Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Pipeline for Multi-Scale Three-Dimensional Anatomic Study of the Human Heart
04:22

Pipeline for Multi-Scale Three-Dimensional Anatomic Study of the Human Heart

Published on: June 28, 2024

Heart-brain axis pathophysiological understanding and clinical impact

Federico Vancheri1, Sergio Vancheri2, Giovanni Longo3

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, S. Elia Hospital, Caltanissetta, Italy.

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|May 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

The heart and brain are intricately linked. This review explores how stroke and heart disease impact each other, highlighting the complex heart-brain axis interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The heart and brain are interconnected via nervous and humoral pathways, maintaining homeostasis under normal conditions.
  • Pathological conditions in one organ significantly affect the other, impacting patient prognosis.
  • The heart-brain axis plays a crucial role in overall health, with disruptions leading to severe consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the pathological interactions within the heart-brain axis.
  • To explore these interactions in the context of stroke, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.
  • To summarize current evidence on the bidirectional communication between the heart and brain.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing evidence on heart-brain axis interactions.
  • Analysis of pathological mechanisms linking cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
  • Synthesis of findings related to stroke-heart syndrome and cardiac conditions affecting the brain.

Main Results:

  • Stroke-heart syndrome involves cardiovascular complications like myocardial injury, arrhythmias, and heart failure following ischemic stroke.
  • Brain damage triggers cardiac injury through neuroinflammation, immune activation, and sympathetic-immune interactions.
  • Cardiac conditions such as myocardial ischemia, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation increase stroke and cognitive decline risk.

Conclusions:

  • The heart-brain axis is a critical determinant of health, with bidirectional pathological crosstalk.
  • Understanding these interactions is vital for managing stroke, heart disease, and related neurological conditions.
  • Further research into the heart-brain axis mechanisms can lead to improved therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:
heart-brain axismyocardial infarctionstrokestroke-heart syndrometakotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy

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