Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the division of the nervous system that regulates involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and other processes that maintain internal stability. It is conventionally divided into the sympathetic branch, associated with arousal and …

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 80× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the division of the nervous system that regulates involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and other processes that maintain internal stability. It is conventionally divided into the sympathetic branch, associated with arousal and "fight or flight" responses, and the parasympathetic branch, associated with rest, recovery, and "rest and digest" activity, with the two working in balance to maintain homeostasis. Because it links physiological states to environmental and emotional demands, the autonomic nervous system is central to psychophysiology and to the study of stress, regulation, and adaptation. Research in this journal explores the autonomic nervous system largely through measures such as heart rate variability and interventions that influence autonomic balance. Studies examine the effects of Himalayan singing-bowl meditation and of supine silence on mood, stress indices, and heart rate variability, the biochemical basis of conscious breathing practices, and vagus nerve therapy as a possible treatment avenue. Other contributions address blood-pressure dipping patterns in relation to kidney disease, somatic complaints and emotional functioning in children, and neurofeedback approaches. Together these works reflect the autonomic nervous system as a meeting point of physiology, psychology, and mind-body intervention research.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 80 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Autonomic Nervous System, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Psychophysiology Practice and Research.

Journal editorial board
Parsa Ravanfar · United States Rossella Di Monaco · Italy Volker Zschorlich · Germany

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.