This symposium has been organised by AWCBR and MedSci and will be chaired by Associate Professor Anna Mitchell from the University of Canterbury. Presenters will explore the complex communication networks of the heart-brain axis, tracing a continuous translational line from basic neural circuitry to human clinical applications. The symposium will open with a broad overview of the heart-brain axis which will highlight the critical importance of considering this bidirectional relationship within our wider research frameworks. Each speakers will then speak to their research areas along the heart-brain axis. The session will finish with an interactive panel discussion facilitated by the chair, offering a holistic look at how autonomic dysregulation impacts health across the lifespan.

Speakers:

• Assoc. Prof. Anna Mitchell (University of Canterbury) - Overview of the heart-brain axis
• Prof. Johanna Montgomery (University of Auckland)
• Dr Catherine Morgan (University of Auckland/Mātai Medical Research institute)
• Prof. Chris Reid (Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health) - Dissociation Between Cardiac Electrical Activity and Circulatory Output During Terminal Seizures
• Dr Fiona McBryde (University of Auckland)
• Prof. Laura Bennet (University of Auckland) - Can we use the fetal electrocardiogram to determine if a fetus has sustained hypoxic-ischemic brain injury well before birth?