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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System ANS Activity in Children
Published on: April 29, 2013
The nervous heart
Crystal M Ripplinger1, Sami F Noujaim2, Dominik Linz3
1Department of Pharmacology, University of California Davis, 451 Health Sciences Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
Many cardiac electrophysiological abnormalities are accompanied by autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Here, we review mechanisms by which the cardiac nervous system controls normal and abnormal excitability and may contribute to atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Moreover, we explore the potential antiarrhythmic and/or arrhythmogenic effects of modulating the autonomic nervous system by several strategies, including ganglionated plexi ablation, vagal and spinal cord stimulations, and renal sympathetic denervation as therapies for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.
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