scholarly journals Physiological and Behavioral Benefits for People and Horses during Guided Interactions at an Assisted Living Residence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Ann Baldwin ◽  
Barbara Rector ◽  
Ann Alden
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Human Heart ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Social Bonding ◽  
Social Connection ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Exit Interviews ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Assisted living is a fast-growing living option for seniors who require residence-based activities for maintaining mental and physical health. Guided equine interactions may benefit seniors, so an on-site equine program was started at Hacienda at the River senior living community. For research purposes, twenty-four residents and associates, aged fifty-five or over, consented to physiological measurements before, during and after four guided sessions of stroking one of three horses for 10 min over 4–6 weeks. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured simultaneously in humans and horses during interactions. We hypothesized that human heart rate (HR) and HRV would increase during stroking and HRV power would shift toward the very low frequency (VLF) range common in horses, indicative of healthy function. During stroking, human HR increased (p < 0.05) but HRV (SDRR) and %VLF of HRV power did not change. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP), an exploratory measure, significantly increased after stroking, consistent with arousal. Two horses showed no significant changes in HR or HRV, but one relaxed. Sixteen horse–human pairs demonstrated synchronized HRV peak frequencies during sessions, suggestive of social connection. Participants used more positive than negative words describing their experience during exit interviews (p < 0.05). These data show that horses animate seniors without causing emotional stress and provide opportunities for social bonding.

Very-low-frequency oscillations in heart rate and blood pressure in periodic breathing: role of the cardiovascular limb of the hypoxic chemoreflex

2000 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrel P. FRANCIS ◽  
L. Ceri DAVIES ◽  
Keith WILLSON ◽  
Piotr PONIKOWSKI ◽  
Andrew J.S. COATS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Periodic Breathing ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency Oscillations

scholarly journals Cooling-Evoked Hemodynamic Perturbations Facilitate Sympathetic Activity with Subsequent Myogenic Vascular Oscillations via Alpha2-Adrenergic Receptors

2017 ◽  
pp. 449-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.-H. LIN ◽  
Y.-P. LIU ◽  
Y.-C. LIN ◽  
P.-L. LEE ◽  
C.-S. TUNG
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Power Spectral Analysis ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Cold Stimulation ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Power Spectral ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats

This study extends our previous work by examining the effects of alpha2-adrenoceptors under cold stimulation involving the increase of myogenic vascular oscillations as increases of very-low-frequency and low-frequency of the blood pressure variability. Forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: vehicle; yohimbine; hexamethonium+yohimbine; guanethidine+yohimbine. Systolic blood pressure, heart rate, power spectral analysis of spontaneous blood pressure and heart rate variability and spectral coherence at very-low-frequency (0.02 to 0.2 Hz), low-frequency (0.2 to 0.6 Hz), and high-frequency (0.6 to 3.0 Hz) regions were monitored using telemetry. Key findings are as follows: 1) Cooling-induced pressor response was attenuated by yohimbine and further attenuated by hexamethonium+yohimbine and guanethidine+yohimbine, 2) Cooling-induced tachycardia response of yohimbine was attenuated by hexame-thonium+yohimbine and guanethidine+yohimbine, 3) Different patterns of power spectrum reaction and coherence value compared hexamethonium+yohimbine and guanethi-dine+yohimbine to yohimbine alone under cold stimulation. The results suggest that sympathetic activation of the postsynaptic alpha2-adrenoceptors causes vasoconstriction and heightening myogenic vascular oscillations, in turn, may increase blood flow to prevent tissue damage under stressful cooling challenge.

A common origin of the very low frequency heart rate and blood pressure variability—a new insight into an old debate

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron J Leor-Librach ◽  
Ben-Zion Bobrovsky ◽  
Sarah Eliash ◽  
Elieser Kaplinsky
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Pressure Variability ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Common Origin ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Insight Into

Chemoreceptor dependence of very low frequency rhythms in advanced chronic heart failure

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (1) ◽  
pp. H438-H447 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ponikowski ◽  
T. P. Chua ◽  
M. Piepoli ◽  
A. A. Amadi ◽  
D. Harrington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Chronic Heart Failure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Peripheral Chemoreceptor ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Frequency Power

Factors responsible for very low frequency oscillations (VLF; cycle > 30 s) in the cardiovascular system remain obscure. We tested the hypothesis that increased peripheral chemosensitivity is important in the pathogenesis of VLF oscillations in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Fourteen male patients with stable, moderate to severe CHF (age 60 +/- 1.1 yr, ejection fraction 23 +/- 11%) and reproducible VLF oscillations in heart rate underwent a protocol consisting of three consecutive 20-min phases during which they breathed air, hyperoxia (O2 via mask, 60% O2 concn), and air again. Autoregressive spectral analysis of R-R intervals, blood pressure, and respiration was used to quantify total oscillatory power (TP), VLF, low (0.04-0.15 Hz)- and high (0.15-0.40Hz)-frequency power, and the coherence between these signals. Peripheral chemosensitivity was studied by assessing the ventilatory response to hypoxia using transient inhalations of pure N2. Discrete VLF rhythms were seen in R-R intervals in all 14 patients, in blood pressure in 7 of 14, and in respiration in 8 of 14 patients. A significant coherence (> 0.5) between heart rate and systolic blood pressure within the VLF band with mean phase value of -140 degrees, suggesting an antibaroreflex relationship, was seen in six subjects. Transient hyperoxia abolished the VLF oscillations in most subjects (12 of 14 in R-R intervals) and decreased R-R variability power within the VLF band. This response significantly correlated with peripheral chemoreceptor sensitivity (r = 0.77, P = 0.014). This study suggests that in CHF, enhanced peripheral chemoreceptor activity may facilitate slow oscillations in the cardiorespiratory signals.

Very-low-frequency oscillations in heart rate and blood pressure in periodic breathing: role of the cardiovascular limb of the hypoxic chemoreflex

2000 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrel P. FRANCIS ◽  
L. Ceri DAVIES ◽  
Keith WILLSON ◽  
Piotr PONIKOWSKI ◽  
Andrew J. S. COATS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Chronic Heart Failure ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Periodic Breathing ◽  
Free Breathing ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Rr Interval

In chronic heart failure, very-low-frequency (VLF) oscillations (0.01–0.04 Hz) in heart rate and blood pressure may be related to periodic breathing, although the mechanism has not been fully characterized. Groups of ten patients with chronic heart failure and ten healthy controls performed voluntary periodic breathing with computer guidance, while ventilation, oxygen saturation, non-invasive blood pressure and RR interval were measured. In air, voluntary periodic breathing induced periodic desaturation and prominent VLF oscillations when compared with free breathing in both patients [RR interval spectral power from 179 to 358 ms2 (P < 0.05); systolic blood pressure (SBP) spectral power from 3.44 to 6.25 mmHg2 (P < 0.05)] and controls [RR spectral power from 1040 to 2307 ms2 (P < 0.05); SBP spectral power from 3.40 to 9.38 mmHg2 (P < 0.05)]. The peak in RR interval occurred 16–26 s before that in SBP, an anti-baroreflex pattern. When the patients followed an identical breathing pattern in hyperoxic conditions to prevent desaturation, the VLF RR interval spectral power was 50% lower (179.0±51.7 ms2; P < 0.01) and the VLF SBP spectral power was 44% lower (3.51±0.77 mmHg2; P < 0.01); similar effects were seen in controls (VLF RR power 20% lower, at 1847±899 ms2, P < 0.05; VLF SBP power 61% lower, at 3.68±0.92 mmHg2, P = 0.01). Low- and high-frequency spectral powers were not significantly affected. Thus periodic breathing causes oxygen-sensitive (and by implication chemoreflex-related) anti-baroreflex VLF oscillations in RR interval and blood pressure in both patients with chronic heart failure and normal controls.

scholarly journals Drinking functional coherent mineral water accompanies a strengthening of the very low frequency impact on heart rate variability, and mono and multifractal heart rhythm dynamics in healthy humans

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benny Johansson ◽  
Svetlana Sukhotskya
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Mineral Water ◽  
Immunoglobulin A ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Heart Rhythm ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Non Local

Background: Research on functional water has revealed its physiological functions and health-beneficial effects. Accordingly, this study explored the effects of drinking an average dietary volume of functional coherent mineral water (FCMW) on blood pressure, short-term cardiovascular variables, fractal heart rhythm dynamics, and salivary immunoglobulin A. Methods: Fifteen healthy subjects were randomized in a pre-post crossover design, selected the morning after an overnight fast. Short-term electrocardiography (ECG) was measured before and after drinking either control mineral water (CMW) or FCMW on two separate occasions. Saliva was collected for four minutes before the start of each ECG measurement. Blood pressure was monitored in five-minute intervals for one hour. Results: Drinking 100 ml of FCMW temporarily increased arterial blood pressure at 20 to 25 minutes in the 60 minutes post-drinking. Drinking CMW led to a significant reduction in the heart rate, while all-time domain and Power Spectral Density parameters (PSD) were unaffected. Consumption of FCMW resulted in a highly significant difference and decrease in heart rate, and an increase in NN interbeat intervals, and in two of the PSD parameters. A large increase in total power had a significant increasing effect on 2–3-minute oscillations of the very low frequency (VLF) power, indicating a specific change in the heartʼs intrinsic cardiac rhythm that is fundamental to health and well-being. An extension in mono and multifractal scaling of heart rate dynamics defines a healthy function and non-local adaptability, indicating a higher capacity to respond to unpredictable stimuli and stresses, a function which improves autonomic stability. The effect on the heart rate and VLF power suggest an efficient cellular metabolism and a stabilizing effect on mucosal immunoglobulin A. Conclusions: Functional coherent mineral water with an apparent non-local electromagnetic identity triggered in healthy subjects a sustainable sympathetic response in cardiac VLF power, which is considered an intrinsic health-promoting rhythm produced by the heart itself that accompanies adaptive mono and multifractal heart rhythm dynamics. Keywords: functional water, VLF-power, heart rate variability, fractal scaling, health improvement 

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