THE HEART'S LITTLE BRAIN

The heart is an essential organ, on which rests the reality of life and death. But new research suggests that it does more than just pump blood, fusing a host of psychological connections

- POOJA K

OUR human body has a very complex system. Our brain controls all bodily functions like our thoughts, emotions, sense of touch, motor skills, vision, sense of taste, temperature, and hunger. But did you know that it is not just the brain that helps us think and feel? Our heart can also help us 'think' and 'feel', and it is because of this that we sometimes use the phrase heart tells me..." "My A recent study by Karolinska Institutet and Columbia University, published in Nature Communications, shows that the heart has a mini-brain - its nervous system that helps control heartbeat. This study was conducted on a zebrafish, an animal modal that exhibits similarities to a human heart. During the study, the researchers experimented by observing the composition, organisation and function of neurons within the heart by using a combination of methods such as single-cell RNA sequencing, anatomical studies, and electrophysiological techniques.