REGRESSION TO THE MEAN: METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES FOR EVALUATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY VARIABLES FOR STRESS ASSESSMENT

Author(s):  
Dimitriev D.A.

There is now a substantial body of evidence linking the baseline level of heart rate variability (HRV) with the magnitude of stress-induced reduction in respiratory sinus arrhythmia. However, it remains to be proved to what extent these interindividual differences in stress responses may be attributed to the statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean (RTM). We sought to test the hypothesis that the statistical artifact RTM explains pan of the baseline effect. Heart rate recording was carried out in 1156 volunteers. To obtain an estimate of the stress response. 148 persons were randomly selected. Participants were monitored on a rest day and just before an academic examination for state anxiety and HRV. Participants were divided into quartiles according to baseline HRV levels and were compared for response to academic stress. We observed a significant reduction in HRV in subjects with a high baseline HRV (> 75th percentile), while a significant increase was found in the group with low baseline HRV. Regression analysis demonstrated that the value of baseline HRV correlated with the magnitude of stress reaction consistent with the RTM model. Baseline-adjusted ANCOVA does not reveal significant intergroup differences in the changes hi heart rate (HR) and HRV from rest to exam. RTM-adjusted estimates confirmed an exam effect for HR and HRV. The results of our study strongly support RTM as the source of variability of stress-related changes in HRV.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitriy A. Dimitriev ◽  
Elena V. Saperova ◽  
Olga S. Indeykina ◽  
Aleksey D. Dimitriev

AbstractObjectiveThere is now a substantial body of evidence linking the baseline level of heart rate variability (HRV) with the magnitude of stress-induced reduction in respiratory sinus arrhythmia. However, it remains to be proved to what extent these interindividual differences in stress responses may be attributed to the statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean (RTM). We sought to test the hypothesis that the statistical artifact RTM explains part of the baseline effect.ApproachHeart rate recording was carried out in 1,156 volunteers. To obtain an estimate of the stress response, 148 persons were randomly selected. Participants were monitored on a rest day and just before an academic examination for state anxiety and HRV. Participants were divided into quartiles according to baseline HRV levels and were compared for response to academic stress.Main resultsWe observed a significant reduction in HRV in subjects with a high baseline HRV (> 75th percentile), while a significant increase was found in the group with low baseline HRV. Regression analysis demonstrated that the value of baseline HRV correlated with the magnitude of stress reaction consistent with the RTM model. Baseline-adjusted ANCOVA does not reveal significant intergroup differences in the changes in heart rate (HR) and HRV from rest to exam. RTM-adjusted estimates confirmed an exam effect for HR and HRV.SignificanceThe results of our study strongly support RTM as the source of variability of stress-related changes in HRV.


Data in Brief ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 245-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitriy A. Dimitriev ◽  
Elena V. Saperova ◽  
Olga S. Indeykina ◽  
Aleksey D. Dimitriev

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 (02) ◽  
pp. 179-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tachibana ◽  
K. Takamasu ◽  
K. Kotani

Summary Objectives : The objective of our study is to investigate extrinsic influences on heart rate variability using respiratory-phase domain analysis. Swallowing, coughing and vocalization (reading aloud and conversation) are adopted as extrinsic influences. Methods : In this study, an instantaneous R-R interval (RRI) is sampled at each π/10 rad of the respiratory phase and the data is divided into three subsets: a) respiration with event, b) one respiration after the event, and c) normal respiration. Then the mean waveforms of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are calculated and compared. Results and Conclusions : It is found that swallowing induces tachycardia that recovers within one respiration. Coughing also induces tachycardia, but it does not recover within one respiration. Vocalization shortens the mean RRI, but the changing respiratory pattern due to vocalization has no statistically significant influence on the amplitude of RSA. Furthermore, it is found that the proposed method is effective for analyzing extrinsic influences on heart rate variability (HRV).


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Khalid ◽  
W. Haresign ◽  
D. G. Bradley

AbstractThis study consisted of two experiments. In experiment 1, stress responses of sheep which were restrained either in a laparoscopy cradle or a roll-over cradle were compared. The results of this experiment indicated that restraint in roll-over cradle is less (P < 0·05) stressful than that in a laparoscopy cradle when assessed in terms of the elevation and duration of both the mean heart rate and plasma cortisol responses. Experiment 2 compared the stress responses of sheep subjected to restraint in a laparoscopy cradle, restraint in a laparoscopy cradle with intrauterine artificial insemination (AI) by laparoscopy, minimal restraint with cervical AI or restraint in a roll-over cradle plus foot-trimming. All treatments resulted in significant elevations in both heart rate and plasma cortisol concentrations (F < 0·001). The peak heart rate was significantly (P < 0·05) higher in ewes subjected to cervical AI than in those subjected to intrauterine insemination, with other treatments intermediate. The peak cortisol response did not differ among different treatments. The duration over which both the mean heart rate and -plasma cortisol concentrations remained significantly elevated above pre-treatment concentrations did not differ among treatment groups. The results of this study suggest that while restraint using a laparoscopy cradle is more stressful than that using a rollover cradle, the stress inflicted by intrauterine insemination by laparoscopy itself is no greater than that due to restraint using the laparoscopy cradle alone, cervical AI or the management practice offoot-trimming using a rollover cradle.


1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. H480-H486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yamamoto ◽  
J. O. Fortrat ◽  
R. L. Hughson

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the basic fractal nature of the variability in resting heart rate (HRV), relative to that in breathing frequency (BFV) and tidal volume (TVV), and to test the hypothesis that fractal HRV is due to the fractal BFV and/or TVV in humans. In addition, the possible fractal nature of respiratory volume curves (RVC) and HRV was observed. In the first study, eight subjects were tested while they sat quietly in a comfortable chair for 60 min. Beat-to-beat R-R intervals, i.e., HRV, and breath-by-breath BFV and TVV were measured. In the second study, six subjects were tested while they were in the supine position for 20-30 min. The RVC was monitored continuously together with HRV. Coarse-graining spectral analysis (Yamamoto, Y., and R. L. Hughson, Physica D 68: 250-264, 1993) was applied to these signals to evaluate the percentage of random fractal components in the time series (%Fractal) and the spectral exponent (beta), which characterizes irregularity of the signals. The estimates of beta were determined for each variable only over the range normally used to evaluate HRV. Values for %Fractal and beta of both BFV and TVV were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those for HRV. In addition, there was no significant (P > 0.05) correlation between the beta values of HRV relative to either BFV (r = 0.14) or TVV (r = 0.34). RVC showed a smooth oscillation as compared with HRV; %Fractal for RVC (42.3 +/- 21.7%, mean +/- SD) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that for HRV (78.5 +/- 4.2%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Author(s):  
Maria Meier ◽  
Eva Unternaehrer ◽  
Sabine M. Schorpp ◽  
Maya Wenzel ◽  
Annika Benz ◽  
...  

Abstract. Cognition is affected by psychophysiological states. While the influence of stress on cognition has been investigated intensively, less studies have addressed how the opposite of stress, a state of relaxation, affects cognition. We investigated whether the extent of parasympathetic activation is positively related to divergent thinking. Sixty healthy female participants were randomly allocated to a standardized vagus nerve massage ( n = 19), a standardized soft shoulder massage ( n = 22), or a resting control group ( n = 19). Subsequently, participants completed the Alternative Uses Test (AUT), a measure of divergent thinking. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a vagally mediated heart rate variability component, was monitored throughout the experiment. The area under the curve with respect to the increase was calculated for RSA trajectories as an indicator of vagal tone during the relaxing intervention. Regressions tested the effect of vagal tone on AUT outcomes. We found an association between vagal tone and subsequent AUT outcomes. Yet, this association was no longer significant when controlling for the effect of the creative potential of an individual, which was strongly related to AUT outcomes. Being exploratory, we found a positive association between creative potential and vagal tone. These results imply that creative potential might be related to the capacity to relax.


Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Rantanen ◽  
Sam Riahi ◽  
Martin Johansen ◽  
Erik Schmidt ◽  
Jeppe Christensen

Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may improve autonomic dysfunction, as indicated by an increase in heart rate variability (HRV) and reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of marine n-3 PUFA on 24-h HRV in patients on chronic dialysis, who have a high risk of sudden cardiac death. Between June 2014 and March 2016, 112 patients on chronic dialysis from Denmark were allocated to a daily supplement of 2 g marine n-3 PUFA or control for three months in a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. A 48-h Holter monitoring was performed and mean 24-h HRV indices for the two days were available in 85 patients. The mean age was 62.3 years (SD: 14.3) and median dialysis vintage was 1.7 years (IQR: 0.5, 6.4). Within-group and between-group changes in outcome were evaluated by a paired and two sample t-test, respectively. Marine n-3 PUFA did not change the primary endpoint SDNN (SD of all RR-intervals) reflecting overall HRV, but other HRV indices increased and the mean RR-interval increased significantly, corresponding to a decrease in heart rate by 2.5 beats per minute (p = 0.04). In conclusion, marine n-3 PUFA did not change SDNN, but the mean heart rate was significantly reduced and changes in other HRV-indices were also observed, indicating an increase in vagal modulation that might be protective against malignant ventricular arrhythmias.


Author(s):  
Philippe Gendron ◽  
Hugo Gravel ◽  
Hadiatou Barry ◽  
Daniel Gagnon

We examined if the change in heart rate variability (HRV) during passive heat exposure is modified by hot water heat acclimation (HA). Sixteen healthy adults (28 ± 5 years, 5 females/11 males) underwent heat exposure in a water-perfused suit, pre and post 7 days of HA (60 minutes at rectal temperature ≥38.6°C). During passive heat exposure, heart rate (HR), the standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), the square root of the mean squared differences of successive NN intervals (RMSSD) and the power in the high frequency range (HF) were measured. No difference in HR (P=0.22), SDNN (P=0.87), RMSSD (P=0.79) and HF (P=0.23) was observed at baseline. The increase in HR (pre-HA: 43 ± 10, post-HA: 42 ± 9 bpm, P=0.57) and the decrease of SDNN (pre-HA: -54.1 ± 41.0, post-HA: -52.2 ± 36.8 ms, P=0.85), RMSSD (pre-HA: -70.8 ± 49.5, post-HA: -72.7 ± 50.4 ms, P=0.91) and HF (pre-HA: -28.0 ± 14.5, post-HA: -23.2 ± 17.1%, P=0.27) were not different between experimental visits at fixed increases in esophageal temperature. These results suggest that 7 consecutive days of hot water HA does not modify the change in HRV indices during passive heat exposure. Novelty bullets: - It remains unclear if heat acclimation alters the change in heart rate variability that occurs during passive heat exposure. - At matched levels of thermal strain, 7 consecutive days of hot water immersion did not modulate the change in indices of heart rate variability during passive heat exposure.


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