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Physiological role

Jignesh77

Senior Member
India- hindi
Imidazoline receptors have a physiological role in the central regulation of blood pressure. Activation of I1 receptors decreases sympathetic tone via a central mechanism, which has a hypotensive effect and reduces plasma catecholamine levels.
Pharmacology
I know that "physiological" is an adjective describing the noun role but what does "physiological" exactly mean here?
role: function
I am no expert but after some quick research I'd say it means that the receptors have a role in the normal functioning of the central regulation of blood pressure.
Yes, but if you do not know what physiology is, it is not much help, is it?
Jignesh - you need to do some research yourself: physiological types
Is there a fundamental difference between these sentences?

- Imidazoline receptors have a physiological role...
- Imidazoline receptors have a role...

Surely it's not going to be a psychological role or an emotional role or a financial role.
Surely it's not going to be a psychological role or an emotional role or a financial role.
No, but it could be a pathological role. That is, it is conceivable that a chemoreceptor could have an adverse effect on normal physiological function when it is exposed to a substance to which it is not normally exposed. Imidazoline is not a substance to which these receptors are exposed as part of their normal physiological function. In this text the word "physiological" could be omitted, but the writer may well have thought the contrast with I2 receptors justified making the point that the response was physiological.

As it happens, I2 receptors do appear to have an influence on psychiatric conditions, but that is not relevant to this particular text.
Is there a fundamental difference between these sentences?

- Imidazoline receptors have a physiological role...
- Imidazoline receptors have a role...

Surely it's not going to be a psychological role or an emotional role or a financial role.
Very helpful!
No, but it could be a pathological role. That is, it is conceivable that a chemoreceptor could have an adverse effect on normal physiological function when it is exposed to a substance to which it is not normally exposed. Imidazoline is not a substance to which these receptors are exposed as part of their normal physiological function. In this text the word "physiological" could be omitted, but the writer may well have thought the contrast with I2 receptors justified making the point that the response was physiological.

As it happens, I2 receptors do appear to have an influence on psychiatric conditions, but that is not relevant to this particular text.
Thanks
No, but it could be a pathological role.
Thanks, Andy.

So physiological has the nuance of regular, everyday, standard function? Nothing exotic or unusual or disease-related (in normal circumstances)?
If something is physiological it's part of the normal function of the organism. It doesn't necessarily mean regular and everyday - if a man is suddenly exposed to great danger an increase in heart rate, passing urine and having a bowel motion constitute a normal physiological response, but they are not an everyday event.
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