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(norepinephrine) n. a hormone, closely related to adrenaline and with similar actions, secreted by the medulla of the adrenal gland and also released as a neurotransmitter by sympathetic nerve endings. Among its many actions are constriction of small blood vessels leading to an increase in blood pressure, increased blood flow through the coronary arteries and a slowing of the heart rate, increase in the rate and depth of breathing, and relaxation of the smooth muscle in intestinal walls.
Subjects: Medicine and Health — Science and Mathematics.
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