I have no idea whether any research has really been done to establish that the heart contains any neural cells. Maybe it's an "invented story."
However...
>From: Mark Lindsay <ml@buildfreedom.com>
>
>For more information about "heart intelligence," see:
>
>'The Heart's Code' by Paul Pearsall
><http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767900952/qid=931572429/sr=1-2/002
->3459197-4544409>
>
>Institute of HeartMath
><http://www.heartmath.org/>
>
>Planetary Publications
><http://www.planetarypub.com/>
>
>'Cut-Thru' <http://www.planetarypub.com/ct.html> by Doc
>Lew Childre (of the Institute of HeartMath) contains one of
>the most powerful emotional control tools I've come across.
>
>Mark Lindsay
>
At 06:57 AM 7/14/99 -0700, JGanong@webtv.net (James Ganong) wrote:
>
>Anders wrote:
>
>>This sounds rather suspicious. To be honest, it sounds like complete
>bullshit given the effects (or rather non-effects) of pacemakers and
>heart transplants on emotions. <
>
>I tried searches on the best generalised engines I know & in specialised
>medical/science databases like Harvard's Dept of Molecular & Cellular
>Biology for this 'atriol (as spelled in the quote) neuriatic factor',
>using various spellings;
>I then asked a cardiologist of my acquaintance about it. The complete
>lack of any corroborative info from any of these sources (& the quality
>of the, er, scholarship of the fellow quoted in the article in other
>works) leads me to believe the whole thing is a load of fetid dingo
>kidneys.
>
>Having said this, I stand ready to eat said kidneys should someone else
>find good info that corroborates the article.