Department of Immunology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Department of Neuroscience, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2024 Jul;3(7):841-856. doi: 10.1038/s44161-024-00491-3. Epub 2024 Jul 12.
Psychological processes have a crucial role in the recovery from acute myocardial infarction (AMI), yet the underlying mechanisms of these effects remain elusive. Here we demonstrate the impact of the reward system, a brain network associated with motivation and positive expectations, on the clinical outcomes of AMI in mice. Chemogenetic activation of dopaminergic neurons in the reward system improved the remodeling processes and vascularization after AMI, leading to enhanced cardiac performance compared to controls. These effects were mediated through several physiological mechanisms, including alterations in immune activity and reduced adrenergic input to the liver. We further demonstrate an anatomical connection between the reward system and the liver, functionally manifested by altered transcription of complement component 3, which in turn affects vascularization and recovery from AMI. These findings establish a causal connection between a motivational brain network and recovery from AMI, introducing potential therapeutic avenues for intervention.
心理过程在急性心肌梗死（AMI）的康复中起着至关重要的作用，但这些影响的潜在机制仍难以捉摸。在这里，我们证明了奖励系统（与动机和积极期望相关的大脑网络）对小鼠 AMI 临床结果的影响。奖励系统中多巴胺能神经元的化学遗传激活改善了 AMI 后的重塑过程和血管生成，与对照组相比，心脏功能得到了增强。这些影响是通过几种生理机制介导的，包括免疫活性的改变和去甲肾上腺素对肝脏的输入减少。我们进一步证明了奖励系统和肝脏之间存在解剖连接，功能上表现为补体成分 3 的转录发生改变，进而影响血管生成和 AMI 的恢复。这些发现确立了动机性大脑网络与 AMI 康复之间的因果关系，为干预提供了潜在的治疗途径。
