Template:Aquatic layer topics. An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3000 and 6000 m. Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth âs surface.
Murad discovered in 1977 that nitroglycerin and related artery-widening compounds act by releasing nitric oxide. Furchgott later concluded that cells in the inner lining of blood vessels secrete some unknown substance that makes vessels dilate.
Nitric oxideâs role in dilating blood vessels makes it an important controller of blood pressure. Nitric oxide is also produced by neurons (nerve cells) and is used by the nervous system as a neurotransmitter to regulate functions ranging from digestion to blood flow to memory and vision.