In the past, researchers have tested this link by giving individuals drugs such as isoproterenol, which, like naturally occurring adrenaline, can safely speed up the heart rate. Scientists have long suspected the crosstalk between the heart and the brain could affect mental health. The finding shows that “clearly, the body can trigger an emotion,” says Nadine Gogolla, a neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry who was not involved with the study. The finding indicates heart activity can influence mental state-and finding ways to lower heart rate may be a way to treat mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. But scientists wondered: Is the anxiety driving the heart to beat faster or could an increased heart rate cause anxiety?Ī new study published today disentangles this link in mice, showing that speeding up a mouse’s heart rate made otherwise calm animals act more anxious. Throats run dry, sweat drips profusely, and it can feel like everyone hears your quickly thumping heart. Many of us are familiar with the anxiety and dread that can consume us ahead of speaking or performing in public.
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