About this Research Topic
The regulation of heart rate is strongly affected by the interaction between cardiac and respiratory rhythms, resulting in various forms of cardio-respiratory coupling that encompass respiratory sinus arrhythmia (i.e., the shortening/lengthening of the cardiac period with inspiration/expiration) and cardiorespiratory phase synchronization (i.e., the short intermittent occurrence of epochs of stable heartbeats at specific phases of the respiratory cycle). This complex and multifaceted interaction between cardiac and respiratory systems is majorly coordinated by the brain, comprising various mechamisms involving the functions of all three organs. Therefore, the focus on three organ cardio-respiratory-brain interaction encompasses also the pairs of interactions including the cardio-respiratory, heart-brain and lungs-brain interaction. The analysis of the information transfer and the structural, dynamic and regulatory features of the three organ's Network Physiology provides deeper insights into the physiological interplay within the entire integrated supersystem and its behavior both in health and pathology.
These mechanisms act under the regulation of the brain, which controls the respiratory and cardiac rhythms directly through phrenic motor nerve and the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, respectively. The cardiac and respiratory systems and their subsystems are linked to the central nervous system through a sophisticated interplay of feedback-feedforward regulatory mechanisms that support flexible and adaptive responses to environmental demands - also known as the central-autonomic-network. On the one side, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for trophotropic “rest and digest” function (sitting, resting and relaxing), while on the other side, the sympathetic nervous system predominates during ergotropic “fight-or-flight” reactions (real life or perceived threatening situations) or exercise, and thus prepares the body for adequate, energy-demanding physical activity. The autonomic balance is essential in the control and integration of several functions in physiological states such as those associated with physical or psychological stress, cognition, arousal and sleep, as well as in pathological conditions such as those resulting from vascular, inflammatory or traumatic lesions with compensatory maladaptations of the autonomic nervous system, adverse effects of drugs and chronic neurological disorders. As both acute and chronic manifestations of an imbalanced cardio-respiratory and brain–heart interaction have a negative impact on health, a deeper understanding of the connections between autonomic cardiorespiratory control and brain dynamics through advanced signal and neuroimage processing may lead to invaluable tools for the detection of early announcing signs and treatment of pathological diathesis while still in the frame of physiological functions.
This Research Topic aims at promoting investigation of methodological approaches derived from advances in bioengineering, biophysics, signal processing and artificial intelligence, as well as in basic and integrative physiology and clinical medicine, to provide insight into cardiovascular physiology, autonomic neuroscience and brain-heart communication in health and disease conditions. In order to provide a forum to discuss theoretical frameworks, computational methods and physiology-driven approaches to the study of cardio-respiratory-brain coupling and interplay, we solicit reviews, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, original research articles, brief research or case reports, opinions, perspectives or general commentaries, and method papers or data reports, which cover (but are not limited to) these themes, especially multidisciplinary contributions in the field of integrative physiology:
• Devices, tools, and computational methods for cardio-respiratory-brain coupling analysis.
• Signal processing and time-series analysis tools to assess cardio-respiratory-brain interplay.
• Modelling of the coupled systems underlying cardio-respiratory-brain interactions
• Use of coupling functions for the description of cardio-respiratory-brain interaction mechanisms
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to assess cardio-respiratory-brain interactions.
• New markers of the sympathetic tone and of the sympathetic–parasympathetic balance
• New markers of interaction between central and autonomic nervous system activities
• Assessment of cardiorespiratory interactions and brain-heart interplay in physiological conditions (e.g., rest/task, relax/stress, wake/sleep, etc.)
• Assessment of cardio-respiratory interactions and brain-heart interplay in pathological conditions related to autonomic imbalance.
• Network and integrative physiology aspects multi-organ dynamics in health and disease
Within these scopes, the Research Topic will also bring to the focus the importance of adopting multidisciplinary approaches in the field of integrative physiology. The aim of a multidisciplinary interaction within the scientific community involved in this RT will result not only in a comprehensive understanding of basic science questions, but also in the advancement of practical solutions for clinical diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This unique set of multidisciplinary approaches and visions will contribute to yield a comprehensive picture of integrative physiology.
These mechanisms act under the regulation of the brain, which controls the respiratory and cardiac rhythms directly through phrenic motor nerve and the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, respectively. The cardiac and respiratory systems and their subsystems are linked to the central nervous system through a sophisticated interplay of feedback-feedforward regulatory mechanisms that support flexible and adaptive responses to environmental demands - also known as the central-autonomic-network. On the one side, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for trophotropic “rest and digest” function (sitting, resting and relaxing), while on the other side, the sympathetic nervous system predominates during ergotropic “fight-or-flight” reactions (real life or perceived threatening situations) or exercise, and thus prepares the body for adequate, energy-demanding physical activity. The autonomic balance is essential in the control and integration of several functions in physiological states such as those associated with physical or psychological stress, cognition, arousal and sleep, as well as in pathological conditions such as those resulting from vascular, inflammatory or traumatic lesions with compensatory maladaptations of the autonomic nervous system, adverse effects of drugs and chronic neurological disorders. As both acute and chronic manifestations of an imbalanced cardio-respiratory and brain–heart interaction have a negative impact on health, a deeper understanding of the connections between autonomic cardiorespiratory control and brain dynamics through advanced signal and neuroimage processing may lead to invaluable tools for the detection of early announcing signs and treatment of pathological diathesis while still in the frame of physiological functions.
This Research Topic aims at promoting investigation of methodological approaches derived from advances in bioengineering, biophysics, signal processing and artificial intelligence, as well as in basic and integrative physiology and clinical medicine, to provide insight into cardiovascular physiology, autonomic neuroscience and brain-heart communication in health and disease conditions. In order to provide a forum to discuss theoretical frameworks, computational methods and physiology-driven approaches to the study of cardio-respiratory-brain coupling and interplay, we solicit reviews, systematic reviews, mini-reviews, original research articles, brief research or case reports, opinions, perspectives or general commentaries, and method papers or data reports, which cover (but are not limited to) these themes, especially multidisciplinary contributions in the field of integrative physiology:
• Devices, tools, and computational methods for cardio-respiratory-brain coupling analysis.
• Signal processing and time-series analysis tools to assess cardio-respiratory-brain interplay.
• Modelling of the coupled systems underlying cardio-respiratory-brain interactions
• Use of coupling functions for the description of cardio-respiratory-brain interaction mechanisms
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to assess cardio-respiratory-brain interactions.
• New markers of the sympathetic tone and of the sympathetic–parasympathetic balance
• New markers of interaction between central and autonomic nervous system activities
• Assessment of cardiorespiratory interactions and brain-heart interplay in physiological conditions (e.g., rest/task, relax/stress, wake/sleep, etc.)
• Assessment of cardio-respiratory interactions and brain-heart interplay in pathological conditions related to autonomic imbalance.
• Network and integrative physiology aspects multi-organ dynamics in health and disease
Within these scopes, the Research Topic will also bring to the focus the importance of adopting multidisciplinary approaches in the field of integrative physiology. The aim of a multidisciplinary interaction within the scientific community involved in this RT will result not only in a comprehensive understanding of basic science questions, but also in the advancement of practical solutions for clinical diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This unique set of multidisciplinary approaches and visions will contribute to yield a comprehensive picture of integrative physiology.
Keywords: Cardio-Respiratory-Brain, central-autonomic-network, network physiology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
