A longitudinal and cohort study in the US provided novel insights into the mechanism through which emotional stressors can lead to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The longitudinal study included 293 patients (median age 55 years) between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2008, 22 of whom had a CVD event during median follow-up of 3•7 years. Amygdala activity was associated with increased bone-marrow activity (r=0•47), arterial inflammation (r=0•49), and risk of CVD events (standardized hazard ratio 1•59), a finding that remained significant after multivariate adjustments. The association between amygdala activity and CVD events seemed to be mediated by increased bone-marrow activity and arterial inflammation in series. In the separate cross-sectional study of patients who underwent psychometric analysis (n=13), amygdala activity was significantly associated with arterial inflammation (r=0•70). Perceived stress was associated with amygdala activity (r=0•56), arterial inflammation (r=0•59), and C-reactive protein (r=0•83). The association between stress and CVD is well established. There are studies showing a reduction in amygdala size and activity associated with stress-reduction strategies like meditation. Source: http://www.thelancet.com/
美国的纵向和群组研究提供了对情绪压力可致心血管病机制的新见解。纵向研究包括2005年1月1日至2008年12月31日期间的293名患者（中位年龄55岁），其中22名在中位随访3•7年期间发生了心血管事件。脑杏仁核活动与增加的骨髓活动（r = 0.47），动脉炎症（r = 0•49）和心血管事件的风险（标准化风险比1•59）相关，经多变量校正后亦然。杏仁核活动和心血管事件之间的关联似乎由增加的骨髓活动和动脉炎症序贯介导。在另一个对患者（n = 13）进行心理测量分析的横断面研究中，杏仁核活动与动脉炎症显着相关（r = 0•70）。感知压力与杏仁核活动（r = 0•56），动脉炎症（r = 0•59）和C反应蛋白（r = 0•83）相关。应激和心血管病之间的关系已确立。有研究显示减压策略，如打坐，与杏仁核大小和活动减小有关。来源：http://www.thelancet.com/