Autonomic Nervous System News and Research

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Social rejection can ‘brake’ your heart

Latest study shows that a social rejection can not only break a person’s heart but also result in a drop in the heart rate. The researchers from Netherlands found that the disappointment of feeling not loved or not liked can cause both psychological and physical reactions.

29 Sep 2010

Unexpected social rejection reflects transient slowing of heart rate: Study

Social rejection isn't just emotionally upsetting; it also upsets your heart. A new study finds that being rejected by another person makes your heart rate drop for a moment. The study is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

29 Sep 2010

Tiotropium bromide shows potential as an alternative asthma treatment

A drug commonly used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) successfully treats adults whose asthma is not well-controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids, reported researchers supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

20 Sep 2010

Mayo Clinic opens newly expanded neurophysiology laboratory at Florida campus

Mayo Clinic unveiled a newly expanded, state-of-the-art neurophysiology laboratory on its Florida campus to provide additional services and care for more patients, many of whom are referred by community physicians for specialized diagnostic testing.

10 Sep 2010

Spinal muscular atrophy may lead to cardiac dysfunction: Study

Along with skeletal muscles, it may be important to monitor heart function in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). These are the findings from a study conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital and published online ahead of print in Human Molecular Genetics. This is the first study to report cardiac dysfunction in mouse models of SMA.

11 Aug 2010

Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants associated with reduced HRV: Study

In patients with pre-existing heart or lung disease, being exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants is associated with reduced heart rate variability —a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

12 Jul 2010

Massage improves psychological, physiological state of patients with tension headache

Researchers at the University of Granada -in collaboration with the Clinical Hospital San Cecilio and the University Rey Juan Carlos- have proven that the psychological and physiological state of patients with tension headache improves within 24 hours after receiving a 30-minute massage.

9 Jul 2010

Dysautonomia linked to CKD: Study

Individuals with a high resting heart rate and a low beat-to-beat heart rate variability have an increased risk of developing kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The findings suggest that the behavior of the autonomic nervous system may be a sentinel marker for late development of certain cases of kidney disease.

9 Jul 2010

Study: 30-minute massage improves psychological, physiological state of patients with tension headache

8 Jul 2010

Clinical study proves effectiveness of acupuncture for heart patients

Acupuncture can improve exercise tolerance in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. This was determined in a clinical pilot study by the team headed by Dr. Johannes Backs, physician and study director at the Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology - Medical Director: Professor Dr. Hugo Katus) of Heidelberg University Hospital.

2 Jul 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010

Lantheus Medical Imaging reports Phase 1 data of LMI 1195 heart failure PET imaging agent

Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging, today announced Phase 1 data for its novel heart failure Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agent, LMI 1195, which is in development for the evaluation of patients at risk of heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

9 Jun 2010

BioTime offers 5 new human stem cell lines developed using ACTCellerate technology for research use

BioTime, Inc. announced today that on June 1, 2010 the Company will be offering for sale five new human stem cell lines for research use only. These cell lines were developed using BioTime's ACTCellerate™ technology. These highly purified, novel, and scalable cell lines are embryonic progenitors, meaning that they are intermediate between human embryonic stem cells and fully developed cells.

31 May 2010

Initial results of MUSIC Trial using PD2i in chronic heart failure patients released

David H. Fater, CEO of Vicor Technologies, Inc., today announced the initial results of a study designed to analyze data from the Merte Subita en Insufficiencia Cardiaca Trial using its PD2i- algorithm and software. Vicor Technologies is a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative, non-invasive medical devices using its patented, proprietary PD2i- nonlinear algorithm and software.

20 May 2010

Study reveals association between cardiac vagal activity and functional somatic symptoms

A study in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics outlines some novel insights between cardiac vagal activity [heart rate variability in the high-frequency band (HRV-HF)] and symptoms that do not find an organic explanation.

11 May 2010

Normal BMI, regular exercise protect against musculoskeletal symptoms

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found an association between the level of leisure time physical exercise and a future risk of developing fibromyalgia. The research team also identified BMI as an independent risk factor for fibromyalgia. Details of the study appear in the May 2010 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

29 Apr 2010

ATS releases new clinical policy statement on CCHS

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder of respiratory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. The ANS regulates reflexive acts, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, body temperature and pain perception.

15 Mar 2010

Adults with depression and diabetes face increase risk of dementia

Adults who have both diabetes and major depression are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to adults with diabetes only, according to a study published in the recent Journal of General Internal Medicine.

6 Mar 2010

Decreased release of neurotransmitter acetylcholine contributes to heart failure

Scientists at the Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure.

2 Feb 2010

Research study on the function of orexin neurons in brain

Japanese research group led by Professor Yasuhiko Minokoshi and Dr. Tetsuya Shiuchi, scientists at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, NIPS, Japan, found that meals stimulated with sweet taste and motivated with its anticipation regularly activates "orexin" in the brain and it stimulates muscle glucose metabolism via the sympathetic nervous system, thereby reducing blood glucose level in mice.

2 Dec 2009