Influence of fastigial nucleus stimulation on heart rate variability of surgically induced myocardial infarction rats: fastigial nucleus stimulation and autonomous nerve activity.

Electrical stimulation of the rostal cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FNS) has been proved to have neuroprotective effects, but it is not known whether FNS also has a cardioprotective effect. One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into four groups, including a sham-operation group (Sham group), rats whose coronary arteries were ligated but the FNs were sham stimulated (AMI group), rats in which both coronary arteries were ligated and FNs were stimulated (FNS group), and rats whose fastigial nuclei were lesioned 5 days before ligation, then their coronary arteries were ligated and FNs were stimulated (FNL group). Heart rate variability parameters were monitored 6 h, 24 h, 7 days and 21 days after ligation, and mortality rates, hemodynamic parameters and infarction sizes were compared after 21 days. FNS improved the survival of rats, and this may be due to the increased vagal and decreased sympathetic tone. FN stimulation does not affect infarction size and hemodynamic parameters. FN stimulation may have a protective effect on surgically induced myocardial infarction rats.