Brain, behavior, mental stress, and the neurocardiac interaction (original) (raw)

This review explores the complex interactions between psychosocial stress, the brain, and cardiovascular health, particularly focusing on coronary artery disease (CAD). It examines the influence of various emotional states, such as depression and anger, on CAD outcomes, highlighting the need to understand these dynamics from a neurocardiac perspective. Key questions addressed include the identification of emotional traits linked to adverse cardiac events, mechanisms through which the central nervous system mediates these effects, and the biological models that underpin the stress-CAD relationship.