DA VINCI’S WORK OF HEART
Scientists scoffed at his claims about muscle fibres... but now study suggests they ARE important after all
LEONARDO da Vinci was way ahead of his time, sketching out submarines, gliders and cars before they even existed.
But he may also have detected a structure in the heart which can prevent heart failure.
The Italian artist and scientist drew a network of muscle fibres called the trabeculae in the 16th century, speculating that they warmed the blood as it ran through the heart. Modern scientists disagreed, insisting the only purpose of these fibres lining the heart’s surface was to help get oxygen into the hearts of babies in the womb.
But now evidence suggests the trabeculae may be more important than thought – but not for the reason da Vinci suspected. People with fewer branches to the fibres appear to be more at risk of heart failure. Researchers, including from Imperial College London, looked at heart scans of more than 18,000 people . They found genetic quirks among those with fewer branches on their trabeculae.
Those same quirks often appeared in a separate group with heart failure.
Currently, there are 90,000 people in Ireland suffering with heart failure and another 160,000 living with impending heart failure.
Computer models of the fibres da Vinci drew centuries ago suggest more branches help the heart by allowing blood to pump over it more efficiently. Heart failure occurs when the heart struggles to pump blood around the body. Dr Declan O’Regan, who led the study from the London Institute of Medical Sciences at Imperial College, said: ‘Leonardo da Vinci sketched these intricate muscles inside the heart half a millennium ago, and it is only now that we are beginning to understand how important they are to human health.’
The findings, published in the journal Nature, could help people understand their risk of heart failure and take action. It is possible to increase the number of branches by exercising, which makes muscles and fibres in the heart stronger and more complex.
‘Beginning to understand’