Cardiorespiratory alterations following intermittent photostimulation of RVLM C1 neurons: Implications for long-term blood pressure, breathing and sleep regulation in freely moving rats

The effects of laser acupuncture dosage at PC6 (Neiguan) on brain reactivity: a pilot resting-state fMRI study

Previous studies indicated that laser acupuncture (LA) may effectively treat various medical conditions. However, brain responses associated with LA intervention have not been fully investigated. This study is focused on the effect of LA with different energy density (ED) in brain using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We hypothesized that different ED would elicit various brain responses. We enrolled healthy adults participants and selected bilateral PC6 (Neiguan) as the intervention points. LA was applied, respectively, with ED of 0, 7.96, or 23.87 J/cm2. Two 500-s resting-state fMRI scans were acquired before and after intervention, respectively. The functional connectivity (FC) was calculated between autonomic nerve system-regulation associated brainstem structures and other brain regions. Compared to other dosages, the FC between rostral ventrolateral medulla and orbitofrontal cortex has more enhanced; the FC between caudal ventrolateral medulla, nucleus of the solitary tract/nucleus ambiguus, and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and somatosensory area has more weakened when ED was 23.87 J/cm2. Different dosages of LA have demonstrated varied regions of FC changes between regions of interest and other brain areas, which indicated that variations in EDs might influence the clinical efficacy and subsequent impacts through distinct neural pathways within the brain.

A narrative review of the mechanisms and consequences of intermittent hypoxia and the role of advanced analytic techniques in pediatric autonomic disorders

Disorders of autonomic functions are typically characterized by disturbances in multiple organ systems. These disturbances are often comorbidities of common and rare diseases, such as epilepsy, sleep apnea, Rett syndrome, congenital heart disease or mitochondrial diseases. Characteristic of many autonomic disorders is the association with intermittent hypoxia and oxidative stress, which can cause or exaggerate a variety of other autonomic dysfunctions, making the treatment and management of these syndromes very complex. In this review we discuss the cellular mechanisms by which intermittent hypoxia can trigger a cascade of molecular, cellular and network events that result in the dysregulation of multiple organ systems. We also describe the importance of computational approaches, artificial intelligence and the analysis of big data to better characterize and recognize the interconnectedness of the various autonomic and non-autonomic symptoms. These techniques can lead to a better understanding of the progression of autonomic disorders, ultimately resulting in better care and management.