Page |52 and physiological features of a heart for cold sores (HSV type I) and genital attack, including chest pain, herpes (HSV type I). Once contracted, abnormalities on the electrocardiogram, herpes virus infections generally remain and elevated cardiac enzymes (reflecting for life, although they are characterized damaged heart muscle) (2). The by periodic eruptions and remissions. condition has variously been termed During the latter, the immune system takotsubo cardiomyopathy, left- effectively dampens viral activity and ventricular apical ballooning, the virus retreat to a more or less myocardial stunning, stress dormant state. Although multiple factors cardiomyopathy, or in the more likely contribute to the reactivation of vernacular parlance of the New York HSV, one trigger appears to be stress— Times, broken heart syndrome the defacing cold sore that erupts, for (prompted by a medical review that was example, just before the prom or an published just before Valentine’s Day). important date. Ohio State researchers In general accord with the speculation of sought an animal model of this Cannon, broken heart syndrome appears reactivation, so the underlying links and to be triggered by an exaggerated mediators could be studied. Try as they autonomic nervous system response, might, however, the research group was characterized by sympathetic activation unable to reactivate HSV infections in and high levels of the stress hormone mice with standard laboratory stressors, epinephrine (adrenalin) (3). It is such as restraint-stress or shock. In a important to note in these cases that collaborative effort, we pointed out that psychological states, as mild as they may the stressors that lead to HSV be, are able to induce a clear and reactivation in humans were often of a demonstrable organ pathology. social nature. Indeed, for both humans Physiological abnormalities ot and mice, social relations are central to dysfunctions underlie medical HapPUIESS; avaptation anELew