Myogenic tone refers to the ability of vascular smooth muscle to alter its state of
contractility in response to changes in intraluminal pressure
The vessel constricts in opposition to an increase in intravascular pressure and
dilates when the pressure decreases
Behavior observed in a variety of vascular tissues, including veins and conduit
arteries, but especially prevalent in resistance vasculature.
Classically described as being a Ca2+ dependent process where pressure evoked
depolarization and Ca2+ entry through voltage gated Ca2+ channels play
obligatory roles
Consistent with a role for pressure-induced depolarization, blockers of voltage
gated Ca2+ channels have been shown to reduce myogenic responses.