Glomus Cell Hypoxia Transduction

The carotid body is the body's fastest oxygen sensor, and the whole story happens inside one specialised cell type: the glomus (type I) cell. This simulator models the real molecular cascade — background O₂-sensitive potassium channels that close as arterial oxygen falls, the resulting membrane depolarization, voltage-gated calcium influx, and the saturating rise in afferent nerve firing rate that ultimately tells the brainstem to breathe faster and deeper. Drag the PaO₂ and PaCO₂ sliders to explore the steep, synergistic threshold near 60 mmHg, or force the K⁺ channel shut with the blocker toggle to see why the channel itself — not oxygen directly — is the molecular switch.