Dissecting axes of autonomic control in humans: Insights from neuroimaging
Section snippets
Application of brain imaging to autonomic neuroscience
Human functional neuroimaging can allow the measurement of dynamic changes in the activity of regions across the brain during behaviour. Neuroscientists, particularly psychologists, have capitalized on the opportunity to relate thoughts, perceptions, feelings and emotions to changes in the patterns of neural activity. This has resulted in an enhanced understanding of the coordinated working of the human brain, beyond knowledge gained from animal investigations and studies of neurological
Implementation of physiological recording within brain magnetic resonance imaging
The combination of autonomic monitoring (invasive or non-invasive) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers a possibility to relate the neural dynamics of visceral regulation to patterns of activity within the brain at a time resolution broadly in keeping with these changes (the temporal resolution of fMRI is limited by the haemodynamic response to regional neural activity: the inflow of blood to an active region gives the blood oxygenation level dependent [BOLD] signal, which
Behaviourally-integrated physiology
Autonomic nervous control of internal bodily state is essential for adaptive behaviour, yet the models for understanding interaction between mind and body are relatively undeveloped within psychological literature. There is however a broad appreciation within animal learning that affective drive and motivational behaviour are grounded on physiological needs. Emotions can be encapsulated as hierarchical (social) elaborations, shaped by associative learning responses to rewards and punishments.
Correlational studies of the generation of peripheral autonomic responses
A first step to applying functional neuroimaging techniques to autonomic neuroscience is to see which brain regions are more active in states of ‘high arousal’; compared to ‘low arousal’. Clearly this strategy is already simplistic in conceptualization and raises confounds. Nevertheless, with appropriate control and qualified interpretation it has proved useful. One approach is to measure directly a physiological autonomic parameter [e.g. heart rate (King et al., 1999, Wager et al., 2009) blood
Brain activity related to representation of autonomic arousal states
A complementary line of neuroimaging research attempts to detail the representation of changes in internal state brought about through autonomic neural activity. This focus naturally extends to more general questions regarding the central neural representation of the visceral organs, a topic of study for fields of pain, gastroenterological, urological, cardiological and even immunological research (Craig, 2002, Critchley, 2009, Harrison et al., 2009). Valuable insights into the central pathways
Brain control of autonomic state: insights from patient studies
Studies of patients with selective disorders of the autonomic nervous system provide a means of testing and extending inferences obtained in healthy individuals. Such studies can provide fresh perspective on correlational data, and can have direct or indirect clinical value through enhancing our understanding of specific conditions. Neuroimaging studies of patients with peripheral autonomic denervation associated with pure autonomic failure (PAF) provide experimentally a valuable
Technical advances and future of neuroimaging of autonomic control
The above studies outline what can be achieved in the application of functional and structural neuroimaging to the delineation and dissection central autonomic control in healthy individuals and relevant patient group. The methods described are more or less standard, in terms of experimental design, non-invasive autonomic monitoring and imaging sequences. With the maturation of neuroimaging techniques and the broadening of their application, human autonomic neuroscience is becoming more
Summary
Functional neuroimaging, in combination with autonomic monitoring can provide dynamic information regarding the control of the autonomic nervous stem, with relevance to autonomic disorders and with broader implications for affective/cognitive neuroscience and psychosomatic medicine. Studies highlight the independent roles of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal/subgenual cortex in the behaviourally integrated generative control of cardiovascular response. In parallel,
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2021, Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and ClinicalCitation Excerpt :It is conformed by several structures of the Central Nervous System (CNS): insular and medial prefrontal cortices, amygdala, hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray matter, locus coeruleus, parabrachial nuclei, reticular formation, dorsal vagal complex, ambigus, tractus solitarius, Raphe nuclei, and Rostral ventrolateral medulla (Benarroch, 1993; Novak, 2007), which are communicated by neuronal tracts and other parts of the CNS. Some authors suggest that CAN is an integration center that prepares the body for changes in environmental conditions (Novak, 2007; Critchley et al., 2011), self-demands like hunger or thirst and emotional impulses (Duggento et al., 2016), altering heart rate, vasoconstriction, hormonal secretion, pupil diameter, among other physiological conditions. Moreover, CAN could be seen as part of a closed-loop control system with multiple inputs and outputs whose main goal is to keep global corporal conditions in a stable range and respond to external events such as fight-or-flight responses.
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2020, Sleep MedicineCitation Excerpt :Previous tracer studies and animal studies utilizing electrical stimulation have led researchers to propose the existence of a central autonomic network (CAN) [7–9]. The various roles of individual regions making up this proposed CAN, such as the insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex [10], have been highlighted in some studies, while the CAN itself and other hypothesized constructs, such as the anterior executive region [11] and the somatosensory cortices [12], have been emphasized in other studies. It is worth noting, in any event, that rather than relying simply on a monolithic system of brain regions, the central processing of autonomic functions shows aspects of division and task specificity.