 = 5250 cm3 min−1.
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Key terms in this lesson
- vagus nerve
- The parasympathetic nerve that supplies the sinoatrial node and slows heart rate by releasing acetylcholine.
- accelerator nerve
- The sympathetic nerve that supplies the sinoatrial node and increases heart rate by releasing noradrenaline.
- baroreceptor
- A pressure receptor, found in the aorta, carotid arteries and vena cava, that detects changes in blood pressure.
- stroke volume
- The volume of blood pumped out of one ventricle of the heart during a single heartbeat.
More in Hormonal Communication
- Diabetes Mellitus
- The Fight or Flight Response
- Coordinating Nervous and Hormonal Responses
- Adrenaline and the Second Messenger Model
- The Cardiovascular Centre in the Medulla
- Baroreceptors
- Chemoreceptors
- Hormonal Control of Heart Rate
All 19 lessons in Hormonal Communication · All OCR A-level Biology topics