By Tracy Hampton, The Harvard Gazette, March 25, 2021
A new study uncovers potential mechanisms that may contribute to “broken heart syndrome,” or Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), a temporary heart condition that is brought on by stressful situations and emotions. The research, which was led by investigators at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), indicates that a heart-brain connection likely plays a major role.
For the study, published in the European Heart Journal, the team analyzed brain imaging scans from 104 patients (41 who subsequently developed TTS and 63 who did not) to determine whether increased stress-associated metabolic activity in the brain leads to an elevated risk of developing TTS.
“Areas of the brain that have higher metabolic activity tend to be in greater use. Hence, higher activity in the stress-associated centers of the brain suggests that the individual has a more active response to stress,” said senior author Ahmed Tawakol, director of Nuclear Cardiology and co-director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at MGH.
Comments (0)