Abstract
Crosstalk between various organs exists in the human body. This can be part of physiological
reflexes such as cardiac reflexes that protect the organs during stressful stimuli
or can be part of pathological conditions where an insult to an organ releases cytokines
that cause distant effects on other organs. In critically ill patients, these crosstalks
are independent of pre-existing common risk factors or the presence of new risk exposure
during the treatment. Crosstalk can manifest in series or parallel. The human brain,
being a control center of the human body, does crosstalk with almost every organ in
the body. In this narrative review, crosstalk of the brain with various organs and
systems such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, gut, muscle, bone, skin, adipose
tissue, and immune system is being discussed along with clinical manifestations and
management. Future research might help to target these pathological processes in preventing
progression of single-organ dysfunction to multi-organ failures in critically ill
patients.
Keywords
brain - crosstalk - multi-organ failure
