Your heart is able to independently contract without nerve stimulation. However, frequency of these contractions if the heart was not innervated at all would roughly be 100 beats per minute. A resting individual does not need his or her heart to beat that fast to adequately supply blood to the rest of the body. So when at rest the vagus nerve (the branch innervating the heart) kicks in and slows these contractions down so as not to waste energy.
Increased vagal stimulation would cause a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and slows down physiological processes.
Pilocarpine stimulates the release of acetylcholine from parasympathetic neurons. Therefore, it stimulates the effect of vagal stimulation on the heart.
Low heart rate would be the most obvious sign
Approximately half of all patients who have received vagal nerve stimulation experience about a 50% reduction in seizures. Another 9% of patients obtain complete relief from seizures.
increase its rate and force of contraction
Stimulation of the vagus nerve decreases heart rate. The vagus nerve is an important part of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Atropine increases the heart rate by increasing the sympathetic nerve stimulation while propanalol decreases the heart rate by decreasing the parasympathetic nerve stimulation.
Both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems innervate the heart. The parasympathetic nervous system functions in regulating heart rate through the vagus nerve, with increased vagal activity producing a slowing of heart reate. The sympathetic nervous system has an excitatory influence on heart rate and contractlitiy, and it serves as the final common pathway for controlling the smooth muscle tone of the blood vessels. Reference: Porth, C M (2007) Pathophysiology Concepts of Altered Health States, 2nd Ed. (p. 344) Lipponcott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
Heart muscles has there own rhythm of contraction. The sinoatrial node has the fastest rate of contraction. That is why it governs the rhythm of the heart. You have the control of the autonomic nervous system over the heart rate. Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system increase the heart rate. Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system decrease the heart rate.
Vagus nerve stimulation can decrease heart rate by inhibiting the electrical activity of the heart's pacemaker cells, which are responsible for setting the heart rate. This can be therapeutic in conditions where a slower heart rate is beneficial, such as in certain cases of epilepsy or heart failure.
Heart rate increases with sympathetic nervous system. There is increase in stroke volume and cardiac output. With stimulation of vagus nerve or parasympathetic nervous system, You have decrease in heart rate. There is decrease the stroke volume and cardiac output.
it stimulates your vagal nerve which inhibits sympathetic responce to your heart, thus reducing the rate of contractions.