Giuseppe Dagnini (1866-1928): Discoverer of the Trigemino-Cardiac Reflex and Practical Implications in Neurosurgery and Other Medical Specialties

Emanuele La Corte; Clarissa Ann Elisabeth Gelmi; Giacomo Bertolini; Federica Ruggiero; Iyan Younus; Carmelo Sturiale; Diego Mazzatenta; Alfredo Conti; Raffaele Aspide

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2024.03.086

Giuseppe Dagnini (1866-1928): Discoverer of the Trigemino-Cardiac Reflex and Practical Implications in Neurosurgery and Other Medical Specialties

World Neurosurg. 2024 Mar 21:186:116-121. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.03.086. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Emanuele La Corte¹, Clarissa Ann Elisabeth Gelmi², Giacomo Bertolini³, Federica Ruggiero⁴, Iyan Younus⁵, Carmelo Sturiale⁶, Diego Mazzatenta⁷, Alfredo Conti⁸, Raffaele Aspide⁹

Affiliations

¹ Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy. Electronic address: emanuele.lacorte@hsanmartino.it.
² Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
³ Neurosurgery Unit, Head and Neck Department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy.
⁴ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Bellaria-Maggiore Hospital, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Bologna, Italy.
⁵ Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
⁶ Neurosurgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁷ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Programma Neurochirurgia Ipofisi - Pituitary Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁸ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Neurosurgery Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁹ Anesthesia and Neurointensive Care Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

PMID: 38521222
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2024.03.086

Abstract

The authors present the life and art of Giuseppe Dagnini, a renowned Italian physician who was born in Bologna in 1866. He was the chief of the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna and authored valuable scientific works on the trigemino-cardiac reflex which is still applied in modern clinical practice. Dr. Dagnini firstly described the reflex in 1908 postulating that stimulation of one of the 3 branches of the trigeminal nerve triggers the afferent pathway in lowering heart rate. The authors also provide a modern outlook on the clinical implications of the TCR in neurosurgery, neuroanesthesia, and other medical specialties.

Keywords: Giuseppe Dagnini; History; Neurosurgery; Oculo-cardiac reflex; Trigemino-cardiac reflex.

Publication types

Review