Elevated brain activity, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the European Journal of Heart, found that the greater the activity of neural cells in the amygdala region of the brain, the faster the condition known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) development.
“The study suggests that the increased stress-related neurobiological activity in the amygdala, which is present years before TTS occurs, could play an important role in its development and could predict time of the syndrome, “said researcher Ahmed Tawakol of Massachusetts General. Hospital in the USA.
TTS, also known as ‘broken heart’ syndrome, is characterized by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscle that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the base while the neck remains narrow, forming a shape resembling a Japanese octopus snare, from which it takes its name.
Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is usually triggered by events of severe emotional distress, such as sadness, anger or fear, or reactions to happy events. or blissful.
Patients develop chest pain and shortness of breath, and can cause heart attack and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10 percent of cases occurring in men.
The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls emotions, motivation, learning and memory. It is also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and the regulation of cardiac function.
For the study, the team involved 104 patient participants undergoing PET-CT scans between 2005 and 2019.
The researchers matched 41 people, who went on to develop TTS between six months and five years after the scan with 63 who did not. The interval between scans, TTn onset, follow-up or final death averaged 2.5 years for the 104 patients.
The researchers found that higher amygdalar activity was associated with stress in people who went on to develop TTS (measured as the ratio of amygdalar activity to the activity of stress-resistant brain regions) compared to individuals who did not subsequently develop TTS.
(Supported by organizations)