Researchers for the first time created a 3D model of the neurons in the heart, a breakthrough that could aid understanding of heart diseases and lead to new treatments, according to a NHLBI-funded study published in iScience.
The heart has a “little brain” or intracardiac nervous system (ICN) that plays an essential role in maintaining the health and function of the organ. But it was unclear how the ICN functioned because researchers didn’t know where the neurons that make up the ICN were located within the heart, how they were connected, or their genetic properties.
To locate the neurons, a team of researchers started by making thin slices of a rat heart. They then used a laser technique to map the exact locations of the ICN neurons throughout the heart and piece together a 3D model. They also collected information about the genes expressed in some of the neurons.
The technologies used to create the 3D model are available through the NIH’s Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program, so the hope is that other researchers can use it to gain insights about the ICN and the role it plays in heart function and disease.
The 3D model has already led to one discovery. The researchers found that neurons in male rat hearts are organized differently and have different gene expression compared with those of female rats, a finding that could help explain some of the differences in heart disease between men and women.
The team is now constructing a 3D model of a pig heart ICN. Eventually, they intend to create a 3D map for the human heart.