vasomotor (vay-zoh-moh-ter) adj. controlling the muscular walls of blood vessels, especially arteries, and therefore their diameter. v. centre a collection of nerve cells in the medulla oblongata that brings about reflex changes in the rate of the heartbeat and in the diameter of blood vessels, so that the blood pressure can be adjusted. v. nerve any nerve, usually belonging to the autonomic nervous system, that controls the circulation of blood through blood vessels by its action on the muscle fibres within their walls or its action on the heartbeat. v. symptoms subjective sensations experienced by women around the time of the menopause, often described as explosions of heat, mostly followed by profuse sweating. Physiological changes include peripheral vasodilatation, tachycardia with normal blood pressure, and raised skin temperature with normal body temperature.

vas·o·mo·tor / ˌvāzōˈmōtər; ˌvaso-/ • adj. causing or relating to the constriction or dilatation of blood vessels. ∎  denoting a region in the medulla of the brain (the vasomotor center) that regulates blood pressure by controlling reflex alterations in the heart rate and the diameter of the blood vessels, in response to stimuli from receptors in the circulatory system or from other parts of the brain.

vasomotor Applied to the nerves of the autonomic nervous system that control the diameter of blood vessels.