Blood pressure rises sharply. What does the baroreceptor reflex do next?

1. Baroreceptors are stretch receptors in the aortic sinuses, the carotid sinuses, the venae cavae and the right atrium. 2. Higher pressure stretches them further, so they fire action potentials at a higher rate. 3. The cardiovascular center in the medulla oblongata reads that faster firing as an overshoot. 4. It answers with parasympathetic stimulation of the heart, so cardiac output falls. 5. It also withdraws sympathetic drive from the peripheral arterioles, which then dilate. 6. Falling cardiac output plus vasodilation bring blood pressure back down. 7. Slower firing and vasoconstriction belong to the opposite limb of the reflex, which answers a fall in pressure. _Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 "The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels and Circulation", section 20.4 Homeostatic Regulation of the Vascular System_