Risk Factors in the Development of Cardiovascular Disorders - A Review of the Literature and an Empirical Cross-sectional Study of 120 Subjects

The present study investigated how changes in cardiovascular activity modulate bioelectrical events in the brain and consequently influence behavior. The interaction of biological and psychological risk factors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders was also examined. 120 healthy volunteers were assessed in a cross-sectional study. The data were analysed from the point of view Dworkin's baroreceptor-reinforcement instrumentallearning model of the development of hypertension, and in light of results from numerous longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of risk factors in the development of cardiovascular disorders.
Study of brain-cardiac interaction may provide insight into the brain's role in altering cardiovascular function.