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Biology
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Cardiovascular Autonomic Function: From Bench to Bedside—2nd Edition
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Cardiovascular Autonomic Function: From Bench to Bedside—2nd Edition

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 5318

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vera Geraldes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: autonomic nervous system; cardiovascular diseases; neurogenic hypertension; cardiac autonomic modulation; heart rate variability; dysautonomia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Isabel Rocha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: autonomic function; physiology; pathophysiology and evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates involuntary physiological processes and is essential in controlling most of the body's organ systems through a series of neural reflexes. It is also responsible for modulating and adapting the function of all organs to constantly changing external and internal conditions to maintain the body's homeostasis.

Dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system are associated with the development of various diseases and underlie major, common internal and neurological conditions (such as diabetes, hypertension, and Parkinson's disease). Recently, neuromodulatory techniques have emerged as potential therapeutic approaches for the complete or partial treatment of autonomic disorders. Additionally, the ANS has been shown to be involved in the co-modulation of body functions, together with the immune system, the neuroendocrine system, and the inflammatory system, thus forming an important interface between the central nervous system, the environment, and the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. 

This Special Issue aims to gather reviews and original research articles that provide up-to-date information and future perspectives on various areas of ANS physiology and clinical medicine that affect all levels of autonomic function. In this second edition, emphasis will also be placed on describing the molecular mechanisms that may underlie autonomic dysfunction.

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, covering all aspects of the autonomic nervous system in humans and animals, including functional anatomy; physiology; pharmacology and therapeutics; behavioural aspects; neuromodulation; dysfunction and ageing of autonomic neurons and their circuits; as well as the integrative role and emotional, physical, and motivational aspects of autonomic regulation.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Vera Geraldes
Dr. Isabel Rocha
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dysautonomia
  • heart rate variability
  • autonomic function testing
  • cardiovascular autonomic function
  • autonomic neuroscience
  • syncope
  • orthostatic hypotension
  • baroreflex
  • autonomic molecular mechanisms

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3056 KB  
Article
Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Young Subjects Exposed to Orthostatic Posture and Emotional Visual Stimuli: A Pilot Study
by Sandica Bucurica, Ioana Toader, Constantin Pistol, Ionela Maniu and Ilinca Savulescu-Fiedler
Biology 2026, 15(3), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15030266 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 849
Abstract
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and provides insight into physiological and emotional regulation. Evaluating HRV during postural and emotional challenges may help characterize autonomic adaptability in healthy individuals. HRV was recorded in 24 young medical residents (17 females, [...] Read more.
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and provides insight into physiological and emotional regulation. Evaluating HRV during postural and emotional challenges may help characterize autonomic adaptability in healthy individuals. HRV was recorded in 24 young medical residents (17 females, 7 males; mean age 27.04 ± 1.97 years) during four conditions: rest, orthostatic standing, and exposure to positive and negative emotional images. Each session lasted five minutes. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Heart rate increased significantly only during standing, consistent with sympathetic activation with postural change. Spectral and normalized HRV parameters (nLF, nlf, LF/HF, and normalized coherence) were lowest at rest and increased during standing and emotional image exposure, particularly in males. Parasympathetic indices showed opposite trends. Emotional image exposure did not produce significant differences between positive and negative valence at the group level; however, sex- and anxiety-related patterns emerged. Females with anxiety showed increased heart rate during positive image exposure, whereas non-anxious females exhibited higher heart rate responses to negative images. Orthostatic challenge elicited the strongest autonomic response, whereas emotional visual stimuli induced subtler, sex- and anxiety-dependent autonomic modulation without overall changes in heart rate. These preliminary observations suggest that anxiety and sex may be associated with differences in cardiac autonomic regulation in young healthy adults. These results should be interpreted cautiously, given the pilot design, the small sample size (N = 24), the imbalance between sexes, the exclusion of the depression subgroup from inferential analyses, and the use of non-validated emotional visual stimuli Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Autonomic Function: From Bench to Bedside—2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 1217 KB  
Article
Long COVID Patients with Orthostatic Intolerance Have Reduced Heart Rate Variability and Preserved Physiological Response to Active Standing
by J. Antonio González-Hermosillo González, Claudia Lerma, Dulce Andrea Celestino Montelongo, María del Carmen Alba Lorenzo, Emiliano Salas Santos, Atziri Gun Cuninghame Ballesteros, Esteban Jorge-Galarza and María del Rocío Martínez-Alvarado
Biology 2026, 15(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15010001 - 19 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1811
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during active orthostatic challenge in long COVID patients with orthostatic intolerance symptoms (dizziness, pre-syncope, and syncope). We performed a cross-sectional, observational, comparative study of 60 subjects of [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to assess the heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during active orthostatic challenge in long COVID patients with orthostatic intolerance symptoms (dizziness, pre-syncope, and syncope). We performed a cross-sectional, observational, comparative study of 60 subjects of both sexes, aged 18 to 60 years (31 met the criteria of long COVID, 15 were infected individuals without symptoms, and 14 who had neither infection nor symptoms formed the age-matched control group). HRV was obtained from continuous electrocardiograms in a supine position and active standing with spontaneous breathing. The time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to testing in the COVID-19 group was 573 ± 289 days. The resting (supine position) values of SDNN, RMSSD, SD1, and SD2 were lower in long COVID patients than in control participants, while all other HRV indexes were similar between groups. In response to active standing, both groups had similar changes in all HRV indices. In conclusion, an active orthostatic test was not able to exhibit an autonomic dysregulation in these patients with long COVID, suggesting that cardiac autonomic modulation may have recovered due to the long time that elapsed after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Autonomic Function: From Bench to Bedside—2nd Edition)
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Review

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22 pages, 617 KB  
Review
Mapping the Neurophysiological Link Between Voice and Autonomic Function: A Scoping Review
by Carmen Morales-Luque, Laura Carrillo-Franco, Manuel Víctor López-González, Marta González-García and Marc Stefan Dawid-Milner
Biology 2025, 14(10), 1382; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14101382 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1999
Abstract
Vocal production requires the coordinated control of respiratory, laryngeal, and autonomic systems. In individuals with high vocal demand, this physiological load may influence autonomic regulation, even in the absence of voice disorders. This scoping review systematically mapped current evidence on the relationship between [...] Read more.
Vocal production requires the coordinated control of respiratory, laryngeal, and autonomic systems. In individuals with high vocal demand, this physiological load may influence autonomic regulation, even in the absence of voice disorders. This scoping review systematically mapped current evidence on the relationship between voice production and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in adults, focusing exclusively on studies that assessed both systems simultaneously. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Eligible studies included adults performing structured vocal tasks with concurrent autonomic measurements. Data were extracted and synthesized descriptively. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Most involved healthy adults with high vocal demand, while some included participants with subclinical or functional voice traits. Vocal tasks ranged from singing and sustained phonation to speech under cognitive or emotional load. Autonomic measures included heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electrodermal activity (EDA), among others. Four thematic trends emerged: autonomic synchronization during group vocalization; modulation of autonomic tone by vocal rhythm and structure; voice–ANS interplay under stress; and physiological coupling in hyperfunctional vocal behaviours. This review’s findings suggest that vocal activity can modulate autonomic function, supporting the potential integration of autonomic markers into experimental and clinical voice research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Autonomic Function: From Bench to Bedside—2nd Edition)
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