Phase synchronization of hemodynamic variables and respiration during mental challenge

• Published in: International journal of psychophysiology 2011-03, Vol.79 (3), p.401-409
• Main Authors: Lackner, Helmut Karl, Papousek, Ilona, Batzel, Jerry Joseph, Roessler, Andreas, Scharfetter, Hermann, Hinghofer-Szalkay, Helmut
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention - physiology; Autonomic Nervous System - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - physiology; Blood pressure variability; Causal relationships; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart Rate - physiology; Heart rate variability; Hemodynamics - physiology; Humans; Mathematics; Mental arithmetic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Respiratory Mechanics - physiology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Surrogate data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0167-8760; 1872-7697
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.01.001

We studied the synchronization of heart rate, blood pressure and respiration in the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system during a cancellation test of attention and during mental arithmetic tasks. The synchronization was quantified by the index γ, which has been adopted from the analysis of weakly coupled chaotic oscillators. We analyzed in twenty healthy women the continuous signals partitioned in low (LF, 0.04–0.15Hz) and high (HF, 0.15–0.40Hz) frequencies to investigate whether or not respiration is a main determinant of cardiovascular synchronization. We used surrogate data analysis to distinguish between causal relationships from those that occur by chance. The LF-components of R–R interval and blood pressure showed no synchronization with respiration, whereas synchronization between blood pressure and R–R interval exceeded that occurring by chance (p