Heart nerve activity and vagus stimulation to prevent dangerous heart rhythms
Cardiac Neuromodulation: Mechanisms and Therapeutics
This work looks at how scarred hearts and overactive nerve signals cause life‑threatening ventricular rhythms and whether long‑term vagus nerve stimulation can help people who have had heart attacks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11171335 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you've had a heart attack, scar tissue can change the wiring and chemical signaling of nerves in your heart and make dangerous rhythms more likely. Researchers at UCLA are mapping how scars alter nerve ultrastructure and neurotransmitter release, studying heart cell electrical behavior, and examining sympathetic ganglia that drive the heart. They will combine laboratory experiments, animal models, human tissue or patient data, and tests of chronic vagus nerve stimulation to see how neuromodulation might stabilize heart rhythms. The team aims to translate these findings into clearer nerve‑based treatment strategies for people at risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people who have had a prior heart attack and have scarred heart muscle or are at increased risk for dangerous ventricular arrhythmias.
Not a fit: People without prior heart attacks or heart scars, or those whose arrhythmias come from other causes such as atrial arrhythmias, are less likely to benefit directly from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to nerve‑targeting treatments that reduce the risk of life‑threatening ventricular arrhythmias after a heart attack.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies and some small human trials of vagus nerve stimulation and related neuromodulation approaches have shown promising signals, but patient results have been mixed and more mechanistic work is still needed.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shivkumar, Kalyanam — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Shivkumar, Kalyanam
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.