Academics

Welcome

As a Clinical Lecturer in Cardiovascular Medicine my time is divided between working as a Cardiology Registrar at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and doing research and teaching in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and at Keble College. I teach physiology for the preclinical medical students and pure physiologists during their three undergraduate years as well as running the Cardiology Special Studies Module for final year clinical medical students.

Research Interests

Many cases of sudden cardiac death are precipitated by the autonomic nervous system. Stimulation of the heart by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system increases myocardial oxygen demand, reduces coronary perfusion time and causes calcium overload in ventricular myocytes. This can precipitate life threatening heart rhythms especially after myocardial infarction or during congestive cardiac failure. Conversely activation of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system can protect the heart and prevent premature death. Our research group studies local hormones released within the heart during myocardial infarction and congestive cardiac failure which alter the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Examples include Neuronal nitric oxide synthase, Natriuretic peptides, Neuropeptide Y and Galanin.

Recent Publications

• Herring, N., Lee, C.W., Sunderland, N., Wright, K. and Paterson, D.J. , 'Pravastatin normalizes peripheral cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.' in Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 50(1) (2011), 99-106
•  Cahill T, Chouwdhury O, Myerson S, Omerod O, Herring N, Grimwade D, Littlewood T, and Peniket A. , 'Myocardial infarction with intracardiac thrombosis as the presentation of acute promyelocytic leukemia: diagnosis and follow-up by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.' in Circulation, 123(10) (2011), e370-2
• Herring N and Paterson DJ, 'Neuromodulators of peripheral cardiac sympatho-vagal balance.' in Experimental Physiology, 94 (2009), 46-53
• Herring N, Szmigielski C, Becher H, Karavitak N and Wass JAH, 'Valvular heart disease and the use of cabergoline for the treatment of prolactinoma.' in Clinical Endocrinology, 70 (2009), 104-8
• Herring N, Lokale MN, Heaton DA, Danson EJ and Paterson DJ, 'Neuropeptide Y reduces acetylcholine release and vagal bradycardia via a Y2 receptor mediated, protein kinase C dependent pathway' in Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 44 (2008), 477-85
• Herring N and Sprigings DC, 'NICE guidelines on prophylaxis against infective endocarditis: A call for national monitoring of outcome' in British Medical Journal, 336(7651) (2008), 976
• Herring N and Paterson DJ, 'NOS-I activator protein, Long QT syndrome and Sudden Cardiac Death: where does the defect reside?' in Circulation, 116 (2007), e565
• Herring N and Paterson DJ, 'ECG diagnosis of acute ischaemia and infarction: past, present and future' in Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 94(4) (2006), 219-230