Corticolimbic regulation of cardiovascular responses to stress

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death worldwide, is frequently initiated or exacerbated by stress. In fact, chronic stress exposure and heightened reactions to acute psychological stress are both associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. This brief review focuses on the mechanisms by which corticolimbic nuclei, critical for stress appraisal and emotional reactivity, regulate heart rate and blood pressure responses to psychological stress. Both human and rodent data are examined with a major emphasis on basic studies investigating prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. A detailed literature review reveals substantial limitations in our understanding of this circuitry, as well as significant opportunities for future investigation that may ultimately reduce the burden of cardiovascular illness.

Infralimbic prefrontal cortex structural and functional connectivity with the limbic forebrain: a combined viral genetic and optogenetic analysis

“…Numerous studies have utilized lesions or electrical stimulation of ventral mPFC to identify roles in the regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, and gastric function (Hurley-Gius and Neafsey 1986; Hardy and Holmes 1988; Myers 2017). The specific cellular and circuit interactions that mediate these effects are largely unknown.…”

Dual role of nitrergic neurotransmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in controlling cardiovascular responses to emotional stress in rats

“…However, outputs from these regions converge on the BNST (Dong et al ., ; Myers et al ., ) and, in turn, BNST neurons project to hypothalamic and brainstem nuclei controlling autonomic activity (Dong et al ., ; Dong and Swanson, ). Thus, the BNST has been proposed as a relay station between processing of emotional information by corticolimbic structures, and elaboration of physiological and behavioural responses to stress by hypothalamic and brainstem regions (Crestani et al ., ; Myers, ; Ulrich‐Lai and Herman, ). Limbic inputs to the BNST are predominantly glutamatergic and GABAergic (Myers et al ., ).…”

“…The physiological and behavioural responses evoked by aversive situations are essential for species survival and adaptation (Crestani, ; Sterling, ; Ulrich‐Lai and Herman, ). The control of such responses is performed by overlapping circuits in the CNS (Dampney, ; Myers, ). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a structure situated in the rostral prosencephalon, which has been linked to the central network that regulates stress responses (Crestani et al ., ; Myers, ; Ulrich‐Lai and Herman, ).…”

“…The control of such responses is performed by overlapping circuits in the CNS (Dampney, ; Myers, ). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a structure situated in the rostral prosencephalon, which has been linked to the central network that regulates stress responses (Crestani et al ., ; Myers, ; Ulrich‐Lai and Herman, ). In particular, control of the cardiovascular responses induced by stress involves the BNST (Crestani et al ., ; Resstel et al ., ).…”

Neural Mechanisms Linking Emotion with Cardiovascular Disease

“…Several of these regions can be grouped into a corticolimbic circuit involving limbic (subcortical) regions such as the amygdala and hippocampus, as well as neuroanatomically connected cortical regions in the ACC and mPFC. This circuit is involved in emotion regulation, stress reactivity, and control over peripheral autonomic and cardiovascular physiology [88, 89]. Connections between these regions as well as the insula, periaqueductal gray matter, parabrachial complex, nucleus of the tractus solitarius, and ventrolateral medulla have moreover been historically described as comprising a central autonomic network [90].…”