When the heart inhibits the brain: Cardiac phases modulate short-interval intracortical inhibition

Mario Paci; Pasquale Cardellicchio; Paolo Di Luzio; Mauro Gianni Perrucci; Francesca Ferri; Marcello Costantini

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109140

When the heart inhibits the brain: Cardiac phases modulate short-interval intracortical inhibition

iScience. 2024 Feb 5;27(3):109140. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109140. eCollection 2024 Mar 15.

Authors

Mario Paci¹, Pasquale Cardellicchio^{2

3

4}, Paolo Di Luzio⁵, Mauro Gianni Perrucci^{1

6}, Francesca Ferri^{1

6}, Marcello Costantini^{6

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
² IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
³ Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
⁴ Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
⁵ Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
⁶ Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies - ITAB, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.

Abstract

The phasic cardiovascular activity influences the central nervous system through the systolic baroreceptor inputs, inducing widespread inhibitory effects on behavior. Through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) delivered during resting-state over the left primary motor cortex and across the different cardiac phases, we measured corticospinal excitability (CSE) and distinct indices of intracortical motor inhibition: short (SICI) and long (LICI) interval, corresponding to GABA_A and GABA_B neurotransmission, respectively. We found a significant effect of the cardiac phase on short-intracortical inhibition, without any influence on LICI. Specifically, SICI was stronger at systole compared to diastole. These results show a tight relationship between the cardiac cycle and the inhibitory neurotransmission within M1, and in particular with GABA_A-ergic-mediated motor inhibition. We hypothesize that this process requires greater motor control via the gating mechanism and that this, in turn, needs to be recalibrated through the modulation of intracortical inhibition.

Keywords: Biological sciences; Clinical neuroscience; Natural sciences; Neuroscience.