This new volume of the book series Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology provides a complete and exhaustive overview of the morphofunctional organization of the mammalian carotid body, a polymodal chemosensory organ responsible for the maintenance of blood gas homeostasis.

The authors review the state of the art of the neurochemical anatomy of carotid body´s cell populations with a special reference to their structural and neurochemical plasticity. The essential role of this organ in the generation, progression and maintenance of cardiorespiratory and metabolic diseases in humans and other mammals is presented. Finally, the book summarizes current knowledge on the stem cell niche in the mammalian carotid body and discusses its contribution to replacement cell therapy and other potential applications in translational research.

This book represents an essential reading for physiologists, anatomists, cell, and developmental biologists, as wellas physicians, veterinarians, and biomedical researchers.