Autoregulation and Basal Tone in Consecutive Vascular Sections of the Skeletal Muscles in Reserpine‐treated Cats

An experimental analysis has been performed in reserpine‐treated cats concerning the extent of basal vascular tone and the nature of smooth muscle ‘autoregulation’ within the consecutive sections of the vascular bed of the skeletal muscles. The experiments suggest that these events are manifestations of a truly myogenic activity, basically independent of extrinsic sources of excitatory agents, and that it is essentially concentrated to the precapillary resistance vessels. Some implications of these data with regard to the cardiovascular system as a whole are briefly discussed.