Emotional stress and sympathetic activity: contribution of dorsomedial hypothalamus to cardiac arrhythmias.
Maintenance of homeostasis in normal or stressful situations depends upon mechanisms controlling autonomic activity. Central requirement for changes in sympathetic output resulting from emotional stress must be adjusted to the input signals from visceral sensory afferent (feedback response) for an optimum cardiovascular performance. There is a large body of evidence indicating that emotional stress can lead to cardiovascular disease. Reviewing the descending pathways from dorsomedial hypothalamus, a key region involved in the cardiovascular response to emotional stress, we discuss the interactions between mechanisms controlling the sympathetic output to the cardiovascular system and the possible implications in cardiovascular disease.
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: peliky@icb.ufmg.br.
Marco Antônio Peliky
MA
Fontes
Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
Carlos Henrique
CH
Xavier
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Fernanda Ribeiro
FR
Marins
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Marcelo
M
Limborço-Filho
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Gisele Cristiane
GC
Vaz
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, INCT, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Flávia Camargos
FC
Müller-Ribeiro
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Eugene
E
Nalivaiko
D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
Cardiac arrythmias; Dorsomedial hypothalamus; Emotional stress; Sympathetic activity