Respiratory sinus arrhythmia, cardiac vagal control, and daily activity

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), i.e. heart rate (HR) variations during inspiration and expiration, is considered as a noninvasive index of cardiac vagal control. Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) could be associated with increased cardiovascular risk; however, the studies are rare particularly at adolescent age. Therefore, we aimed to study cardiac vagal control indexed by RSA in adolescent patients suffering from MVP using short-term heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. We examined 12 adolescents (girls) with MVP (age 15.9±0.5 years) and 12 age and gender matched controls. Resting ECG was continuously recorded during 5 minutes. Evaluated HRV indices were RR interval (ms), rMSSD (ms), pNN50 (%), log HF (ms2), peak HF (Hz) and respiratory rate (breaths/min). RR interval was significantly shortened in MVP group compared to controls (p=0.004). HRV parameters-rMSSD, pNN50 and log HF were significantly lower in MVP compared to controls (p=0.017, p=0.014, p= 0.015 respectively). Our study revealed reduced RSA magnitude indicating impaired cardiac vagal control in MVP already at adolescent age that could be crucial for early diagnosis of cardiovascular risk in MVP.

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Assessment of parasympathetic control of heart rate by a noninvasive method

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.1984.246.6.h838 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 246 (6) ◽

pp. H838-H842 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

F. M. Fouad ◽

R. C. Tarazi ◽

C. M. Ferrario ◽

S. Fighaly ◽

C. Alicandri

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Separate Group ◽

Noninvasive Method ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Beta Adrenergic ◽

Normal Volunteers ◽

Vagal Control ◽

Parasympathetic Control ◽

The Relationship

The degree of parasympathetic control of heart rate was assessed by the abolition of respiratory sinus arrhythmia with atropine. Peak-to-peak variations in heart periods (VHP) before atropine injection correlated significantly (r = 0.90, P less than 0.001) with parasympathetic control, indicating that VHP alone may be used as a noninvasive indicator of the parasympathetic control of heart rate. Pharmacologic blockade of beta-adrenergic supply in a separate group of normal volunteers did not alter the relationship between VHP and parasympathetic control, indicating that the condition of the experiment (complete rest in a quiet atmosphere) allows the use of VHP alone without pharmacologic interventions to characterize the vagal control of heart rate in humans.

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Does respiratory sinus arrhythmia serve a buffering role for diastolic pressure fluctuations?

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.00974.2009 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 298 (5) ◽

pp. H1492-H1498 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Can Ozan Tan ◽

J. Andrew Taylor

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Diastolic Pressure ◽

Pressure Fluctuations ◽

Systolic Pressure ◽

Pressure Rise ◽

Feedback Mechanism ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Cardiac Vagal Control ◽

Time Domains

Though many consider the magnitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia as an index of cardiac vagal control, its physiological origins remain unclear. One influential model postulates that the systolic pressure rise within a given beat stimulates the baroreflex arc to adjust the following heart period such that diastolic pressure is “stabilized” and hence displays lesser fluctuation. Accordingly, the magnitude of diastolic pressure fluctuations with respiration should change reciprocally after augmentation or inhibition of respiratory sinus arrhythmia. To test this, we augmented and subsequently inhibited respiratory sinus arrhythmia with vagotonic and vagolytic atropine administration in 19 healthy young volunteers to assess the relation between respiratory R-R interval and diastolic pressure fluctuations. Respiratory diastolic pressure fluctuations showed parallel rather than inverse changes in relation to those in respiratory sinus arrhythmia: they increased with augmented respiratory sinus arrhythmia (138 and 190% of baseline in the frequency and time domains, both P < 0.05) and tended to decrease with inhibited respiratory sinus arrhythmia (82 and 93% of baseline in frequency and time domains, P = 0.20 and P = 0.07). Furthermore, >60% of the change in diastolic pressure fluctuations was explained by the change in respiratory sinus arrhythmia ( R 2 = 0.62; P < 0.001), that is, an ∼50-ms increase or decrease in respiratory sinus arrhythmia resulted in a parallel ∼1-mmHg change in diastolic pressure fluctuations. Thus, in young healthy individuals during supine rest, respiratory fluctuations in R-R interval do not buffer against diastolic pressure fluctuations but actually cause diastolic pressure fluctuations. Therefore, our data provide little evidence for a predominant role of a baroreflex feedback mechanism underlying respiratory sinus arrhythmia during supine rest.

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Cardiac Vagal Control in Depression and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Acta Medica Martiniana ◽

10.2478/v10201-011-0011-y ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (Supplement-1) ◽

pp. 46-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

I. Tonhajzerova ◽

I. Ondrejka ◽

K. Javorka ◽

A. Calkovska ◽

M. Javorka

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Nervous System ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Polyvagal Theory ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Vagal Control ◽

Cardiac Vagal Control ◽

Increased Risk

Cardiac Vagal Control in Depression and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderThe importance of the vagus nerve in the two way communication between the brain and the heart has been known for over 100 years. Recently, integrative theories that link central nervous system structures to cardiac vagal regulation, such as the polyvagal theory, have of late emerged. Based on the polyvagal theory, the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (as an index of cardiac vagal control) is considered as a psychophysiological marker of many aspects of behavioural functioning and emotion regulation in both children and adults. Although a lack of sensitive heart rate autonomic control likely reflects impaired cardiac nervous system regulation, the sophisticated brain-heart interactions are incompletely understood. Importantly, cardiac vagal dysregulation is associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity reflecting various pathophysiological states. Thus, we believe that the identifying of cardiac vagal control changes in mental disorders should represent an initial step towards the understanding of a potential pathomechanisms leading to later cardiac adverse outcomes; especially in children and adolescents.

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Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia During Sleep and Waking

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000200 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Elizabeth M. Stoakley ◽

Karen J. Mathewson ◽

Louis A. Schmidt ◽

Kimberly A. Cote

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Slow Wave Sleep ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Nrem Sleep ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Affective Style ◽

Waking State ◽

Optimal Period ◽

The Stability

Abstract. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is related to individual differences in waking affective style and self-regulation. However, little is known about the stability of RSA between sleep/wake stages or the relations between RSA during sleep and waking affective style. We examined resting RSA in 25 healthy undergraduates during the waking state and one night of sleep. Stability of cardiac variables across sleep/wake states was highly reliable within participants. As predicted, greater approach behavior and lower impulsivity were associated with higher RSA; these relations were evident in early night Non-REM (NREM) sleep, particularly in slow wave sleep (SWS). The current research extends previous findings by establishing stability of RSA within individuals between wake and sleep states, and by identifying SWS as an optimal period of measurement for relations between waking affective style and RSA.

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Measures of RSA Suppression, Attentional Control, and Negative Affect Predict Self-Ratings of Executive Functions

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000053 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 164-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Brian Healy ◽

Aaron Treadwell ◽

Mandy Reagan

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Executive Processes ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Low Levels

The current study was an attempt to determine the degree to which the suppression of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and attentional control were influential in the ability to engage various executive processes under high and low levels of negative affect. Ninety-four college students completed the Stroop Test while heart rate was being recorded. Estimates of the suppression of RSA were calculated from each participant in response to this test. The participants then completed self-ratings of attentional control, negative affect, and executive functioning. Regression analysis indicated that individual differences in estimates of the suppression of RSA, and ratings of attentional control were associated with the ability to employ executive processes but only when self-ratings of negative affect were low. An increase in negative affect compromised the ability to employ these strategies in the majority of participants. The data also suggest that high attentional control in conjunction with attenuated estimates of RSA suppression may increase the ability to use executive processes as negative affect increases.

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