Cold pressor and cardiovascular measures
Temperature and other environmental factors, including painful stimuli, are known to affect heart rate and arterial blood pressure. Placing your foot in an ice bath triggers the sympathetic nervous system and changes in the cardiovascular system including arteriolar constriction and increased cardiac contractility. This test has been used clinically to assess left ventricular function and previously suggested as an index for screening for hypertension.
In this simulation, you will explore the effects of placing your foot in an ice bath. To do this you will examine the effect this has on Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP), Heart Rate (HR), Cardiac Output (CO), Stroke Volume (SV) and Total Peripheral Resistance (TPR).
Watch the video below for an overview of the procedure followed to perform this experiment in a laboratory.
Cold pressor simulation
Press the "Start recording" button to start the experiment.
The first five minutes of the recording will correspond to baseline measurement. From minutes 5 to 10, the feet of the subject are in the ice water bucket. The last 5 minutes will show the recovery.
Fill the table with the mean values for baseline and cold pressor test. Hover the mouse on the graph for a horizontal line to appear with the corresponding y-value for that mouse position, which will help you estimate the mean for each period.
Interactive activity
Use the data you've collected to work your way through the drop-down boxes in the diagram to explain what happens when a person puts their feet in icy water, relative to baseline.
Click this button when you're ready to submit your response:
For each of the newly appeared drop-down boxes, choose the correct neurotransmitter that is being released at that site. For your reference:
- NA = Noradrenaline
- ACh = Acetylcholine
- GABA = Gamma amino butyric acid
- EAA = Excitatory amino acid
Click this button when you're ready to submit your response:
