How men’s and women’s heart nerve control changes after a heart attack
Sex differences in cardiac autonomic remodeling after myocardial infarction
This project looks at how heart nerve signals change after a heart attack in men versus women and whether estrogen helps explain those differences.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| 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-11241138 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would hear from researchers who are comparing how the heart’s nerve connections and signals change after a heart attack in males and females. The team will use laboratory models and tissue and physiologic measurements tied to human heart disease to map how sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve wiring remodels after injury. They will test whether estrogen affects nerve remodeling and how those changes could raise the risk of dangerous arrhythmias. The work combines molecular, anatomical, and functional approaches to link nerve changes with arrhythmia risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults who have had a myocardial infarction or have ischemic cardiomyopathy, especially those being followed at clinics near the research center.
Not a fit: People without prior heart attack, without ischemic heart disease, or with non-cardiac causes of symptoms are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to sex-specific ways to prevent dangerous heart rhythm problems after a heart attack.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and some human studies show autonomic remodeling and hormone effects matter after MI, but clear sex-specific mechanisms remain incompletely understood, so this work builds on limited existing evidence.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vaseghi, Marmar — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Vaseghi, Marmar
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.