In General, Autonomic Tone of Peripheral Blood Vessels Increases When

Question

In general, autonomic tone of peripheral blood vessels increases when
A) sympathetic stimulation is increased.
B) sympathetic stimulation is decreased.
C) parasympathetic stimulation is increased.
D) parasympathetic stimulation is decreased.
E) somatomotor stimulation is increased.

Accepted Answer

Autonomic tone refers to the baseline activity of the autonomic nervous system on a given organ or structure. In the case of peripheral blood vessels, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for constriction of blood vessels (vasoconstriction), while the parasympathetic nervous system has minimal effect. Therefore, an increase in sympathetic stimulation would lead to an increase in autonomic tone of the peripheral blood vessels, resulting in vasoconstriction.