Autonomic Unit

The autonomic nervous system supplies and influences virtually every organ in the body.  Additionally, it is involved in major integrative processes such as control of blood pressure and body temperature. 

The autonomic unit provides a comprehensive national tertiary clinical service (combining both investigation and management) for a wide variety of autonomic disorders. The unit enables people with autonomic symptoms, some of which are multiple and complex, to successfully manage their daily lives. Some examples are:

• Pure Autonomic Failure
• Autonomic dysfunction complicating Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
• Sweating dysfunction (including hyperhidrosis, compensatory hyperhidrosis and anhidrosis)
• Holmes-Adie Syndrome, Harlequin’s Syndrome
• Autonomic dysfunction in spinal cord injury including autonomic dysreflexia
• Neurally mediated syncope (Vasovagal, carotid sinus hypersensitivity and situational e.g. swallow, micturition syncope)
• Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)
• Neurogenic hypertension
• Autonomic diabetic neuropathy.

There are four laboratories incorporating the latest advances in non-invasive technology and a catecholamine laboratory for the measurement of various autonomic neurotransmitters.

As autonomic dysfunction is a feature of many neurological conditions, there is close and active clinical collaboration with many NHNN departments and disciplines including clinical neurophysiology, clinical neuropsychology, movement disorders, and behavioural psychotherapy. Research affiliations include the Functional Imaging Laboratory at the ION, the ICN, the Department of Medicine at UCL, and the National Amyloidosis Centre at the Royal Free Hospital.