-
European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2022Neurophysiological models link dissociation (e.g. feeling detached during or after a traumatic event) to hypoarousal. It is currently assumed that the initial passive... (Review)
Review
Trauma-related dissociation and the autonomic nervous system: a systematic literature review of psychophysiological correlates of dissociative experiencing in PTSD patients.
Neurophysiological models link dissociation (e.g. feeling detached during or after a traumatic event) to hypoarousal. It is currently assumed that the initial passive reaction to a threat may coincide with a blunted autonomic response, which constitutes the dissociative subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within this systematic review we summarize research which evaluates autonomic nervous system activation (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure) and dissociation in PTSD patients to discern the validity of current neurophysiological models of trauma-related hypoarousal. Of 553 screened articles, 28 studies ( = 1300 subjects) investigating the physiological response to stress provocation or trauma-related interventions were included in the final analysis. No clear trend exists across all measured physiological markers in trauma-related dissociation. Extracted results are inconsistent, in part due to high heterogeneity in experimental methodology. The current review is unable to provide robust evidence that peri- and post-traumatic dissociation are associated with hypoarousal, questioning the validity of distinct psychophysiological profiles in PTSD.
Topics: Humans; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Dissociative Disorders; Autonomic Nervous System; Heart Rate; Psychophysiology
PubMed: 36340007
DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2022.2132599 -
Clinical Autonomic Research : Official... Dec 2020Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are the fastest growing tobacco product in the USA, and ECs, like tobacco cigarettes (TCs), have effects on the cardiovascular autonomic... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are the fastest growing tobacco product in the USA, and ECs, like tobacco cigarettes (TCs), have effects on the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system, with clinical implications. The purpose of this review was to collect and synthesize available studies that have investigated the autonomic cardiovascular effects of EC use in humans. Special attention is paid to the acute and chronic effects of ECs, the relative contributions of the nicotine versus non-nicotine constituents in EC emissions and the relative effects of ECs compared to TCs.
METHODS
Using the methodology described in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, we conducted a literature search of the Ovid PubMed and Embase databases on 6 December 2019 using keywords in titles and abstracts of published literature. Acute (minutes to hours) and chronic (days or longer) changes in heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were used as estimates of cardiovascular autonomic effects.
RESULTS
Nineteen studies were included in this systematic review, all of which used earlier generation EC devices. Acute EC vaping increased HR and BP less than acute TC smoking. Nicotine but not non-nicotine constituents in EC aerosol were responsible for the sympathoexcitatory effects. The results of chronic EC vaping studies were consistent with a chronic sympathoexcitatory effect as estimated by HRV, but this did not translate into chronic increases in HR or BP.
CONCLUSIONS
Electronic cigarettes are sympathoexcitatory. Cardiac sympathoexcitatory effects are less when vaping using the earlier generation ECs than when smoking TCs. Additional studies of the latest pod-like EC devices, which deliver nicotine similarly to a TC, are necessary.
Topics: Autonomic Agents; Cardiovascular System; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Humans; Nicotine; Vaping
PubMed: 32219640
DOI: 10.1007/s10286-020-00683-4 -
Revista Paulista de Pediatria : Orgao... 2023To evaluate the relationship between birth weight and the autonomic nervous system in adulthood through a systematic review. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between birth weight and the autonomic nervous system in adulthood through a systematic review.
DATA SOURCE
This is a systematic review of publications without limitation of year and language. We included studies involving the autonomic nervous system and birth weight in adults. Manuscripts were selected based on electronic searches of Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science Cochrane Library and Scopus databases, using "Autonomic Nervous System" OR "Heart Rate" OR "Heart Rate Variability" AND "Birth Weight" as a search strategy. This review is registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews - PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020165622).
DATA SYNTHESIS
We found 894 articles; 215 were excluded for duplicity. Of the remaining 679 studies, 11 remained. Two were excluded because they did not specifically treat the autonomic nervous system or birth weight. There were nine publications, two cohort and seven cross-sectional studies. The main findings were that extreme, very low, low or high birth weight may have some impact on the autonomic nervous system in adult life.
CONCLUSIONS
Birth weight outside the normality rate may have a negative influence on the autonomic nervous system, causing autonomic dysfunction and increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adult life. Thus, the importance of the follow-up of health professionals from pregnancy to gestation and throughout life, with preventive care being emphasized.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Autonomic Nervous System; Birth Weight; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Systematic Reviews as Topic
PubMed: 37937677
DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2024/42/2023002 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Diabetic neuropathy, including autonomic neuropathy, is a severe complication in patients with poorly controlled diabetes. Specifically, cardiovascular autonomic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Diabetic neuropathy, including autonomic neuropathy, is a severe complication in patients with poorly controlled diabetes. Specifically, cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) plays a significant prognostic role in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Exercise, an essential component of diabetes treatment, may have a therapeutic effect on patients with diabetes complicated by CAN. However, it remains unclear whether exercise has a therapeutic or protective effect in diabetes patients with CAN.
METHODS
The author conducted a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and The Cochrane Library, resulting in the identification of eight eligible randomized controlled trials for this review.
RESULTS
Exercise, including aerobic exercise combined with resistance training (RT), high-intensity interval training, and progressive RT, has shown a beneficial effect on cardiac autonomic function (CAF) in patients with type 2 diabetes, as measured by heart rate variability, heart rate recovery, and baroreflex sensitivity. However, most studies had low quality. Moreover, there were no relevant studies examining the effect of exercise on CAF in older patients, patients with poorly controlled diabetes, and patients with type 1 diabetes.
CONCLUSIONS
Exercise has the potential to manage patients with CAN by balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functions; however, further studies are warranted in the future.
PubMed: 37830705
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11192668 -
Pharmaceutical Biology Dec 2023Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Decoction (CLMD) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating depression. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing effects of Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli decoction in the treatment of multimorbidity with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
CONTEXT
Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Decoction (CLMD) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating depression.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the effect of CLMD combined with antidepressants on multimorbidity with depression (MMD).
METHOD
Published randomized controlled trials were collected from PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal, Wanfang and China Biomedical Literature Service System Databases. Participants were divided into study groups (CLMD combined with antidepressants) and control groups (antidepressants). RevMan5.4 software was used for data analysis.
RESULTS
Hamilton's Depression Scale score was significantly lower (MD = -5.62, 95%CI [-5.86, -5.37], < 0.00001), and the effective rate was significantly higher (RR = 1.23, 95%CI [1.17, 1.29], < 0.00001) in study groups. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of study groups were significantly lower (MD = -2.82, 95%CI [-3.84, -1.81], < 0.00001; MD = -2.26, 95%CI [-3.19, -1.34], < 0.00001). 5-HT, DA, NE and IL-1β level were significantly lower (SMD = 1.99, = 0.003; SMD = 1.99, < 0.00001; SMD = 0.86, < 0.00001; MD = -14.64, = 0.003) in study groups. Adverse reaction rate in study groups was significantly lower (RR = 0.47, 95%CI [0.24, 0.91], = 0.03). The gastrointestinal tract and autonomic nervous system disorders were reduced in study groups.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
CLMD combined with antidepressants enhances the effect of antidepressants and reduces their adverse reactions, performing a synergistic effect; it may be considered as an effective option in the treatment of MMD.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Multimorbidity
PubMed: 37439185
DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2023.2228356 -
Cardiology Research and Practice 2020Stress is regulated by the autonomous nervous system, increasing the sympathetic modulation when a threat is perceived. A multifactorial response usually leads to... (Review)
Review
Stress is regulated by the autonomous nervous system, increasing the sympathetic modulation when a threat is perceived. A multifactorial response usually leads to significant behavioural modifications and alterations on homeostasis and physical and psychological status. Moreover, stress is an emotional response that can lead to psychosocial and psychophysiological adversity. Regarding military population, military operations and combat exposure are important stressors that influence acute and chronic stress response in soldiers, affecting their performance and health. A bibliographic search was carried out between April and May 2019, focusing on recent studies (2013-2019) that analysed psychophysiological response, stress, stress regulation, heart rate, heart rate variability, and posttraumatic stress disorder in military population. Autonomic and cardiovascular chronic stress seems to be modulated by experience and previous specific training of each military unit. Physical exercise, music embedded with binaural beat technology, bidirectional sensory motor rhythm training, heart rate variability biofeedback, and transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation are the main techniques applied to balance stress and to recover body homeostasis. Since military population are usually exposed to multiple stressors, knowing previous training and experience, together with developing techniques to balance stress, is the main practical application in this field of study to balance autonomic and cardiovascular systems.
PubMed: 32850146
DOI: 10.1155/2020/7986249 -
JMIR Bioinformatics and Biotechnology Nov 2022The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a central role in pregnancy-induced adaptations, and failure in the required adaptations is associated with adverse neonatal and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a central role in pregnancy-induced adaptations, and failure in the required adaptations is associated with adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes. Mapping maternal ANS function in healthy pregnancy may help to understand ANS function.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to systematically review studies on the use of heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring to measure ANS function during pregnancy and determine whether specific HRV patterns representing normal ANS function have been identified during pregnancy.
METHODS
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was used to guide the systematic review. The CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases were searched to comprehensively identify articles without a time span limitation. Studies were included if they assessed HRV in healthy pregnant individuals at least once during pregnancy or labor, with or without a comparison group (eg, complicated pregnancy). Quality assessment of the included literature was performed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) tool. A narrative synthesis approach was used for data extraction and analysis, as the articles were heterogenous in scope, approaches, methods, and variables assessed, which precluded traditional meta-analysis approaches being used.
RESULTS
After full screening, 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. In 88% (7/8) of the studies, HRV was measured using electrocardiogram and operationalized in 3 different ways: linear frequency domain (FD), linear time domain (TD), and nonlinear methods. FD was measured in all (8/8), TD in 75% (6/8), and nonlinear methods in 25% (2/8) of the studies. The assessment duration varied from 5 minutes to 24 hours. TD indexes and most of the FD indexes decreased from the first to the third trimesters in the majority (5/7, 71%) of the studies. Of the FD indexes, low frequency (LF [nu]) and the LF/high frequency (HF) ratio showed an ascending trend from early to late pregnancy, indicating an increase in sympathetic activity toward the end of the pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS
We identified 3 HRV operationalization methods along with potentially indicative HRV patterns. However, we found no justification for the selection of measurement tools, measurement time frames, and operationalization methods, which threaten the generalizability and reliability of pattern findings. More research is needed to determine the criteria and methods for determining HRV patterns corresponding to ANS functioning in healthy pregnant persons.
PubMed: 38935943
DOI: 10.2196/36791 -
Annals of Clinical and Translational... Jun 2024Fabry disease is caused by enzymatic defects in alpha-galactosidase A that leads to the accumulation of glycosphingolipids throughout the body, resulting in a...
OBJECTIVE
Fabry disease is caused by enzymatic defects in alpha-galactosidase A that leads to the accumulation of glycosphingolipids throughout the body, resulting in a multisystemic disorder. The most common neurological manifestations are neuropathic pain, autonomic nervous system dysfunction and strokes, but some rarer neurological manifestations exist. Among these, aseptic meningitis is a possible complication. Our objectives were to measure the prevalence of this complication in a cohort of patients with Fabry disease, and to describe its clinical features.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of Fabry disease patients followed at our tertiary referral center between 1995 and September 2023 with at least one episode of meningitis, and performed a systematic review to identify similar published cases.
RESULTS
Four patients out of 107 (3.7%) had at least one episode of aseptic meningitis. Our systematic review identified 25 other observations. The median age of these 29 patients was 29.0 years, the median cerebrospinal fluid leukocyte count was 24 cells/mm3 with a predominance of lymphocytes in 64.7% of cases. In 82.8% of the patients, the diagnosis of Fabry disease was unknown before the meningitis. Large artery stenosis was present in 17.2% of patients and 57.1% of patients had a recent stroke concomitant with the meningitis. Several differential diagnoses were evoked, such as multiple sclerosis or central nervous system vasculitis.
INTERPRETATION
Our study suggests that Fabry disease should be considered as a cause of aseptic meningitis. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying meningeal inflammation remain largely unknown but may reflect the dysregulation of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways.
Topics: Humans; Fabry Disease; Meningitis, Aseptic; Adult; Male; Female; Retrospective Studies; Middle Aged; Young Adult; Adolescent; Aged; Child
PubMed: 38717582
DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52043 -
The Egyptian Heart Journal : (EHJ) :... Sep 2022Exercise training improves cardiac autonomic function is still debatable in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The aim of the present review is to... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Exercise training improves cardiac autonomic function is still debatable in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The aim of the present review is to assess the effect of exercise on CABG patient's heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) parameters.
MAIN BODY
Databases (PubMed, Web of Science and PEDro) were accessed for systematic search from inception till May 2022. Eleven potential studies were qualitatively analyzed by using PEDro and eight studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Meta-analysis was conducted by using a random-effect model, inverse-variance approach through which standardized mean differences (SMDs) were estimated. The analysis of pooled data showed that exercise training improved HRV indices of standard deviation of the R-R intervals (SDNN) [SMD 0.44, 95% CI 0.17, 0.71, p = 0.002], square root of the mean squared differences between adjacent R-R intervals (RMSSD) [SMD 0.68, 95% CI 0.28, 1.08, p = 0.0008], high frequency (HF) [SMD 0.58, 95% CI 0.18, 0.98, p = 0.005] and low frequency-to-high frequency (LF/HF) ratio [SMD - 0.34, 95% CI - 0.65, - 0.02, p = 0.03].
CONCLUSIONS
Exercise training enhances cardiac autonomic function in CABG patients. Owing to the methodological inconsistencies in assessing HRV, the precise effect on autonomic function still remains conflicted. Future high-quality trials are needed focusing on precise methodological approach and incorporation of various types of exercise training interventions will give clarity regarding autonomic adaptations post-exercise training in CABG. Trial registration CRD42021230270 , February 19, 2021.
PubMed: 36138168
DOI: 10.1186/s43044-022-00306-5 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Feb 2023Despite the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) being used in neuroscience, it has recently been highlighted that it has cardioprotective functions. However, many studies... (Review)
Review
Despite the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) being used in neuroscience, it has recently been highlighted that it has cardioprotective functions. However, many studies related to VNS are not mechanistic in nature. This systematic review aims to focus on the role of VNS in cardioprotective therapy, selective vagus nerve stimulators (sVNS), and their functional capabilities. A systemic review of the current literature was conducted on VNS, sVNS, and their ability to induce positive effects on arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, and heart failure. Both experimental and clinical studies were reviewed and assessed separately. Of 522 research articles retrieved from literature archives, 35 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Literature analysis proves that combining fiber-type selectivity with spatially-targeted vagus nerve stimulation is feasible. The role of VNS as a tool for modulating heart dynamics, inflammatory response, and structural cellular components was prominently seen across the literature. The application of transcutaneous VNS, as opposed to implanted electrodes, provides the best clinical outcome with minimal side effects. VNS presents a method for future cardiovascular treatment that can modulate human cardiac physiology. However, continued research is needed for further insight.
PubMed: 36902505
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12051717