Heart rate variability, the dynamic nature of the retinal microvasculature and cardiac stress: providing insight into the brain-retina-heart link: the SABPA study.

FLIP elicited increased SNS activity and modulation in this bi-ethnic cohort. In Africans, decreased HRV during FLIP accompanied arteriolar and venular responses and elevated systemic levels of cTnT, implying that the SNS exerted a significant effect on the smooth muscle tone of the retinal vasculature. Disrupted retinal autoregulation may imply general autonomic nervous system dysfunction; exemplifying central control by the brain on all systemic regulatory functions, across different vascular beds.