Heart Rate Reactivity to Mental Stress in Athlete and Non-Athlete Children

Background. Research suggests that exercise training and/or physical fitness may be associated with lower heart rate reactivity and faster recovery from psychosocial stress. This relationship was rarely studied in children despite the potential protective role of physical activity in stress that may start in early life stages. Methods. In this laboratory investigation we examined 18 athlete and non-athlete children before, during and following exposure to mental stress which consisted of the Stroop Color Word Task and a mental arithmetic task, both distracted by classical music, in a counterbalanced research design. Results. The results based on absolute heart rate measures suggested that athletes exhibited lower heart rates in the stress-anticipation period as well as during the stress period than non-athletes. However, based on relative measures these differences vanished. The two groups of children did not differ in perceived arousal, perceived stressfulness of the mental tasks, and the self-reported feeling states before and after stress. Further, they did not differ in their performance on the two stress-eliciting active-coping tasks as indicated by the number of correct answers. Conclusion. These results appear to suggest that athletic status in children is unrelated to heart rate reactivity and other subjective psychological experiences before, during and after acute psychosocial stress. Keywords: adolescent, exercise, fitness, physical activity, relative measures.

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Effects of mental stress on autonomic cardiac modulation during weightlessness

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.00865.2009 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 298 (1) ◽

pp. H202-H209 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

André E. Aubert ◽

Bart Verheyden ◽

Constantin d′Ydewalle ◽

Frank Beckers ◽

Omer Van den Bergh

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Mean Arterial Pressure ◽

Arterial Pressure ◽

High Frequency ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Mental Arithmetic Task ◽

Normalized Units

Sustained weightlessness affects all body functions, among these also cardiac autonomic control mechanisms. How this may influence neural response to central stimulation by a mental arithmetic task remains an open question. The hypothesis was tested that microgravity alters cardiovascular neural response to standardized cognitive load stimuli. Beat-to-beat heart rate, brachial blood pressure, and respiratory frequency were collected in five astronauts, taking part in three different short-duration (10 to 11 days) space missions to the International Space Station. Data recording was performed in supine position 1 mo before launch; at days 5 or 8 in space; and on days 1, 4, and 25 after landing. Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were obtained in the frequency domain. Measurements were performed in the control condition for 10 min and during a 5-min mental arithmetic stress task, consisting of deducting 17 from a four-digit number, read by a colleague, and orally announcing the result. Our results show that over all sessions (pre-, in-, and postflight), mental stress induced an average increase in mean heart rate (Δ7 ± 1 beats/min; P = 0.03) and mean arterial pressure (Δ7 ± 1 mmHg; P = 0.006). A sympathetic excitation during mental stress was shown from HRV parameters: increase of low frequency expressed in normalized units (Δ8.3 ± 1.4; P = 0.004) and low frequency/high frequency (Δ1.6 ± 0.3; P = 0.001) and decrease of high frequency expressed in normalized units (Δ8.9 ± 1.4; P = 0.004). The total power was not influenced by mental stress. No effect of spaceflight was found on baseline heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and HRV parameters. No differences in response to mental stress were found between pre-, in-, and postflight. Our findings confirm that a mental arithmetic task in astronauts elicits sympathovagal shifts toward enhanced sympathetic modulation and reduced vagal modulation. However, these responses are not changed in space during microgravity or after spaceflight.

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Validation of the Polar Heart Rate Monitor for Assessing Heart Rate During Physical and Mental Stress

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027//0269-8803.14.3.159 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 159-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Jeffrey L. Goodie ◽

Kevin T. Larkin ◽

Scott Schauss

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Inexpensive Method ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Heart Rate Monitor ◽

Heart Rates ◽

Hand Grip ◽

Mental Arithmetic Task ◽

Resting Period

Abstract The Polar Vantage XL heart rate monitor provides an ambulatory, inexpensive method of continuously measuring heart rate. To examine the validity of the Polar monitor for measuring heart rate during resting periods and while engaging in two stressful tasks, 30 students participated in a 1-hour laboratory session. Heart rates were measured simultaneously using the Polar monitor and electrocardiography (ECG) during a hand grip exercise and a mental arithmetic task, each preceded by a 4-min resting period. Within-subject correlations between the two devices were significant (mean r = 0.98, P < .001). All correlations, except for three participants, exceeded r = 0.90. Between-task correlation analyses revealed high correlations (i. e., rs ≥ 0.98) between the Polar monitor and ECG. The Polar monitor obtained readings that were slightly, though significantly higher than readings obtained using ECG. The correspondence between observed mean heart rates from the Polar monitor and ECG suggest that the Polar monitor provides a valid measure of heart rate during stationary laboratory tasks.

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No Respite during Sleep: Heart-Rate Hyperreactivity to Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Angry Men Classified as Type A

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1997.85.3f.1451 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 85 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1451-1454 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michael F. Madigan ◽

J. Alexander Dale ◽

Jeffrey D. Cross

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Anger Expression ◽

Type A ◽

Rapid Eye Movement ◽

Type B ◽

Heart Rate Reactivity ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Mental Arithmetic Task

9 men scoring as Type A and Angry and 9 men scoring as Type B and Nonangry on the Jenkins Activity Survey and Spielberger's Trait Anger Expression completed a 1-min. mental arithmetic task and slept through 1 period of rapid eye movement. The Angry Type A scorers showed greater heart-rate increases from baseline to that during mental arithmetic and from nonrapid eye movements to periods of REM than the Nonangry Type B scorers. While the former showed equivalent reactivity to stressors while awake and asleep, the latter group showed less heart-rate reactivity during the period of REM than during mental arithmetic. Neither group yielded clear descriptions of their dreams, and no differences between groups were noted for ratings on aggressivity in dreams. It appears that Angry Type A scorers show cardiovascular hyperreactivity even when asleep in the lab.

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Incoherent oscillations of respiratory sinus arrhythmia during acute mental stress in humans

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.00746.2011 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 302 (1) ◽

pp. H359-H367 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Kyuichi Niizeki ◽

Tadashi Saitoh

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Phase Synchronization ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Phase Lag ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been widely used as a measure of the cardiac vagal control in response to stress. However, RSA seems not to be a generalized indicator because of its dependency on respiratory parameter and individual variations of RSA amplitude (ARSA). We hypothesized that phase-lag variations between RSA and respiration may serve as a normalized index of the degree of mental stress. Twenty healthy volunteers performed mental arithmetic task (ART) after 5 min of resting control followed by 5 min of recovery. Breathing pattern, beat-to-beat R-R intervals, and blood pressure (BP) were determined using inductance plethysmography, electrocardiography, and a Finapres device, respectively. The analytic signals of breathing and RSA were obtained by Hilbert transform and the degree of phase synchronization (λ) was quantified. With the use of spectral analysis, heart rate variability (HRV) was estimated for the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands. A steady-state 3-min resting period (REST), the first 3 min (ART1), and the last 3 min (ART2) of the ART period (ranged from 6- to 19 min) and the last 3 min of the recovery period (RCV) were analyzed separately. Heart rate, systolic BP, and breathing frequency (fR) increased and λ, ARSA, and HF power decreased from REST to ART ( P < 0.01). The λ was correlated with normalized ARSA and the HF power. The decrease in λ could not be explained solely by the increase in fR. We conclude that mental stress exerts an influence on RSA oscillations, inducing incoherent phase lag with respect to breathing, in addition to a decrease in RSA.

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A comparative evaluation of heart rate reactivity during MATH and a standard mental arithmetic task

International Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1016/0167-8760(87)90061-4 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 301-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

J.Rick Turner ◽

Jane Sims ◽

Douglas Carroll ◽

Richard K. Morgan ◽

John K. Hewitt

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Heart Rate Reactivity ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Mental Arithmetic Task

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Intranasal oxytocin reduces heart rate variability during a mental arithmetic task: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.08.016 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 81 ◽

pp. 408-415 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Lincoln M. Tracy ◽

Stephen J. Gibson ◽

Izelle Labuschagne ◽

Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis ◽

Melita J. Giummarra

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

Double Blind ◽

Arithmetic Task ◽

Double Blind Placebo ◽

Mental Arithmetic Task

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Haemodynamic responses to psychosocial stress during the menstrual cycle

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs0810017 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 17-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Karin Manhem ◽

Christina Jern ◽

Martin Pilhall ◽

Guy Shanks ◽

Sverker Jern

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Menstrual Cycle ◽

Systolic Blood Pressure ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Luteal Phase ◽

Follicular Phase ◽

Two Phases ◽

Plasma Catecholamine Concentrations

1. The haemodynamic effects of hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle were examined in 11 normotensive women (age 20–46 years). The subjects were studied on days 2–8 (follicular phase) and days 18–26 (luteal phase) in a randomized order. A standardized mental stress test and a 24 h recording of ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate were performed. 2. Pre-stress resting levels of heart rate and blood pressure were similar during the two phases of the menstrual cycle. 3. During mental stress, the heart rate response was significantly greater during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase (14.7 versus 9.7 beats/min; P < 0.05). 4. Blood pressure, plasma catecholamine concentrations and subjective stress experience increased significantly in response to stress, without any significant differences between the two phases. 5. During 24 h ambulatory monitoring, higher levels of systolic blood pressure and heart rate were observed in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase (P < 0.005 and P < 0.0001, respectively). 6. These data indicate that cyclic variations in female sex hormones not only affect systolic blood pressure and heart rate, but also alter the haemodynamic responses to psychosocial stress.

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Effect of short-term mental stress on time- domain indices of heart rate variability in obese individuals – A case- control study

Biomedicine ◽

10.51248/.v41i2.795 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 274-277

Author(s):

Priya S.A. ◽

R. Rajalakshmi

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Neuronal Activity ◽

Time Domain ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Mental Arithmetic ◽

High Body Mass Index ◽

Control Group ◽

Stress Task ◽

The Individual

Introduction and Aim: Mental stress may impact dramatically on dynamic autonomic control on heart. Many studies have demonstrated association of high body mass index (BMI) with greater risk for cardiovascular disease with disturbance in autonomic neuronal activity. Analysis of Heart rate variability (HRV)during acute mental stress assesses the autonomic status of the individual. Hence, we aimed to study the effect of acute mental stress on time domain measures in obese adults. Materials and Methods:Sixty male volunteers of 30 each in study group (obese individuals) and control group (non-obese individuals) were recruited for the study. A basal recording of ECG in lead II was done on all the individuals. Then they underwent mental arithmetic stress task for 5 minutes during which again ECG was recorded. The change in time domain measures of HRV during rest and stress task was analyzed and compared between both the groups. Results: Analysis of time domain measures of HRV revealed a statistically significant increase (p ? 0.001) in mean heart rate in both obese and non-obese individuals, while rMSSD(root mean square differences of successive RR interval) and SDNN (standard deviation of all NN intervals) showed a statistically significant (p? 0.001) decrease in obese individuals and non-obese individuals did not show any statistically significant change during the mental stress task. Conclusion: In response to acute mental stress there was increased heart rate in both the groups. But the autonomic neuronal activity differed by way of sympathetic dominance in non-obese individuals and parasympathetic withdrawal in obese individuals.

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