Science of the Heart

[Max35]

I found this most interesting

http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/index.html

quote

"Our research and that of others indicate that the heart is far more than a simple pump. The heart is, in fact, a highly complex, self-organized information processing center with its own functional "brain" that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways. These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body's major organs, and ultimately determine the quality of life."

I'm sure others will dismiss this because it seems a little far-fetched, but there is plenty of scientific evidence to back it up.

 

[ríomhaire]

Cool, although I was actually expecting an article on love and such.

 

[Stigmata]

Nice segue.

[edit] Heh, bots.

Neat article.

 

[DannyC.]

Cool, although I was actually expecting an article on love and such.

ha, yeah

 

[<RJMC>]

so when a woman breaks your heart,it can kill you?

 

[Neutrino]

"Our research and that of others indicate that the heart is far more than a simple pump. The heart is, in fact, a highly complex, self-organized information processing center with its own functional "brain" that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways. These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body's major organs, and ultimately determine the quality of life."

I was going along with it until the bold part. That's a bit of a leap in reasoning there.

 

[CyberPitz]

That was pretty nifty. Good to know they are exploring further into what we thought we already know.

 

[theotherguy]

Brain? Where are the neurons? The only neurons the heart posseses are in the tiny "pacemaker" organ that controls its pumping. I cannot see any reasonable way to say that the heart is a "complex processing organ"...sure, it affects everything in the body, but the heart itself is controlled by the brain.

 

[Krynn72]

So does this mean our brain is our CPU (handling major calculations and such) and our heart is our GPU (handling the calculations for all the extra goodies)? Whats our sound card then? Spleen?

 

[Stigmata]

So does this mean our brain is our CPU (handling major calculations and such) and our heart is our GPU (handling the calculations for all the extra goodies)? Whats our sound card then? Spleen?

Anus.

 

[Max35]

Brain? Where are the neurons? The only neurons the heart posseses are in the tiny "pacemaker" organ that controls its pumping. I cannot see any reasonable way to say that the heart is a "complex processing organ"...sure, it affects everything in the body, but the heart itself is controlled by the brain.

Sometimes new research dispels earlier notions. The article (if read) will reveal that research on this particular subject was done quite awhile ago. They are merely continuing it. And btw, many other sources have discovered that the heart has 40,000 neurons. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the heart "influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways." It's possible.

I'm not saying I believe whole-heartedly (hehe) that what they are saying is completely factual, but I am taking it into consideration.

I was going along with it until the bold part. That's a bit of a leap in reasoning there.

Who's to say they aren't right? They are the ones doing the research. Many medical myths from the old days have been debunked by modern science. It's not a "leap in reasoning" if they can prove it. I'll wait for the proof before any final judgement. But, I think more people should be open-minded to new, if even contradictory, scientific advances.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I think those 40,000 neurones are connected to the nodes in the heart, like the atrioventricular node which cause the heart walls to contract and push blood into the various sectors of the heart. There's a specialised kind of tissue which transmits the electrical impulses too and I honestly can't understand how that makes it a brain, it's not really processing information.

 

[Max35]

I think those 40,000 neurones are connected to the nodes in the heart, like the atrioventricular node which cause the heart walls to contract and push blood into the various sectors of the heart. There's a specialised kind of tissue which transmits the electrical impulses too and I honestly can't understand how that makes it a brain, it's not really processing information.

You could be right. I haven't read over the full article, just the parts that interested me. Here is something that caught my eye though.

Some of the first modern psychophysiological researchers to examine the conversations between the heart and brain were John and Beatrice Lacey. During 20 years of research throughout the 1960s and '70s, they observed that the heart communicates with the brain in ways that significantly affect how we perceive and react to the world.

A generation before the Laceys began their research, Walter Cannon had shown that changes in emotions are accompanied by predictable changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and digestion. In Cannon's view, when we are "aroused," the mobilizing part of the nervous system (sympathetic) energizes us for fight or flight, and in more quiescent moments, the calming part of the nervous system (parasympathetic) cools us down. In this view, it was assumed that the autonomic nervous system and all of the physiological responses moved in concert with the brain's response to a given stimulus. Presumably, our inner systems tooled up together when we were aroused and simmered down together when we were at rest, and the brain was in control of the entire process.

The Laceys noticed that this simple model only partially matched actual physiological behavior. As their research evolved, they found that the heart seemed to have its own peculiar logic that frequently diverged from the direction of the autonomic nervous system. The heart appeared to be sending meaningful messages to the brain that it not only understood, but obeyed. Even more intriguing was that it looked as though these messages could affect a person's behavior. Shortly after this, neurophysiologists discovered a neural pathway and mechanism whereby input from the heart to the brain could "inhibit" or "facilitate" the brain's electrical activity. Then in 1974, the French researchers Gahery and Vigier, working with cats, stimulated the vagus nerve (which carries many of the signals from the heart to the brain) and found that the brain's electrical response was reduced to about half its normal rate. In summary, evidence suggested that the heart and nervous system were not simply following the brain's directions, as Cannon had thought.

So, there's some info to chew on. It's interesting to note that their research isn't isolated and other researchers have mirrored their own results. I'm not sure if I believe it, but it has enough merits behind it that I am giving it consideration.

 

[Neutrino]

Who's to say they aren't right? They are the ones doing the research. Many medical myths from the old days have been debunked by modern science. It's not a "leap in reasoning" if they can prove it. I'll wait for the proof before any final judgement. But, I think more people should be open-minded to new, if even contradictory, scientific advances.

Such a statement is inherently unscientific and ultimately is hardly provable.

Also, concerning those "40,000" neurons; your average ant has more and a honey bee has about 20 times that many.

 

[Max35]

Such a statement is inherently unscientific and ultimately is hardly provable.

Also, concerning those "40,000" neurons; your average ant has more and a honey bee has about 20 times that many.

I'm not sure if your referring to my statement, or the one made in the link. But, all I will say is that if people can't accept, or at least consider, new scientific advances that debunk old beliefs, they are a little too caught up in current science.

If you are referring to my statement, then you are not really accurate. Plenty of medical beliefs have been turned on their heads from the old days. Do some research into medical history. Things change.