| ACC | anterior part of the cingulate gyrus cortex |
| Ach | acetylcholine |
| AD | Anno Domini |
| AF | atrial fibrillation |
| AN | afferent (sensory) neurons |
| ANS | autonomic nervous system |
| ARIs | acute respiratory infections |
| AV | atrioventricular |
| AVP | arginine-vasopressin |
| BC | before Christ |
| BP | blood pressure |
| BPD | breathing pattern disorder |
| CeA | central nucleus of the amygdale |
| ChAT | choline acetyltransferase |
| CGRP | calcitonin gene-related peptide |
| COVID-19 | coronavirus disease 2019 |
| DMH | dorsomedial nucleus |
| DMV | dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus |
| DVC | dorsal vagal complex |
| ENS | enteric nervous system |
| EPN | efferent parasympathetic neurones |
| ESN | efferent sensory neurons |
| GABA | gamma-aminobutyric acid |
| HR | heart rate |
| HRV | HR variability |
| IC | cortex of insula |
| ICNS | intracardiac nervous system |
| IML | intermediolateral |
| IN | interneurons |
| IR | immunoreactivity |
| LQTS | long QT syndrome |
| ME/CFS | myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome |
| MRI | magnetic resonance imaging |
| NA | noradrenaline |
| NAmb | nucleus ambiguous |
| Nav1.5 | voltage-gated Na+ channels |
| NANC | non-adrenergic non-cholinergic |
| NFs | nerve fibers |
| NG | nodose ganglion |
| nNOS | neuronal nitric oxide synthase |
| NO | nitric oxide |
| NPY | neuropeptide Y |
| NTS | nucleus of the solitary tract |
| NS | neuronal somata |
| PAG | periaqueductal gray matter |
| PASC | post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection |
| PBN | parabrachial nucleus |
| PG | petrose ganglion |
| POT | postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome |
| PVN | paraventricular nucleus |
| PVT | polyvagal theory |
| QTc | corrected QT interval |
| REM | rapid eye movement |
| RSA | respiratory sinus arrhythmia |
| RVLM | rostral ventrolateral medulla |
| RYR2 | ryanodine receptor 2 |
| SA | sinoatrial |
| SARS-CoV-2 | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 |
| SERCA | sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase |
| SIDS | sudden infant death syndrome |
| SIF | small, intensely fluorescent cells |
| SN | sympathoexcitatory neurons |
| SPN | sympathetic preganglionic neurons |
| Sub P | substance P |
| SUDEP | sudden unexpected death in epilepsy |
| TH | tyrosine hydroxylase |
| VIP | vasoactive intestinal peptide |
| VPN | vagal (parasympathetic) preganglionic neurons |
| VVC | ventral vagal complex |