Specific Brain Stroke Areas Causing Cardiac Dysfunction... Evidence of Interaction Revealed

A study has visually identified the specific brain stroke locations that cause cardiac dysfunction.

A research team led by Professor Woo-Geun Seo of the Stroke Center at Samsung Medical Center Cardiovascular Hospital, Professor Sung-Ji Park of the Imaging Center in the Department of Cardiology, and Clinical Instructor Da-Da Jung of Radiology revealed in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that "by visualizing the topographical association between impaired left ventricular strain and the location of stroke lesions in patients with acute ischemic stroke, evidence of brain-heart interaction was presented." Although some individuals with normal cardiac function experience deterioration in heart function after a stroke, the exact relationship has remained unclear, posing a clinical challenge.

The research team hypothesized that, inspired by the homunculus concept?which states that each area of the brain surface corresponds to neural pathways connected to specific muscles and sensory organs?there exists a particular region in the cerebral cortex that regulates cardiac function.

They investigated left ventricular strain using specialized echocardiography in 286 acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to Samsung Medical Center Stroke Center between 2016 and 2017, all of whom had normal cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or higher). Left ventricular strain refers to a measurement obtained by specialized echocardiography that assesses changes in the movement of the left ventricle, serving as an evaluation of left ventricular function.

To visualize the brain lesion areas topographically associated with impaired left ventricular strain, the team used diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps from the patients’ brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, analyzed with a self-developed imaging analysis program to map the locations of cerebral infarction lesions. The results showed that damage to the right insular cortex and surrounding areas, as well as the left parietal cortex, in patients with acute ischemic stroke was associated with overall longitudinal movement changes of the left ventricle.

The researchers confirmed that damage to the insular cortex, which is involved in brain-heart interaction, adversely affects cardiac function in stroke patients without underlying heart disease. Additionally, they identified the left parietal cortex as a newly recognized brain region involved in brain-heart interaction, beyond the previously known insular cortex, marking a significant achievement.

Sung-Ji Park, Director of the Imaging Center and Valve Center at Samsung Medical Center Cardiovascular Hospital, stated, "This study presented meaningful evidence of brain-heart interaction through collaboration between the Imaging Center and Stroke Center from the initial stages." He added, "We plan to conduct further research to prevent patients from suffering dual or triple burdens caused by heart problems in addition to stroke."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.