Methods of assessing vagus nerve activity and reflexes

The methods used to assess cardiac parasympathetic (cardiovagal) activity and its effects on the heart in both humans and animal models are reviewed. Heart rate (HR)-based methods include measurements of the HR response to blockade of muscarinic cholinergic receptors (parasympathetic tone), beat-to-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heart failure reviews 2011-03, Vol.16 (2), p.109-127
Main Authors: Chapleau, Mark W., Sabharwal, Rasna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetylcholine receptors
Acetylcholine receptors (muscarinic)
Anesthesia
Animal models
Animals
Autonomic Fibers, Postganglionic
Autonomic Fibers, Preganglionic
Baroreceptors
Cardiology
Chemoreceptors
Disease Models, Animal
Exercise - physiology
Exercise Test
Heart
Heart diseases
Heart rate
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Lung
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Muscle contraction
Nerve conduction
Parasympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic Nervous System - pathology
Parasympathetic Nervous System - physiology
Pressoreceptors
Receptors, Muscarinic
Reflexes
Reviews
Sensory neurons
stretch receptors
Sympathetic Nervous System - pathology
Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology
Time Factors
Vagus nerve
Vagus Nerve - physiology
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Summary:The methods used to assess cardiac parasympathetic (cardiovagal) activity and its effects on the heart in both humans and animal models are reviewed. Heart rate (HR)-based methods include measurements of the HR response to blockade of muscarinic cholinergic receptors (parasympathetic tone), beat-to-beat HR variability (HRV) (parasympathetic modulation), rate of post-exercise HR recovery (parasympathetic reactivation), and reflex-mediated changes in HR evoked by activation or inhibition of sensory (afferent) nerves. Sources of excitatory afferent input that increase cardiovagal activity and decrease HR include baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, trigeminal receptors, and subsets of cardiopulmonary receptors with vagal afferents. Sources of inhibitory afferent input include pulmonary stretch receptors with vagal afferents and subsets of visceral and somatic receptors with spinal afferents. The different methods used to assess cardiovagal control of the heart engage different mechanisms, and therefore provide unique and complementary insights into underlying physiology and pathophysiology. In addition, techniques for direct recording of cardiovagal nerve activity in animals; the use of decerebrate and in vitro preparations that avoid confounding effects of anesthesia; cardiovagal control of cardiac conduction, contractility, and refractoriness; and noncholinergic mechanisms are described. Advantages and limitations of the various methods are addressed, and future directions are proposed.
ISSN:1382-4147
1573-7322
DOI:10.1007/s10741-010-9174-6