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06:01
A Thrombotic Stroke Model Based On Transient Cerebral Hypoxia-ischemia
Published on: August 18, 2015
Autonomic consequences of cerebral hemisphere infarction
S A Barron1, Z Rogovski, J Hemli
1Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technicon-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa.
Stroke
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Ischemic stroke impacts cardiac autonomic innervation, reducing parasympathetic activity more significantly after right-hemisphere strokes. This imbalance may increase arrhythmia risk, particularly following right-sided cerebral infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Autonomic Nervous System
Background:
- Supraventricular tachycardia is increasingly reported post-right hemisphere stroke.
- This suggests a potential reduction in parasympathetic cardiac innervation after right-sided cerebral events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of ischemic stroke on autonomic cardiac innervation.
- To analyze heart rate variability using power spectrum analysis to assess autonomic function post-stroke.
Main Methods:
- Power spectrum analysis of 256 consecutive electrocardiographic RR intervals using fast-Fourier transformation.
- Quantified spectral curve areas related to total and parasympathetic cardiac innervation.
- Compared 20 right-hemisphere stroke, 20 left-hemisphere stroke patients, and 40 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Total cardiac autonomic innervation was reduced in both right and left hemisphere stroke patients.
- Cardiac parasympathetic innervation showed a significant reduction after stroke in either hemisphere.
- The reduction in parasympathetic innervation was notably greater following right-hemisphere strokes (P = 2.9 x 10(-5)).
Conclusions:
- Power spectral analysis effectively detects stroke-induced autonomic dysfunction.
- Unbalanced autonomic activity favoring the sympathetic system post-stroke can lead to cardiac arrhythmias.
- Arrhythmias may occur after stroke in either hemisphere but are predicted to be more frequent after right-sided cerebral infarction.
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