Giraffe have unusually high heart rates for their size, at 150 beats per minute. When the animal lowers its head the blood rushes down fairly unopposed and a rete mirabile in the upper neck, with its large cross sectional area, prevents excess blood flow to the brain. When it raises again, the blood vessels constrict and direct blood into the brain so the animal does not faint. The jugular veins contain several (most commonly seven) valves to prevent blood flowing back into the head from the inferior vena cava and right atrium while the head is lowered. Conversely, the blood vessels
Drug delivery to the brain that they must pass through the cell membranes of the endothelial cells. Because of this, the only molecules that are easily able to transverse the blood–brain barrier are ones that are very lipid-soluble. These are not the only molecules that can transverse the blood–brain barrier; glucose, oxygen and carbon dioxide are not lipid-soluble but are actively transported across the barrier, to support normal cellular function of the brain. The fact that molecules have to fully transverse the endothelial cells makes them a perfect barricade to unspecified particles from entering the brain, working to protect the brain at all costs. Also,