The carotid sinus acts as a mechanotransducer of shear oscillation rather than a baroreceptor

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• The carotid sinus, a human internal carotid artery dilation, is traditionally viewed as a baroreceptor sensing blood pressure.
• This function is crucial for central blood pressure regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the conventional baroreceptor paradigm of the carotid sinus.
• To propose and investigate a novel hypothesis regarding carotid sinus function.

Main Methods:

• Utilized magnetic resonance angiograms of healthy carotid arteries.
• Performed computational fluid dynamics simulations to compute the oscillatory shear index (OSI).
• Correlated high OSI regions with carotid sinus nerve location.

Main Results:

• Identified the carotid sinus as an area of highest vorticity and oscillatory shear index (OSI).
• The region of highest OSI aligns with the location of the carotid sinus nerve.
• Demonstrated a potential mechanism for mechanotransduction of wall shear stress oscillations.

Conclusions:

• The carotid sinus may function as a mechanotransducer of wall shear stress oscillations.
• This challenges the established role of the carotid sinus as solely a baroreceptor.
• Suggests a new understanding of cardiovascular regulation involving fluid dynamics.