Tuning in to Sympathetic Activity Cutaneously in Humans: A Bench to Bedside Saga

Sympathetic nervous system regulation plays a crucial role in health and disease. Practically all major organs are subject to sympathetic influences and when autonomic dysfunction occurs, pathologic consequences can be dire. Abnormalities in sympathetic tone have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, heart failure, epilepsy, renal failure, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes, as well as other disease conditions [1 –3]. Recognition of this linkage across the decades has provided a significant impetus to develop reliable methods to monitor sympathetic tone in order to gain deeper insights into mechanisms of disease.
Source: Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research