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. 2011 Apr;48(4):488-94.
doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01086.x. Epub 2010 Aug 16.

Efficient and cost-effective estimation of the influence of respiratory variables on respiratory sinus arrhythmia

Victoria B Egizio  1 , Michael Eddy, Matthew Robinson, J Richard Jennings
Affiliations

Efficient and cost-effective estimation of the influence of respiratory variables on respiratory sinus arrhythmia

Victoria B Egizio et al. Psychophysiology. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Researchers are interested in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as an index of cardiac vagal activity. Yet, debate exists about how to account for respiratory influences on quantitative indices of RSA. T. Ritz, M. Thons, and B. Dahme (2001) developed a within-individual correction procedure by which the effects of respiration on RSA may be estimated using regression models. We replicated their procedure substituting a spectral high-frequency measure of RSA for a time-domain statistic and a respiratory belt's relative measure of tidal volume for the direct assessment provided by a pneumotachograph. The standardized slopes from the respiratory belt and pneumotachography-derived regression equations (estimated across a 6-min paced breathing protocol) were positively correlated (r=0.93, p<.001); correlations were similar across 2- and 4-min time courses parsed from the 6-min protocol. Our results offer methodological alternatives to the research community.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagrammatic view of likely sources of vagal influence on the heart, omitting central influences and emphasizing areas related to respiratory function.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between the slopes from the regressions of HF-HRV/VT Pneumo and HF-HRV/VT Belt upon TTOT. Note. r = 0.93, p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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