Assessment of cardiac autonomic function: from bench to bedside

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is a key factor in cardiovascular disease development.
• Understanding autonomic tone is crucial for managing cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and emerging techniques for evaluating cardiac autonomic tone.
• To highlight the importance of comprehensive autonomic function assessment.

Main Methods:

• Discusses invasive nerve recordings, neurochemical staining, and serum biomarkers.
• Covers advanced imaging and autonomic reflex testing.
• Highlights noninvasive modalities like heart rate variability and skin sympathetic nerve activity.

Main Results:

• Noninvasive methods offer improved clinical feasibility.
• Novel radiotracers and serum assays are emerging for precise neurotransmitter and receptor mapping.
• A multimodal approach integrating various tools provides a comprehensive evaluation.

Conclusions:

• No single method fully assesses autonomic function; a multimodal strategy is necessary.
• Future approaches combining imaging, transcriptomics, and biomarkers promise earlier detection.
• Personalized neuromodulation therapies may be guided by comprehensive autonomic evaluation in cardiovascular care.