PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - David S. Goldstein
TI  - Neuroscience and heart-brain medicine: The year in review
AID  - 10.3949/ccjm.77.s3.06
DP  - 2010 Jul 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - S34--S39
VI  - 77
IP  - 7 suppl 3
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/77/7_suppl_3/S34.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/77/7_suppl_3/S34.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med2010 Jul 01; 77
AB  - Important recent publications in the area of neuroscience and heart-brain medicine center largely around three topics: (1) mechanisms of cardiac sympathetic denervation in Parkinson disease, (2) cytoplasmic monoamine metabolites as autotoxins, and (3) the validity of power spectral analysis of heart rate variability to indicate cardiac sympathetic tone. Findings by Orimo et al support a centripetal, retrograde pathogenetic process involving alpha-synuclein deposition and degeneration of cardiac noradrenergic neurons in Parkinson disease. Several studies suggest that processes increasing cytoplasmic monoamines lead to neuronal loss from auto-oxidation or enzymatic oxidation. Lack of correlation between commonly used indices from power spectral analysis of heart rate variability and cardiac norepinephrine spillover casts doubt on the validity of power spectral analysis to indicate cardiac sympathetic tone.