A collection of nerve cells in the medulla oblongata that receives information from sensory receptors in the circulatory system and brings about reflex changes in the rate of the heart beat and in the diameter of blood vessels, so that the blood pressure can be adjusted. The vasomotor center also receives impulses from elsewhere in the brain, so that emotion (such as fear) may also influence the heart rate and blood pressure. The center works through vasomotor nerves of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
The center that controls the diameter of blood vessels; the vasoconstrictor and vasodilator centers.