Conditions of aging as manifestations of sympathetic bias unmasked by loss of parasympathetic function

Patrick Y. Lee, A. Joon Yun, Kimberly A. Bazar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

We propose a unifying hypothesis that many clinical consequences of aging are pleiotropic manifestations of the loss of parasympathetic function that occurs during post-reproductive senescence. The loss of parasympathetic function unmasks the baseline sympathetic bias inherent in the end-organs, resulting in the familiar signs of aging including tachycardia, constipation, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, fluid retention, and systemic inflammation. These consequences in turn may contribute to many of the common diseases associated with aging including type-2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Maintenance and restoration of parasympathetic function may enable upstream control over the deleterious aspects of inherent end-organ adrenergic bias.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)868-870
Number of pages3
JournalMedical Hypotheses
Volume62
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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