Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41442057›Full record

ArticleClinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society2026

New insights and predictability from in vivo recordings of paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in disorders of consciousness.

Francesco Riganello, Maria D Cortese, Martina Vatrano, Lucia F Lucca, Maria E Pugliese, Maria Ursino, Elio Leto, Antonio Cerasa, Nicholas Schiff, Andrea Soddu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Francesco RiganelloReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy. francescoriganello@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0678-9252
Maria D CorteseReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Martina VatranoReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Lucia F LuccaReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Maria E PuglieseReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Maria UrsinoReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Elio LetoReseach in Advanced NeuroRehabilitation, S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Crotone, Italy.
Antonio CerasaInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB.), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98100, Messina, Italy.
Nicholas SchiffDepartment of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
Andrea SodduPhysics and Astronomy Department, Western Institute for Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeParoxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a severe complication of acquired brain injuries (ABIs), characterized by sudden autonomic surges that exacerbate clinical outcomes. Its pathophysiology remains debated, and early biomarkers are lacking. This study aims to investigate autonomic changes preceding PSH and assess the feasibility of predictive modeling using heart rate variability (HRV).

methodsContinuous electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were obtained from six male patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC), including unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and minimally conscious state. A total of 24 PSH episodes and 24 matched control (noPSH) events were analyzed. HRV metrics, including entropy measures and power spectral density (PSD), were evaluated. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was implemented to differentiate PSH from control events and to predict PSH onset.

resultsPSH events were associated with significant heart rate increases, reduced entropy-based complexity, and decreased PSD in both low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands. An increased very-low-frequency (VLF)/(LF + HF) ratio suggested potential involvement of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in PSH pathogenesis. The SVM classifier achieved perfect classification during the event. In addition, 10 min prior to onset, the model reached 67% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 83% balanced accuracy.

conclusionsHRV analysis reveals distinct autonomic signatures preceding PSH and suggests, as a working hypothesis, that dysregulation of the RAAS may play a role. However, VLF power is influenced by multiple mechanisms and cannot be considered a specific or exclusive marker of RAAS activity. SVM-based predictive modeling offers a promising tool for PSH detection, providing a basis for investigating autonomic/neuroendocrine regulation, including RAAS.

Indexed as

Autonomic Nervous System DiseasesConsciousness DisordersSympathetic Nervous SystemAdultElectrocardiographyHeart RateHumansMaleMiddle AgedSupport Vector MachineAutonomic nervous systemHeart rate variabilityParoxysmal sympathetic hyperactivityRenin–angiotensin–aldosterone systemSupport vector machine

Identifiers

PMID41442057
PMCPMC13068689

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.