NBCE Exam 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

When baroreceptors detect an increase in blood pressure, the body's response involves the activation of a reflex pathway that leads to the modulation of heart rate through the autonomic nervous system. This reflex response involves communication between visceral organs—the baroreceptors, which are specialized sensory receptors located in the walls of blood vessels, send signals to the central nervous system. This signal then prompts a reflexive response that can decrease heart rate, which is a visceral response initiated by a change detected in another visceral system.

The term "viscerovisceral" specifically refers to the interaction and responses between different visceral structures or organs in the body. In this case, the baroreceptors (which sense blood pressure—visceral input) lead to a change in heart rate (another visceral output) reflecting a coordinated response between these internal organ systems. The other options describe different types of interactions that do not align with this specific reflex involving changes in blood pressure and heart rate. Thus, viscerovisceral is the accurate description of this physiological process when the increase in blood pressure translates to a reflex slowing of heart rate.