Heart's hidden neural network shields its rhythm under stress in mice
Researchers in mice identified two distinct subtypes of neurons in the heart’s intrinsic nervous system. Npy+ neurons slow the heart and are required to prevent heart failure, while Ddah1+ neurons buffer the heart during acute stress; loss of Ddah1+ neurons makes stressed mice die, and stimulating them improves survival, revealing a local cardiac circuit that protects heart function under stress with implications for heart disease.