Exploring CNS-ANS communication: Implications for mental and physical health

The intricate communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is fundamental to the organism's ability to adapt to environmental demands. This communication is facilitated through complex neural processing that integrates organ-specific information from sympathetic and parasympathetic afferents at various levels of brain organization. The accurate perception of interoceptive signals and predictive coding is crucial for the top-down influences on the ANS, which are essential for regulating peripheral physiology, cognitive performance, and emotional health. Miscommunication between the CNS and ANS can lead to pathological conditions, such as anxiety disorders due to sympathetic hyperactivation.

The Neurovisceral Integration Model provides a framework for understanding how CNS-ANS communication supports adaptive responses. Recent studies have highlighted the role of the brainstem noradrenergic nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC) as a key node in this network, influencing both autonomic nuclei and forebrain regions. The LC's involvement in vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has shown promise in treating conditions like epilepsy and depression, as well as enhancing cognitive functions. Heart rate variability (HRV) serves as a non-invasive marker of CNS-ANS communication, correlating with physical health, emotion regulation, and cognitive control.
Despite these advances, there remains a need for improved diagnostic methods and a deeper understanding of the body-brain interaction to enhance clinical applications.

This Research Topic aims to update and advance current views on the relationship between the body, emotion, and cognition. It seeks to emphasize the significance of body-brain interactions for mental and physical health, and to explore the development of new diagnostic methods and the refinement of existing measurements, such as HRV, to enhance the reliability and predictive power of ANS activity biomarkers.

Additionally, the research will investigate the influence of cognitive factors including learning, perception, and attention on the ANS, in conjunction with neural plasticity, to address various pathological states. By focusing on these areas, the research aims to foster a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying affective disorders and to promote the development of effective therapeutic interventions.

To gather further insights into the complex interplay between the CNS and ANS, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

· Mechanisms of self-regulation and adaptability of the organism.

· Functional connectivity within the central autonomic network.

· Interoception and cognitive control.

· The locus coeruleus and autonomic function.

· Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and modulation of brain activity.

· Memory- and plasticity-enhancing effects of VNS.

· Understanding the effectiveness of VNS.

· The locus coeruleus (LC) as a mediator of VNS.

· State-of-the-art and perspectives in methodological approaches to investigate LC organization and function.

· Inputs to the LC and links to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

· Psychosomatics and psychopathology.

· Heart rate variability (HRV) as a diagnostic tool for psychiatric conditions.

· HRV as a biofeedback tool to promote cognitive enhancement.

· Neurobiological basis for individual differences in vagal regulation.

· Computational models of central-autonomic control.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: HRV, locus cerules, psychopathology, psychiatric conditions, CNS, ANS, visceral functions, cognition, VNS

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.