The anatomy and functions of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system and its connections with the brain have been explored extensively in the field of neurocardiology. Communication along all these conduits significantly affects the brain's activity and our performance. Research has shown that the heart communicates to the brain in four major ways: neurologically (through the transmission of nerve impulses), biochemically (via hormones and neurotransmitters), biophysically (through pressure waves) and energetically (through electromagnetic field interactions). However, the communication between the heart and brain actually is a dynamic, ongoing, two-way dialogue, with each organ continuously influencing the other's function. Traditionally, the study of communication pathways between the "head" and heart has been approached from a rather one-sided perspective, with the focus being primarily on the heart's responses to the brain's commands. This will be discussed further in the section on heart rate variability (HRV). For example, we now know that the normal resting rhythm of the heart is highly variable rather than monotonously regular, which was the widespread notion for many years. In concert, these dynamic interconnected physiological and psychological regulatory systems are never truly at rest and are certainly never static. Healthy, optimal function is a result of continuous, dynamic, bi-directional interactions among multiple neural, hormonal and mechanical control systems at both local and central levels.
These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body's major organs and play an important role in mental and emotional experience and the quality of our lives. The heart is, in fact, a highly complex information processing center with its own functional "brain," commonly called the heart-brain that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways. Our research and that of others indicates the heart is far more than a simple pump. Numerous studies have since shown that heart coherence is an optimal state-specific physiological pattern associated with increased cognitive function, self-regulatory capacity, emotional stability and resilience, and that people can learn to shift into the coherent state in the heat of the moment.
This eventually led to a much deeper understanding of the neural and other communication pathways between the heart and brain. It became clear that stressful or depleting emotions such as frustration and overwhelm lead to increased disorder in the higher-level brain centers which is reflected in heart rhythms and adversely affects the functioning of virtually all bodily systems. Consistently, however, it was heart rate variability, or heart rhythms that stood out as the most dynamic and reflective indicator of one's emotional states and autonomic nervous system dynamics.
Over the years, we have conducted many studies that have utilized many different physiological measures such as EEG (brain waves), SCL (skin conductance), ECG (heart), BP (blood pressure) and hormone levels, etc. In the early 1990s, we were among the first to conduct research that not only looked at how stressful emotions affect the activity in the autonomic nervous system and the hormonal and immune systems, but also at the effects of emotions such as appreciation, compassion and care. The HeartMath® Institute Research Center has explored the physiological mechanisms by which the heart and brain communicate and how the activity of the heart influences our perceptions, emotions, intuition and health.
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