Skip to main content
Log in

Brain-heart interactions and cardiac ventricular arrhythmias

  • Special Article
  • Published:
Netherlands Heart Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A wide range of evidence implicates the brain as playing a significant role in ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The mechanism is thought to involve the intermediary of the autonomic nervous system. Here we briefly consider possible mechanisms by which central neural processing may modulate the myocardial electrophysiology and hence the arrhythmia substrate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zipes DP, Rubart M. Neural modulation of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Hear Rhythm. 2006;3:108–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Verrier RL, Antzelevitch C. Autonomic aspects of arrhythmogenesis: the enduring and the new. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2004;19:2–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Vaseghi M, Shivkumar K. The role of the autonomic nervous system in sudden cardiac death. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2008;50:404–19.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Engel GL. Sudden and rapid death during psychological stress. Ann Int Med. 1971;74:771–82.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Williams J, Edwards J. The death of John Hunter. JAMA. 1968;204:806–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Trichopoulos D, Katsoutanni K, Zavitsanos X, et al. Psychological stress and fatal heart attack: the Athens earthquake natural experiment. Lancet. 1983;1:441–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Leor J, Poole WK, Kloner RA. Sudden cardiac death triggered by an earthquake. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:413–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Meisel SR, Kutz I, Dayan KI, et al. Effect of Iraqi missile war on incidence of acute myocardial infarction and sudden death in Israeli civilians. Lancet. 1991;338:660–1.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Steinberg JS, Arshad A, Kowalski M, et al. Increased incidence of life threatening arrhythmias in implantable defibrillator patients after the World Trade Centre attack. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004;44:1261–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Verrier RL. Behavioural stress, myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias. In: Zipes DP, Jalife J, eds. Cardiac electrophysiology: From cell to bedside. Philadelphia:WB Saunders, p. 343–52.

  11. Skinner JE, Reed JC. Blockade of fronto-cortical brainstem pathway prevents ventricular fibrillation of ischemic heart. Am J Physiol. 1981;249:H156–63.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Lampert R, Rosenfeld L, Batsford W, et al. Circadian variation of sustained ventricular tachycardia in patients with coronary artery disease and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Circulation. 1994;90:241–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Verrier RL, Hagestad EL, Lown B. Delayed myocardial ischemia induced by anger. Circulation. 1987;75:249–54.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Taggart P, Critchley H, Lambiase PD. Heart-brain interactions in cardiac arrhythmia. Heart. 2011;97:698–708.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Taggart P, Boyett MR, Logantha SJRJ, et al. Anger, emotion and arrhythmias: from brain to heart. Front Physiol. 2011;2:67–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Rainville P, Bechara A, Naqvi N, et al. Basic emotions are associated with distinct patterns of cardiorespiratory activity. Int J Psychphysiol. 2006;61:5–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Craig AD. Forebrain emotional asymmetry: a neuroanatomical basis ? Trends Cogn Sci. 2005;9:566–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Oppenheimer SM. Neurogenic effects of cardiovascular disease. Curr Opin Neurol. 1994;7:20–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wittling W. Brain asymmetry in the control of autonomic physiologic activity. In: Davidson RJ, Hugdahl KJ, editors. Brain asymmetry. Cambridge: The MIT Press; 1995. p. 305–57.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Yanowitz F, Preston JB, Abildskov JA. Functional distribution of right and left stellate innervation to the ventricles: production of neurogenic electrocardiographic changes by unilateral alteration of sympathetic tone. Circ Res. 1966;28:416–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Lane RD, Jennings JR. Hemispheric asymmetry, autonomic asymmetry, and the problem of sudden cardiac death. Brain Laterality 1995;271–304.

  22. Lane RD, Critchley HD, Taggart P. Asymmetric innervation. In: Waldsrein S, Kop W, Katzel L, eds. Handbook of cardiovascular behavioural medicine. New York: Springer; 2012.

  23. Hainsworth R. Reflexes from the heart. Am J Physiol. 1991;71:617–58.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Longhurst JC, Tjen-A-Looi S, Fu L-W. Cardiac sympathetic afferent activation produced by myocardial ischemia and reperfusion: mechanisms and reflexes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2001;940:74–95.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Longhust JC. Cardiac and other visceral afferents. In: Robertson D, editor. Primer of the autonomic nervous system. San Diego: Elsevier; 2004. p. 103–8.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  26. Critchley HD, Taggart P, Sutton PM, et al. Mental stress and sudden cardiac death: asymmetric midbrain activation as a possible linking mechanism. Brain. 2005;128:75–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Gray MA, Taggart P, Sutton PM, et al. A cortical potential reflecting cardiac function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007;104:6818–23.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Taggart.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Taggart, P. Brain-heart interactions and cardiac ventricular arrhythmias. Neth Heart J 21, 78–81 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-012-0365-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-012-0365-8

Keywords

Navigation