Robert A. Larson, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dept. of Internal Medicine
Email: robert-larson@uiowa.edu
Training Mentor:  Mark Chapleau

​Research Project

Role of Cardiac Sensory Nerves in Mediating Abnormal Reflexes, Sympathoexcitation and Cardiac Dysfunction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic disease that results in an enlarged, stiff heart that does not fill well with blood in between heart beats (diastolic dysfunction).  Patients with HCM suffer from irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and heart failure, and have an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.  Studies in human subjects with HCM report impaired blood volume regulation, but little is known regarding mechanisms.  This project will increase our understanding of the major roles played by cardiac sensory and sympathetic nerves in determining the severity of HCM and its progression to heart failure and/or sudden death.  The results will also advance our understanding of how cardiac sensory nerves transduce changes in cardiac wall strain, stress, and chemical milieu; as well as the factors that determine the balance between sympathoinhibitory and sympathoexcitatory reflexes in intact animals.