Genetics of Autonomic Nervous System Activity

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eco de Geus ◽  
Rene van Lien ◽  
Melanie Neijts ◽  
Gonneke Willemsen
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Heritability Estimates ◽  
Measurement Strategies

Large individual differences in the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) play a key role in risk for cardiovascular disease. This chapter presents an overview of the measurement strategies that can be used to study ANS activity in samples that are sufficiently large to allow genetic analyses. Heart rate variability, in particular, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is identified as the measure of choice to index parasympathetic activity, whereas preejection period (PEP) is the measure of choice to index sympathetic activity. Twin studies have demonstrated significant genetic contributions to resting levels of both RSA (heritability estimates range from 25 to 71 percent) and PEP (heritability estimates range from 48 to 74 percent) and the genetic variance in these traits seems to further increase under conditions of psychological stress. Identifying the genetic variants that influence parasympathetic and sympathetic activity may increase our understanding of the role of the ANS in cardiovascular disease.

Evaluation of the Autonomic Nervous System of the Heart in Male Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome Using Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Dynamic Exercise

Cardiology ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 433-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourenço Gallo, Jr. ◽  
José Morelo-Filho ◽  
Benedito C. Maciel ◽  
José A. Marin-Neto ◽  
Luiz E.B. Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Mitral Valve ◽  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Mitral Valve Prolapse ◽  
Dynamic Exercise ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Male Patients

scholarly journals Physiology of nostril breathing exercises and its probable relation with nostril and cerebral dominance: A theoretical research on literature

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Upadhyay-Dhungel ◽  
A Sohal
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Cerebral Dominance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Nasal Cycle ◽  
Probable Relation

This article discuss about scientific basis of benefits of practicing slow pranayama, especially alternate nostril breathing pranayama. It explains the basis of benefit of alternate nostril breathing exercises and its probable relation with nasal cycle, cerebral dominance and autonomic nervous system. The airflow through one nostril is greater than next at any point of time which later switches to another. This is called nasal cycle. The nasal cycle lasts from 30 minutes to 2-3 hours. The nasal cycle occurs naturally. This nasal cycle is related with the cerebral dominance. When one nostril is dominant, the contra lateral hemisphere is active. The right nostril breathing leads to increased sympathetic activity while left nostril breathing decreases sympathetic activity and increases parasympathetic tone. So it has been speculated that these three phenomenon viz. nasal cycle, cerebral dominance and autonomic activities are correlated. This review also suggests that practicing alternate nostril breathing (Nadisodhan pranayma) regularly keeps the two hemispheres active and balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities in the body. Sympathetic or parasympathetic activity alternates automatically in our body which is important for our survival. Due to our hectic and stressful life, this naturally occurring alternate breathing cycle gets disrupted and we suffer from different ailments. These ailments are due to imbalance of autonomic nervous system which can be resolved by practicing alternate nostril breathing, the Nadisodhan pranayama. It’s just like returning back to nature. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jmcjms.v1i1.7885 Janaki Medical College Journal of Medical Sciences (2013) Vol. 1 (1):38-47

scholarly journals Ethnic Differences on Cardiac Rhythms and Autonomic Nervous System Responses During a High-Altitude Trek: A Pilot Study Comparing Italian Trekkers to Nepalese Porters

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittore Verratti ◽  
Alessandro Tonacci ◽  
Danilo Bondi ◽  
Annalisa Chiavaroli ◽  
Claudio Ferrante ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Activity Measurement ◽  
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation ◽  
Altitude Hypoxia ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Hypoxia Exposure

Altitude hypoxia exposure results in increased sympathetic activity and heart rate due to several mechanisms. Recent studies have contested the validity of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis on sympathetic activity measurement. But the plethora of HRV metrics may provide meaningful insights, particularly if linked with cardiovascular and autonomic nervous system parameters. However, the population-specific nature of HRV and cardiorespiratory response to altitude hypoxia are still missing. Six Italian trekkers and six Nepalese porters completed 300 km of a Himalayan trek. The ECG analysis was conducted at baseline, and before (bBC) and after (aBC) the high-altitude (HA) circuit. Urine was collected before and after the expedition in Italians, for assessing catecholamines. Heart rate increased with altitude significantly (p < 0.001) in the Italian group; systolic (p = 0.030) and diastolic (p = 0.012) blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure (p = 0.004) increased with altitude. Instead, pulse pressure did not change, although the Nepalese group showed lower baseline values than the Italians. As expected, peripheral oxygen saturation decreased with altitude (p < 0.001), independently of the ethnic groups. Nepalese had a higher respiratory rate (p = 0.007), independent of altitude. The cardiac vagal index increased at altitude, from baseline to bBC (p = 0.008). Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD) showed higher basal values in the Nepalese group (p = 0.041), and a tendency for the highest values at bBC. Regarding the urinary catecholamine response, exposure to HA increased urinary levels, particularly of norepinephrine (p = 0.005, d = 1.623). Our findings suggest a better cardiovascular resilience of the Nepalese group when compared with Italians, which might be due to an intrinsic adaptation to HA, resulting from their job.

Influence of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system on nocturnal bronchial obstruction

1985 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Postma ◽  
J. J. Keyzer ◽  
G. H. Koëuter ◽  
H. J. Sluiter ◽  
K. De Vries
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Bronchial Obstruction ◽  
Vagal Activity ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Urinary Levels ◽  
Normal Controls

1. To determine whether an autonomic nervous system imbalance might underlie the nocturnal dyspnoea in patients with chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), we determined FEV1, sinus arrhythmia gap (SA gap), heart rate and urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion every 4 h over 24 h. Measurements were performed in eight non-allergic patients with CAO and eight age- and sex-matched normal controls. 2. The amplitude of the circadian changes in FEV1 in patients and controls was 27 ± 2% and 7 ± 1% respectively (P < 0.001). 3. Both an increased SA gap and a decreased heart rate are features of increased vagal activity. This vagal activity was significantly increased in patients, compared with normal controls (difference P < 0.01), the difference being maximal at night. This increased activity might contribute to a bronchial obstruction in these patients. 4. Urinary adrenaline excretion was significantly higher by day than by night in both patients and normal controls (P < 0.01). The urinary levels of adrenaline in the patients were significantly decreased at all hours of observation as compared with levels in normal controls (P < 0.05). 5. Urinary noradrenaline levels were significantly lower in patients as compared with normal subjects (P < 0.01), and lower by night than by day. 6. Urinary histamine and Nτ-methylhistamine excretion were in the normal range in each individual. Urinary levels, however, were significantly higher in patients at all hours of observation (P < 0.05). No circadian rhythm was shown. Plasma cortisol levels showed a normal circadian variation, similar in patients and normal subjects. 7. Bronchial constriction in patients with CAO may be explained by an autonomic nervous system imbalance. Arguments favouring this hypothesis were the findings that CAO patients, in contrast with normal controls, showed lower urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion throughout with a fall at night, and a higher vagal tone with an increase at night. Moreover, a higher histamine and Nτ-methylhistamine excretion both day and night existed in the patient group. A combination of these factors may lead to the nocturnal dyspnoea in patients with CAO.

scholarly journals Phenotypic Shifts in Neurons of the Dorsal Motor Nucleus of the Vagus Resulting from Chronic Cardiac Ischemia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Gorky ◽  
Rajanikanth Vadigepalli ◽  
James Schwaber
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Motor Nucleus ◽  
Vagal Activity ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Dorsal Motor Nucleus

AbstractHeart disease remains the number one cause of mortality in the world in spite of significant efforts aimed at treatment. The use of vagal stimulation in the treatment of heart failure has shown mixed successes (Dicarlo et al. 2013; Zannad et al. 2015), suggesting that the treatment has potential, but that the mechanism incompletely understood. Vagal activity confers a robust cardioprotective effect in both humans and animal models, preferentially originating specifically from the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) and deriving a significant benefit from intact gut projections, not just cardiac (Shinlapawittayatorn et al. 2013; Mastitskaya et al. 2012; Basalay et al. 2012). In order to examine the DMV response to heart failure, myocardial infarction was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats. DMV neurons were isolated in small pools of single cells using laser capture microdissection 1 week and 3 weeks after infarction and their gene expression assayed. The results show a transcriptional shift towards a neurosecretory phenotype starting at 1 week and increasing in recruitment of neurons to 3 weeks. The LAD ligation shift appears mediated in part by upregulation of Pax4a, a transcription factor most active during stem cell development of neurosecretory cells during embryonic development. This phenotype is characterized by upregulation of Cacna1d (Cav1.3) and Hcn2 along with increased expression of Cck and Sst. This work suggests that the neurons of the DMV adaptively respond to the dynamics present in the periphery, elucidating the means by which the nature of vagal activity responds to heart failure.Significance StatementThe autonomic nervous system plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Through demonstration of shifting neuronal phenotypes in central neurons in response to peripheral stimuli, we suggest that neuron peptide or neurotransmitter phenotypes are not static in adult rodents. This suggests that even “reflexes” are modifiable dynamic systems. With such plasticity in the transcriptional programming existing in autonomic brain regions there can be new potential therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular disease aimed at leveraging the autonomic nervous system.

scholarly journals Features of autonomic regulation in cholelithiasis before and after cholecystectomy

2018 ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
A. D. Bagmet ◽  
A. P. Ruban ◽  
V. N. Egorov ◽  
T. V. Tayutina
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Mathematical Analysis ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Heart Rhythm ◽  
Autonomic Regulation ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Before And After

It is appropriate and necessary to examine the functional state of the autonomic nervous system and the quality of life in patients with cholelithiasis using the mathematical analysis of the heart rhythm at the present-day level. Materials and methods: 136 patients (115 women and 21 men) were examined, of which 70 patients after cholecystectomy with cholelithiasis and 66 patients with cholelithiasis. Fractional chromatic minute-type duodenal intubation with an analysis of the biochemical and microscopic composition of the bile was used to assess the biliary system condition. The examination of the autonomic nervous system was carried out by determining the heart rhythm using the cardiointervalography method with further mathematical analysis of the structure and variational pulsometry. Changes in the autonomic status in patients with cholelithiasis before and after cholecystectomy differ in general patterns: adaptive possibilities decrease and sympathetic activity of the autonomic regulation increases. An increase in the lithogenicity of bile, which positively correlates with the level of sympathicotonia, is characteristic for patients with cholelithiasis before and after cholecystectomy. The autonomic regulation in patients with cholelithiasis after cholecystectomy improves, however, the high bile lithogenicity persists. 

scholarly journals Autonomic Nervous System Function in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis: Association With Lipid Levels and Insulin Resistance

2021 ◽  
pp. 875-882
Author(s):  
M. Hardoňová ◽  
P. Šiarnik ◽  
M. Siváková ◽  
B. Suchá ◽  
M. Vlček ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Significant Difference

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) disorders are common in multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies showed differences in insulin resistance (IR) and lipoprotein levels in MS subjects compared to controls. Lipolysis caused by increased sympathetic activity could be one of the possible linking mechanisms leading to dyslipidemia in MS. Our study aimed to evaluate ANS activity in the context of glucose and lipid metabolism in people with MS. We prospectively measured short-term heart rate variability (HRV), fasting lipoprotein concentrations, and calculated IR indices based on plasma glucose and insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) in 32 patients with MS and 29 healthy controls matched for age, sex and body mass index in our study. There was no significant difference in HRV parameters and lipoprotein levels between MS and controls. A significant positive correlation was found between low/high-frequency power ratio (LF/HF) and triglycerides (r=0.413, p=0.021) in MS subjects but not in controls. A significantly lower whole-body insulin sensitivity index (ISIMat) was found in patients with MS compared to the control group (7.3±3.7 vs. 9.8±5.6, p=0.041). No significant correlations were found between LF/HF and IR parameters. In MS subjects, the positive correlation of LF/HF with triglycerides could reflect the effects of sympathetic activity on lipolysis. Positive correlations of sympathetic activity with increased lipoprotein levels could rather reflect processes associated with immune system activation/inflammation, than processes involved in glucose homeostasis maintenance.

scholarly journals Autonomic Nervous System in the Control of Energy Balance and Body Weight: Personal Contributions

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Messina ◽  
V. De Luca ◽  
An. Viggiano ◽  
A. Ascione ◽  
T. Iannaccone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
The Body ◽  
World Health ◽  
Autonomic Nervous

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in the industrialized world, so that the World Health Organization considers obesity as a “pandemia” in rich populations. The autonomic nervous system plays a crucial role in the control of energy balance and body weight. This review summarizes our own data and perspectives, emphasizing the influence exerted by autonomic nervous system on energy expenditure and food intake, which are able to determine the body weight. Activation of the sympathetic discharge causes an increase in energy expenditure and a decrease in food intake, while reduction of food intake and body weight loss determines a reduction of the sympathetic activity. On the other hand, pathophysiological mechanisms of the obesity involve alterations of the sympathetic nervous system in accordance with the “Mona Lisa Hypothesis,” an acronym for “most obesities known are low in sympathetic activity.” Furthermore, the parasympathetic influences on the energy expenditure are analyzed in this review, showing that an increase in parasympathetic activity can induce a paradoxical enhancement of energy consumption.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of Women to Cardiovascular Disease and the Prevention Potential of Mind–Body Intervention by Changes in Neural Circuits and Cardiovascular Physiology

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 708
Author(s):  
Hyun-Jeong Yang ◽  
Eugene Koh ◽  
Yunjeong Kang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cortisol Secretion ◽  
Autonomic Nervous

Women have been reported to be more vulnerable to the development, prognosis and mortality of cardiovascular diseases, yet the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and strategies to overcome them are still relatively undeveloped. Studies show that women’s brains are more sensitive to factors affecting mental health such as depression and stress than men’s brains. In women, poor mental health increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and conversely, cardiovascular disease increases the incidence of mental illness such as depression. In connection with mental health and cardiovascular health, the presence of gender differences in brain activation, cortisol secretion, autonomic nervous system, vascular health and inflammatory response has been observed. This connection suggests that strategies to manage women’s mental health can contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease. Mind–body interventions, such as meditation, yoga and qigong are forms of exercise that strive to actively manage both mind and body. They can provide beneficial effects on stress reduction and mental health. They are also seen as structurally and functionally changing the brain, as well as affecting cortisol secretion, blood pressure, heart rate variability, immune reactions and reducing menopausal symptoms, thus positively affecting women’s cardiovascular health. In this review, we investigate the link between mental health, brain activation, HPA axis, autonomic nervous system, blood pressure and immune system associated with cardiovascular health in women and discuss the effects of mind–body intervention in modulating these factors.

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