Scientists have discovered that keeping the heart connected to the vagus nerve may help it stay younger and healthier for longer.
This exciting research, led by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, was recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The vagus nerve is one of the most important nerves in the body. It connects the brain to several major organs, including the heart, and plays a big role in controlling things like heart rate, digestion, and breathing. This new study shows that the vagus nerve may also help prevent the heart from aging too quickly.
Researchers found that preserving the connection between both sides of the vagus nerve and the heart can protect heart cells and keep the heart strong as we age. The right side of the vagus nerve, in particular, seems to play a very important role in maintaining heart cell health—independently of its role in slowing down the heart rate.
The study was highly collaborative and brought together experts in medicine, bioengineering, and aging from top institutions across Italy and around the world. The research was led by Professor Vincenzo Lionetti from the Translational Critical Care Unit (TrancriLab) and Professor Silvestro Micera from the Biorobotics Institute.
Their teams combined their knowledge to study how the vagus nerve affects heart health and how it might be restored when damaged.
One of the major breakthroughs was the development of a small, implantable device called a bioabsorbable nerve conduit. This special device helps the vagus nerve grow back and reconnect with the heart. It’s made from materials that naturally dissolve in the body over time.
This approach could help the heart “re-learn” how to stay young and function better, even after injury or surgery.
The team found that even partial restoration of the right vagus nerve connection can slow down harmful changes in the heart. It helps the heart muscle contract more effectively and prevents early signs of aging.
“When the vagus nerve connection is broken, the heart starts to age faster,” said Professor Lionetti. But with even a partial repair, the heart begins to recover. Dr. Anar Dushpanova, a cardiologist involved in the study, added that this nerve-heart connection can protect the heart’s ability to pump blood.
Eugenio Redolfi Riva, one of the engineers who helped design the implantable device, explained how it works: the nerve conduit acts as a guide, helping the nerve fibers grow back naturally to reconnect with the heart.
This discovery could change the way doctors perform heart surgeries and transplants. Right now, most treatments focus on managing problems that develop after the heart starts aging. But this research suggests that protecting or restoring the vagus nerve during surgery might help prevent those problems from happening in the first place.
In the future, this new approach could lead to better outcomes for people recovering from heart surgery and may even help prevent heart failure or other age-related heart problems. It shows how the connection between the brain and the heart is more important than we ever imagined.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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