The Body’s Band: How Heart and Brain Communicate

Have you ever wondered if your brain can understand your heart? Researchers have found that the heart and brain communicate with each other more than you might expect! But how? Let us explore how the heart and brain communicate through a special sense, called interoception. Interoception helps us monitor what is happening inside our bodies. Think of the heart and brain being the drummer and the singer in a rock band. The heart, or the drummer, sets the beat, going through phases of relaxation and contraction. Meanwhile, the brain, or the singer, listens to the heart through special cells, pathways, and regions, and then responds to it. We will also dive into what happens when the drummer falls ill or the drum kit malfunctions, which is similar to what happens during certain diseases of the heart, and how this affects the entire band’s performance.