Wang Yoko Brigitte, Saunders Sandy E, Campbell John N, Boychuk Carie R
Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211, MO, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2025 Aug;93:103068. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103068. Epub 2025 Jun 25.
Since their discovery five decades ago, cardiac vagal motor neurons (CVNs) have been studied for their roles in autonomic control of cardiac function. However, it is only within the past decade that our understanding of CVNs has rapidly progressed. Driven by technological advances in neuroscience, novel findings are revealing genetic markers of CVN's subpopulation in the nucleus ambiguus (CVN), resolving controversial roles of CVN in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (CVN), and dissecting the complexity of CVN-related neural circuitry. The roles of CVNs have also expanded in the mechanisms of disease pathophysiology beyond the typical autonomic disorders, highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting CVNs. In this review, we discuss recent advances in CVNs subtypes, neural circuits, and roles in cardiometabolic disease and mental health-related disorders pathophysiology. We also present current challenges and a prospective outlook on the field.
自从五十年前被发现以来，心脏迷走运动神经元（CVNs）因其在心脏功能自主控制中的作用而受到研究。然而，直到过去十年，我们对CVNs的理解才迅速取得进展。在神经科学技术进步的推动下，新的发现揭示了疑核中CVN亚群的基因标记，解决了CVN在迷走神经背核中的争议性作用，并剖析了与CVN相关的神经回路的复杂性。CVNs的作用在疾病病理生理学机制中也超出了典型的自主神经紊乱范围，凸显了靶向CVNs的治疗潜力。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了CVNs亚型、神经回路以及在心脏代谢疾病和心理健康相关疾病病理生理学中的作用的最新进展。我们还介绍了该领域当前面临的挑战和前瞻性展望。
