What is the vasomotor control mechanism?

Answer 1

I'm coming from a PE perpspective so my knowledge of it may vary from yours but...

The Vasomotor Control Centre (VCC) is located in the medulla oblongata in the brain, and regulates the vascular shunt mechanism. This basically redistributes blood during exercise and at rest accordingly. Obviously during rest your muscle tissue require less oxygen and glucose, so only 30 percent of blood is supplied to skeletal muscle. The remaining 70 percent is supplied to the main body organs such as the liver, heart etc. This is done by two main processes : VASODILATION and VASOCONSTRICITON. These basically mean the widening and narrowing of blood vessels.

When at rest the muscle arterioles and precapillary sphincters vasoconstrict (get narrower), thus reducing blood flow to the muscles. The organ arterioles and precapillary sphincters do the opposite- they vasodilate (get wider), enabling greater blood flow to the organs.

During exercise the body obviously has a greater demand for oxygen and glucose for aerobic respiration, or else it would have an onset for blood lactate accumulation, and would have to respire anaerobically. With this in mind, the process above simply reverses to meet the demands of skeletal muscle. 70 percent of blood goes to the muscles and the remaining 30 percent is supplied to body organs. Again vasodilation occurs, but this time in muscle arterioles and precapillary sphincters- to enable greater blood flow to the muscle, therefore providing it with more oxygen and glucose for aerobic respiration. In turn the organ arterioles and precapillary sphincters vasoconstrict, thus reducing the blood supply.

Hope this helps mate

Answer 2

medulla oblongata

Answer 3

Hypothalamus

Answer 4

in the medulla oblongata.