scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of the Autonomic Response to Cognitive and Sensory Stimulations through Wearable Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Tonacci ◽  
Lucia Billeci ◽  
Elisa Burrai ◽  
Francesco Sansone ◽  
Raffaele Conte

Psychological stress is known to activate the autonomic nervous system (ANS), thus representing a useful target to be monitored to understand the physiological, unconscious effect of stress on the human body. However, little is known about how differently the ANS responds to cognitive and sensory stimulations in healthy subjects. To this extent, we enrolled 23 subjects and administered a stress protocol consisting of the administration of sensory (olfactory) and cognitive (mathematical) stressors. Autonomic parameters were unobtrusively monitored through wearable sensors for capturing electrocardiogram and skin conductance signals. The results obtained demonstrated an increase of the heart rate during both stress protocols, with a similar decrease of the heart rate variability. Cognitive stress test appears to affect the autonomic parameters to a greater extent, confirming its effects on the human body. However, olfactory stimulation could be useful to study stress in specific experimental settings when the administration of complex cognitive testing is not feasible.

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Petrowski ◽  
Katharina Wendt ◽  
Susann Wichmann ◽  
Martin Siepmann

Background:Unemployment may impair mental and physical health. The influencing factors causing such negative effects are relevant from an individual and public health perspective. The personality as one possible influencing factor was discussed. This study investigated the prevalence of the type-D personality in an unemployed population and its connections to socio-demographic, psychological and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters.Methods:A questionnaire set including socio-demographics, type-D scale (DS14), Complaint list (BL), Beck-Depression-Inventory II (BDI-II) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) was handed out to 203 unemployed individuals [126 females, mean age ± SD: 42.36 ± 11.08]. For HRV assessment (RMSSD), a subsample of 83 participants [50 females, median age ± IQR: 47.00 ± 17.00] passed the “stress-tests” (timed breathing, d2-attention-stress-test, math test) while heart frequency (HF) was acquiredviathe Stressball software (BioSign GmbH, Ottenhofen, Germany).Results:53% of the unemployed had a type-D personality. Compared to non-type-D individuals, type-D individuals had rarely children and by trend a lower educational level; they showed significantly higher scores in the BDI-II and lower scores in the GSE and BL. No differences were observed in mean HF or RMSSD during all the stress-tests.Conclusion:The HRV of individuals with a type-D personality is no worse than that of individuals without a type-D personality. Type-D personality was significantly associated with negative health effects regarding depressiveness, self-efficacy and physical complaints. Our main findings implicate that the DS14 could serve as a short and reliable screening instrument to select concerned unemployed individuals who might be at risk for negative health effects for adequate intervention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 521
Author(s):  
Shawn M Talbott ◽  
Don Hantla ◽  
Bob Capelli ◽  
Lixin Ding ◽  
Yanmei Li ◽  
...  

Objective: Marine microalgae is the predominant source of natural astaxanthin (NAX), a red-orange carotenoid with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Previous studies suggest that NAX supplementation improves antioxidant capacity and reduces oxidative stress, while also enhancing fat utilization, exercise endurance, cardiovascular function, and neurological parameters. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of NAX on the psychophysiological “heart-brain-axis” while nutrition (astaxanthin) may impact physiology (cardiovascular function) and psychology (mood state) in a coordinated manner.Methods: Using a double-blind parallel design, 28 healthy subjects (male=14, female=14, age=42) were supplemented for 8 weeks with NAX (12mg/day Haematococcus pluvialis algal extract) or a matching placebo. Before and after supplementation, subjects performed a cardiovascular stress test (VO2max) and completed a validated Profile of Mood States (POMS) survey to assess global mood state (GM) and related subscales: Vigor (V), Tension (T), Depression (D), Anger (A), Fatigue (F), and Confusion (C).Results: Subjects in the NAX group showed a significant ~10% lower average heart rate at submaximal exercise intensities compared to those in the placebo group (aerobic threshold, AeT; NAX 130+17 v. PL 145+14; and anaerobic threshold, AT; NAX 139+20 v. PL 154+11, p<0.05). Significant improvements were found in the NAX group for both positive mood state parameters: GM (+11%, p<0.05) & V (+5%, NS); and negative mood state parameters: T (-20%, NS), D (-57%, p<0.05), A (-12%, NS), F (-36%, p<0.05), and C (-28%, NS). Conclusions: NAX supplementation lowered average heart rate at submaximal endurance intensities (suggesting a “physical” heart benefit) and improved mood state parameters (suggesting a “mental” brain benefit). While previous studies have shown NAX supplementation to improve parameters associated with heart health (antioxidant, fat oxidation, endurance) and brain health (neuro-inflammation, cognition, antidepressant/anxiolytic), these results suggest that natural astaxanthin supplementation supports the psychophysiological “heart-brain-axis” with simultaneous improvements in both physical and mental wellness.Keywords: Antioxidant; Carotenoid; Cardiovascular; Mood State; Mental Wellness


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Smith ◽  
John J.B. Allen ◽  
Julian F. Thayer ◽  
Richard D. Lane

Abstract. We hypothesized that in healthy subjects differences in resting heart rate variability (rHRV) would be associated with differences in emotional reactivity within the medial visceromotor network (MVN). We also probed whether this MVN-rHRV relationship was diminished in depression. Eleven healthy adults and nine depressed subjects performed the emotional counting stroop task in alternating blocks of emotion and neutral words during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The correlation between rHRV outside the scanner and BOLD signal reactivity (absolute value of change between adjacent blocks in the BOLD signal) was examined in specific MVN regions. Significant negative correlations were observed between rHRV and average BOLD shift magnitude (BSM) in several MVN regions in healthy subjects but not depressed subjects. This preliminary report provides novel evidence relating emotional reactivity in MVN regions to rHRV. It also provides preliminary suggestive evidence that depression may involve reduced interaction between the MVN and cardiac vagal control.


1995 ◽  
Vol 133 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ettore C degli Uberti ◽  
Maria R Ambrosio ◽  
Marta Bondanelli ◽  
Giorgio Transforini ◽  
Alberto Valentini ◽  
...  

degli Uberti EC, Ambrosio MR, Bondanelli M, Trasforini G, Valentini A, Rossi R, Margutti A, Campo M. Effect of human galanin on the response of circulating catecholamines to hypoglycemia in man. Eur J Endocrinol 1995;133:723–8. ISSN 0804–4643 Human galanin (hGAL) is a neuropeptide with 30 amino acid residues that has been found in the peripheral and central nervous system, where it often co-exists with catecholamines. In order to clarify the possible role of hGAL in the regulation of sympathoadrenomedullary function, the effect of a 60 min infusion of hGAL (80 pmol·kg−1 · min−1) on plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in nine healthy subjects was investigated. Human GAL administration significantly reduced both the release of basal norepinephrine and the response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, whereas it attenuated the epinephrine response by 26%, with the hGAL-induced decrease in epinephrine release failing to achieve statistical significance. Human GAL significantly increased the heart rate in resting conditions and clearly exaggerated the heart rate response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, whereas it had no effect on the blood pressure. We conclude that GAL receptor stimulation exerts an inhibitory effect on basal and insulin-induced hypoglycemia-stimulated release of norepinephrine. These findings provide further evidence that GAL may modulate sympathetic nerve activity in man but that it does not play an important role in the regulation of adrenal medullary function. Ettore C degli Uberti, Chair of Endocrinology, University of Ferrara, Via Savonarola 9, I-44100 Ferrara, Italy


2020 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostino Accardo ◽  
Marco Merlo ◽  
Giulia Silveri ◽  
Lucia Del Popolo ◽  
Luca Dalla Libera ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1125-1128
Author(s):  
Daniela G. Balan ◽  
Dan Piperea Sianu ◽  
Iulia I. Stanescu ◽  
Dorin Ionescu ◽  
Andra Elena Stroescu Balcangiu ◽  
...  

Assessment of changes in total proteins level, serum and saliva IgG and IgA levels, serum IgM level, serum and saliva IgA/IgG ratio. The study was conducted on a group of 40 subjects, divided into 2 lots: the first lot consisting of 20 healthy individuals and the second consisting of 20 patients with hepatitis with hepatitis A virus (HAV). The levels of total proteins, serum and saliva IgG and IgA, serum IgM and serum and saliva IgA/IgG ratio have higher values in patients with hepatitis A, in comparison to healthy subjects, without necessarily exceeding the maximum admitted value. The results are significant from a statistical point of view. Due to the sensitivity and specificity of salivary anti-HAV IgM and IgG in patients with acute hepatitis A, compared with healthy subjects, there is a possibility of using salivary immunological tests instead of serum tests for the diagnosis and epidemiological study of HAV infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 30-34
Author(s):  
Rishi Shukla ◽  
Neev Kiran ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Jeremy Gummeson ◽  
Sunghoon Ivan Lee

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed tremendous advancements in semiconductor and MEMS technologies, leading to the proliferation of ultra-miniaturized and ultra-low-power (in micro-watt ranges) wearable devices for wellness and healthcare [1]. Most of these wearable sensors are battery powered for their operation. The use of an on-device battery as the primary energy source poses a number of challenges that serve as the key barrier to the development of novel wearable applications and the widespread use of numerous, seamless wearable sensors [5].


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A255-A255
Author(s):  
Dmytro Guzenko ◽  
Gary Garcia ◽  
Farzad Siyahjani ◽  
Kevin Monette ◽  
Susan DeFranco ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Pathophysiologic responses to viral respiratory challenges such as SARS-CoV-2 may affect sleep duration, quality and concomitant cardiorespiratory function. Unobtrusive and ecologically valid methods to monitor longitudinal sleep metrics may therefore have practical value for surveillance and monitoring of infectious illnesses. We leveraged sleep metrics from Sleep Number 360 smart bed users to build a COVID-19 predictive model. Methods An IRB approved survey was presented to opting-in users from August to November 2020. COVID-19 test results were reported by 2003/6878 respondents (116 positive; 1887 negative). From the positive group, data from 82 responders (44.7±11.3 yrs.) who reported the date of symptom onset were used. From the negative group, data from 1519 responders (48.4±12.9 yrs.) who reported testing dates were used. Sleep duration, sleep quality, restful sleep duration, time to fall asleep, respiration rate, heart rate, and motion level were obtained from ballistocardiography signals stored in the cloud. Data from January to October 2020 were considered. The predictive model consists of two levels: 1) the daily probability of staying healthy calculated by logistic regression and 2) a continuous density Hidden Markov Model to refine the daily prediction considering the past decision history. Results With respect to their baseline, significant increases in sleep duration, average breathing rate, average heart rate and decrease in sleep quality were associated with symptom exacerbation in COVID-19 positive respondents. In COVID-19 negative respondents, no significant sleep or cardiorespiratory metrics were observed. Evaluation of the predictive model resulted in cross-validated area under the receiving-operator curve (AUC) estimate of 0.84±0.09 which is similar to values reported for wearable-sensors. Considering additional days to confirm prediction improved the AUC estimate to 0.93±0.05. Conclusion The results obtained on the smart bed user population suggest that unobtrusive sleep metrics may offer rich information to predict and track the development of symptoms in individuals infected with COVID-19. Support (if any):


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