Neuromodulation in Atrial Fibrillation Therapy: Current Use and Future Perspectives

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Peter Hanna: I'm Peter Hanna, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles Cardiac Arrhythmia Center and Neurocardiology Program of Excellence. I'll be speaking at the upcoming Western Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Symposium on the topic of neuromodulation in AF therapy. Treatment of AF has taken great strides in the form of catheter ablation over the past 2+ decades. But recurrence of AF remains an issue. Neuromodulation in AF has garnered a lot of recent interest. In my talk, I will review the role of the cardiac autonomic nervous system in AF, strategies to target the cardiac neural access, and how to improve upon these techniques.

What are the take-home messages you would like viewers to leave with?

Peter Hanna: Cardiac function in physiology and pathophysiology, including AF, is under exquisite neural control. Several neuromodulatory strategies ranging from Botox injections around an ablation of cardiac neurons on the surface of the heart, to stimulation of a branch of the vagus nerve at the ear, have been investigated in AF, with varying degrees of success. These approaches highlight the need to truly understand the functional cardiac neuroanatomy. I'll be highlighting some data in that regard. Lastly, how the cardiac autonomic nervous system is targeted is an important consideration and spans from the ablative or destructive approaches to more titratable techniques that are neuromodulatory. Recognizing this will hopefully aid in the development of more effective neuromodulation in AF. 

What are you looking forward to at the Western AF Symposium?

Peter Hanna: I'm very excited to attend the Western AF Symposium. I'm looking forward to hearing about advances from thought leaders in the field. It's also a chance to connect with mentors, colleagues, and friends in the field, as well as establish new connections.