Influence of cardiac nerve status on cardiovascular regulation and cardioprotection

Figure 1 A schematic overview of efferent and afferent autonomic pathways on normal cardiac regulation, they also play a role in arrhythmogenesis caused by ischemic injury. Various pharmacologic/non-pharmacologic interventions that target autonomic pathways (IC: Ischemic conditioning; rIC: Remote IC; VNS: Vagus nerve stimulation) attenuate cardiac or renal symptoms. Sensory pathways are involved in renal regulation; injury (all cause) affects renal function that can be attenuated by different interventions (IC, rIC, RDN: Renal denervation). Inter-organ interactions also directly affect organ function; development of comorbidities is related to pathogenesis of disease in multiple organs (ex. heart-kidneys-brain, etc.). Pathology in one organ system can result in significant progression of disease in a distant organ; neuromodulation interventions may be beneficial to these patients.