Key result
Depression may arise from dysregulated cardiac vagal and sympathovagal dynamics that lead to central-autonomic network and brain-heart interplay dysfunctions.
Why the study?
Depression is generally classified as a mental disorder targeting the central nervous system, but emerging evidence suggests peripheral neural dynamics on cardiovascular control causally regulate emotion.
Depression may be fundamentally linked to dysregulated cardiac vagal and sympathovagal dynamics, suggesting that future treatments should target the brain-heart axis.
May support exploring brain-heart interventions in depression; leaves open causal confirmation in prospective trials.
If depressive symptoms are not caused by the physiological effects of a substance or other medical or neurological conditions, they are generally classified as mental disorders that target the central nervous system. However, recent evidence suggests that peripheral neural dynamics on cardiovascular control play a causal role in regulating and processing emotions. In this perspective, we explore the dynamics of the Central-Autonomic Network (CAN) and related brain-heart interplay (BHI), highlighting their psychophysiological correlates and clinical symptoms of depression. Thus, we suggest that depression may arise from dysregulated cardiac vagal and sympathovagal dynamics that lead to CAN and BHI dysfunctions. Therefore, treatments for depression should target the nervous system as a whole, with particular emphasis on regulating vagal and BHI dynamics.
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Gaetano Valenza (2023) conducted a review in Depression. Depression may arise from dysregulated cardiac vagal and sympathovagal dynamics that lead to central-autonomic network and brain-heart interplay dysfunctions.
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