Autonomic Nervous System News and Research

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Study sheds light on factors that lead to development of rare condition affecting inner ear

A new study has shed light on the factors likely to lead to the development of a rare condition affecting the inner ear.

16 Apr 2014

Microvascular coronary dysfunction in women may be triggered by emotional stress, say researchers

Researchers at the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have found that emotional stressors - such as those provoking anger - may cause changes in the nervous system that controls heart rate and trigger a type of coronary artery dysfunction that occurs more frequently in women than men.

14 Mar 2014

FDA grants accelerated approval to NORTHERA (droxidopa) for patients with symptomatic NOH

Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval of NORTHERA (droxidopa) for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH). NORTHERA is the first and only therapy approved by the FDA which demonstrates symptomatic benefit in patients with NOH.

18 Feb 2014

Professor studies impact of different levels of physical contact on premature infants

The benefit that premature infants gain from skin-to-skin contact with their mothers is measurable even 10 years after birth, reports a new study in Biological Psychiatry.

6 Jan 2014

Research findings suggest possible novel strategies to prevent SUDEP

Patients with epilepsy and, in particular, those with severe syndromic forms of the disorder, harbor a risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, or SUDEP. Cardiac arrhythmias are a proposed cause. In a test of this theory, researchers have demonstrated that mice harboring a human SCN1A gene mutation that results in Dravet Syndrome, a severe and intractable genetic epilepsy, have electrical disturbances in the heart that culminate in ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.

9 Dec 2013

Alternative treatment for autism focuses on controlling the 'fight or flight' response

A novel approach to treating children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder could help them navigate their world by teaching them to turn their symptoms into strengths.

26 Nov 2013

Study identifies possible link between orthostatic hypotension and atrial fibrillation

Results of a Johns Hopkins-led study have identified a possible link between a history of sudden drops in blood pressure and the most common form of irregular heartbeat.

21 Nov 2013

Women under 50 more likely to experience mental stress-induced ischemia

Researchers have found that women younger than 50 with a recent heart attack are more likely to experience restricted blood flow to the heart (myocardial ischemia) in response to psychological stress.

21 Nov 2013

Researchers receive grant to accelerate development of mobile seizure alert system for epilepsy patients

Approximately 2 million people, including 400,000 children, in the United States are being treated for epilepsy, and one-third continue to have seizures despite treatment. In order to address an important caregiver need, RTI International has been developing a prototype mobile seizure alert system to help epilepsy patients and their families cope with seizures.

17 Oct 2013

Study discovers biomarker that helps doctors to accurately diagnose Parkinson's at earlier stage

Although Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the U.S., there are no standard clinical tests available to identify this widespread condition.

8 Oct 2013

Hyperthyroidism sounds urinary problem alarm

Physicians should be alert to urinary problems in women with hyperthyroidism, say researchers who found an association between the endocrine disorder and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis.

16 Sep 2013

Nerves play critical role in development and spread of prostate tumors, say researchers

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that nerves play a critical role in both the development and spread of prostate tumors. Their findings, using both a mouse model and human prostate tissue, may lead to new ways to predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer and to novel therapies for preventing and treating the disease. The study published online today in the July 12 edition of Science.

12 Jul 2013

PTSD following heart attack is associated with poor sleep, study finds

Clinicians have long speculated that poor sleep may be a mechanism involved in the higher risk of further cardiac events or death among those with post-traumatic stress disorder following a heart attack, but the association between PTSD and sleep after a heart event has been unknown.

30 May 2013

Study: Massage therapy may reduce stress in preterm infants

It seems that even for the smallest of people, a gentle massage may be beneficial. Newborn intensive care units (NICUs) are stressful environments for preterm infants; mechanical ventilation, medical procedures, caregiving activities and maternal separation create these stressful conditions.

15 May 2013

Scientists reveal that exposure to everyday noise may affect cardiovascular system

Exposure to noise, for example from road traffic, may adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Until now, underlying mechanisms linking noise to elevated cardiovascular risk have rarely been explored in epidemiological studies. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now shown that exposure to noise during everyday life influences heart rate variability, i.e. the ability of the heart to adjust the rate at which it beats to acute events.

2 May 2013

Study shows long-term exposure to fine particle matter air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis

The association between road traffic and heart disease has been suggested in several studies. In 2012 a large prospective cohort study from Denmark showed that traffic noise was significantly associated with risk of heart attack - for every 10 decibel increase in noise exposure (either at the time of the attack or over the five years preceding it) there was a 12% increased risk.

18 Apr 2013

People who practice sport have better cognitive performance, researchers say

New scientific evidence seems to confirm the famous Roman saying "Mens sana in corpore sano". Researchers from the University of Granada have demonstrated that people who normally practice sport have a better cognitive performance than those with bad physical health.

11 Apr 2013

Promising studies for Parkinson's to be presented at 65th AAN meeting

Three studies released today present possible positive news for people with Parkinson's disease. The studies, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013, report on treatments for blood pressure problems, the wearing-off that can occur when people have taken the main drug for Parkinson's for a long time, and for people early in the disease whose symptoms are not well-controlled by their main drugs.

15 Mar 2013

Heart failure risk identified in people with insomnia

People with insomnia appear to be at increased risk for developing heart failure, findings from a large Norwegian cohort study show.

8 Mar 2013

Anxiety may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder

Compromised cognitive and adaptive functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder may be partly explained by related comorbid anxiety, suggest researchers.

7 Feb 2013