Olav M. Sola
September 19, 1919 - April 17, 2007
The Hope Heart Institute's Department of Cardioneurology was established in 1989 when Founder Lester R. Sauvage, MD invited Olav M. Sola, MD to further his cardiomyoplasty research at The Hope.
Beginning in 1946, Dr. Sola worked with Dr. Art Martin to develop the idea of stretch hypertrophy in muscles. His research focused on the latissimus dorsi muscle located in the back and shoulder. They explored the possibility of modifying and transplanting it to strengthen an ailing heart muscle.
From this initial research, an interesting line of investigation evolved. Dr. Sola found that when modified, a copper iodide technique used for staining motor end plates of the thoracodorsal nerve in the latissimus dorsi muscle could also effectively stain acetycholinesterase (AChE). (This enzyme is released by nerves causing muscles - including the heart muscle - to contract.) Also, this technique is also used to stain the nerves of the endocardium and epicardium, the inner and outer layers of healthy or diseased hearts.
This discovery and groundbreaking work allows Dr. Sola to investigate heart muscle nerve activity on a macromolecular level as well as to further define heart anatomy - particularly the nerve structure.
Major projects
- Improving the copper iodide staining technique showing AChE activity of the cardiac nerves.
- Defining the neurological and structural makeup of the left and right ventricle epicardium and endocardium of the heart.
- AChE staining of the autonomic nervous system - the source of all cardiac nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagus).
Read Dr. Sola's papers:
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
January 31,
2009
New Date! |
|
|
|
 |
Windows Media
File Format (.wmv)
|
 |
|
 |
|
