Brain-heart axis and the inflammatory response: connecting stroke and cardiac dysfunction.

In recent years, the mechanistic interaction between brain and heart has been explored in detail, which explains the effects of brain injuries on the heart and those of cardiac dysfunction on the brain. Brain injuries are the predominant cause of post-stroke deaths, and cardiac dysfunction is the second leading cause of mortality after stroke onset. Several studies have reported the association between brain injuries and cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, it is necessary to study the interaction between the brain and the heart to understand the underlying mechanisms of stroke and cardiac dysfunction. This review focuses on the mechanisms and the effects of cardiac dysfunction after the onset of stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke). Moreover, the role of the site of stroke and the underlying mechanisms of the brain-heart axis after stroke onset, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory and immune responses, brain-multi-organ axis, are discussed.