Vasomotor Regulation of Cutaneous Circulation

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Abstract
Arterial tone in the palm and sole is adjusted chiefly by variations in the activity of the arterioconstrictor innervation. This is not apparent in the skin of the trunk, face, arms and legs, where the dominant arteriomotor innervation appears to be arteriodilator. A rising local skin temperature may be a principal factor in arterial dilatation in these areas. The cutaneous venomotor innervation appears to be a powerful one which can greatly alter the blood capacity of the skin. Sympathetic denervation probably exerts its principal vascular effect in the skin on the veins and on palmar and plantar blood flow. Effects on blood flows in other skin regions have not been reported. Cutaneous blood flow in the resting comfortable subject is too small a fraction of the cardiac output to be of any considerable consequence in circulatory failure. Similarly, the absolute increase in cardiac output is greater in exposure to heat than that in the skin. Adjustments in cutaneous venous tone may be an important compensation for deficits in circulating blood volume. Since the cutaneous venous system is distended early in the response to heat, mobilization of the blood contained in the skin would be favored by cool surroundings. Certain additional studies are needed in order to extend knowledge of the cutaneous vascular system from the hands and feet to the skin of the trunk, face, arms and legs: (1) the development of methods for the direct measurement of blood flow and blood content in the skin; (2) identification of the vasomotor[long dash]arteriomotor and venomotor[long dash]innervation of the skin in all regions; (3) measurement of the regional cutaneous vascular responses in temperature regulation and in various vascular reflexes.

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