Science of fainting: New research showing link between brain and heart offers clues

Why do people faint? New research in mice points to a connection between the brain and heart that could offer to clues to what happens in humans.
A sudden restriction of blood flow to the brain. That's how scientists have traditionally explained why people faint.
But several mysteries remain: What causes someone's blood flow to spontaneously change? And what parts of the brain play a key role?
New research in mice, published this week in the journal Nature, offers a closer understanding of the underlying mechanisms behind fainting.
The researchers theorize that the activation of neurons that link the heart and brain can induce a fainting spell.
"This is the first step to show there is much more to fainting than just reduced blood flow," said Vineet Augustine, an assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego, and one of the study's authors.
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