Key result
Electrical stimulation of the right cardiac sympathetic nerve produced a more potent increase in heart rate, while left-side stimulation caused a greater rise in blood pressure, and these nerves showed longer-lasting reflex responses to visceral and somatosensory inputs compared to other sympathetic nerves.
In rats, the right cardiac sympathetic nerve primarily controls chronotropy while the left controls inotropy, and cardiac sympathetic outflow is more potently affected by visceral and somatosensory inputs than other sympathetic nerves.
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Rat cardiac sympathetic asymmetry should not change practice; leaves open human translational research on lateralized control.
Yasunaga et al. (1979) studied Normal physiology (cardiac sympathetic nerves) (n=105). Electrical stimulation of cardiac sympathetic nerves, aortic depressor nerve, and sural nerve vs. Cervical postganglionic sympathetic nerve (CSN) or baseline spontaneous activity was evaluated on Changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and reflex discharges. Electrical stimulation of the right cardiac sympathetic nerve produced a more potent increase in heart rate, while left-side stimulation caused a greater rise in blood pressure, and these nerves showed longer-lasting reflex responses to visceral and somatosensory inputs compared to other sympathetic nerves.
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