Basic research models for the study of underlying mechanisms of electrical neuromodulation and ischemic heart-brain interactions.

The study of mechanisms of action underlying the use of electrical neuromodulation for angina and myocardial ischemia may illuminate heart-brain interactions that influence these conditions. To investigate these mechanisms of action, we initiated a neurocardiology program in the 1990s. This review discusses the experimental models we have studied to unravel the heart-brain interactions involved in the use of electrical neuromodulation for ischemic disease.