Summary
The sympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system plays a critical role regulating cardiac output by increasing heart rate and contractility in order to meet the metabolic demands of the body during stress and exercise. While these effects are beneficial in normal healthy individuals, sympathetic stimulation can also trigger life threatening changes in electrical activity of the heart, or arrhythmias, that lead to sudden cardiac death in people with underlying heart disease. On the contrary, stimulation by the parasympathetic component of the autonomic nervous system can prevent these arrhythmias. Research in the Harvey lab studies the effects that neurotransmitters and hormones have on signaling mechanisms, as well as electrical and mechanical properties of isolated cardiac myocyte. The goal is to understand how sympathetic stimulation may lead to the generation of arrhythmias, while parasympathetic stimulation may prevent them.
Education
- B.S., Pharmacy, Drake University
- Ph.D. Pharmacology, Northwestern University