15.07.2023
New Paper in Science
Cause of sleep disturbance in cardiac disease identified
A team led by Professor Stefan Engelhardt, head of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and first author Karin A. Ziegler has now identified a direct consequence of sleep disorders in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Around one third of people with heart disease suffer from sleep problems. In a paper published in the journal Science, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shows that heart diseases affect the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in the pineal gland. The link between the two organs is a ganglion in the neck region. The study demonstrates a previously unknown role of ganglia and points to possible treatments.