This review highlights that carotid body chemoreceptors utilize both chemical and electrical transmission mechanisms, which are modulated by conditions such as chronic hypoxia.
Mechanistic insights into carotid body signaling under hypoxia warrant further study; leaves open any clinical relevance for cardiovascular or respiratory disease.
Carotid body chemoreceptors are complex secondary receptors. There are chemical and electric connections between glomus cells (GC/GC) and between glomus cells and carotid nerve endings (GC/NE). Chemical secretion of glomus cells is accompanied by GC/GC uncoupling. Chemical GC/NE transmission is facilitated by concomitant electric coupling. Chronic hypoxia reduces GC/GC coupling but increases G/NE coupling. Therefore, carotid body chemoreceptors use chemical and electric transmission mechanisms to trigger and change the sensory discharge in the carotid nerve.
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C. Eyzaguirre (2005) studied this question.
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