Abstract
A non-invasive model-based approach to the estimation of sinus node dynamic properties is proposed. The model exploits the spontaneous beat-to-beat variability of heart period and systolic arterial pressure and the sampled respiration, thus surrogating the information from direct measures of neural activity. The residual heart period variability not related to baroreflex, to direct effects of respiration and to low frequency influences independent of baroreflex, is interpreted as the effect of the dynamic properties of the sinus node and modelled as a regression of the RR interval over its previous value. Therefore the sinus node transfer function is modelled by means of a filter with a real pole z=μ (and a zero in the origin). It was found that: first, in young healthy subjects the nodal tissue responded as a lowpass filter with μ=0.76±0.12 (mean±SD); secondly, ageing did not significantly modify either its shape or gain at 0Hz; thirdly, in heart transplant recipients, the dynamic transduction properties were lost (all-pass filter, μ=0.06±0.16, p<0.001); fourthly, low-dose atropine left the sinus node dynajic properties unmodified; fifthly, high-dose atropine affected the dynamic transduction properties by increasing the gain at 0Hz and rendering steeper its roll-off (the percent increase of μ with respect to baseline was 18.3±22.3, p<0.05).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akaike, H. (1974): ‘A new look at the statistical novel identification’,IEEE Trans. Autom. Control,19, pp. 716–723
Baselli, G., Cerutti, S., Civardi, S., Malliani, A., andPagani, M. (1988): ‘Cardiovascular variability signals: towards the identification of a closed-loop model of the neural control mechanism’,IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng.,35, pp. 1033–1046
Baselli, G., Cerutti, S., Badilini, F., Biancardi, L., Porta, A., Pagani, M., Lombardi, F., Rimoldi, O., Furlan, R., andMalliani, A. (1994): ‘Model for the assessment of heart period and arterial pressure variability interactions and of respiration influences’,Med. Biol. Eng. Comput.,32, pp. 143–152
Baselli, G., Porta, A., Rimoldi, O., Pagani, M., andCerutti, S. (1997): ‘Spectral decomposition in multichannel recordings based on multivariate parametric identification’,IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng.,44, pp. 1092–1101
Berger, R. D., Saul, J. P., andCohen, R. J. (1989): ‘Transfer function analysis of autonomic regulation I. Canine atrial rate response’,Am. J. Physiol.,256, pp. H142-H152
Bernardi, L., Keller, F., Sanders, M., Reddy, P. S., Griffith, B., Meno, F., andPinsky, R. (1989): ‘Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the denervated human heart’,J. Appl. Physiol.,67, pp. 1447–1455
Brown, T. E., Beightol, L. A., Kob, J., andEckberg, D. L. (1993): ‘Important influence of respiration on human RR interval power spectra is largely ignored’,J. Appl. Physiol.,75, pp. 2310–2317
Chess, G. F., andCalaresu, F. R. (1971): ‘Frequency response model of vagal control of heart rat ni the cat’,Am. J. Physiol.,220, pp. 554–557
Katona, P. G., Poitras, J. W., Barnett, G. O., andTerry, B. S. (1970): ‘Cardiac vagal efferent activity and heart period in the carotid sinus reflex’,Am. J. Physiol.,218, pp. 1030–1037
Katona, P. G., Lipson, D., andDauchot, P. J. (1977): ‘Opposing central and peripheral effects of atropine on parasympathetic cardiac control’,Am. J. Physiol.,232, pp. H146-H151
Kawada, T., Ikeda, Y., Sugimachi M., Shishido, T., Kawaguchi, O., Yamazaki, T., Alexander, J., andSunagawa, K. (1996): ‘Bidirectional augmentation of heart rate regulation by autonomic nervous system in rabbits’,Am. J. Physiol.,271, pp. H288-H295
Koepchen, H. P. (1991): ‘Physiology of rhythms and control systems: an integrative approach’ inHaken, H., andKoepchen, H. P. (Eds): ‘Rhythms in physiological systems’ (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1991), pp. 3–20
Kottmeier, C., andGravenstein, J. (1968): ‘The parasympathomimetic activity of atropine and atropine methylbromide’,Anestesiol.,29, pp. 1125–1133
Montano, N., Pagani, M., Porta, A., Cogliati, C., Malliani, A., Abboud, F. M., Birkett, C., andSomers, V. K. (1998): ‘Vagotonic effects of atropine modulate spectral oscillations of sympathetic nerve activity’,Circulation,98, pp. 1394–1399
Nakahara, T., Kawada, T., Sugimachi, M., Miyano, H., Sato, T., Shishido, T., Yoshimura, R., Miyashita, H., andSunagawa, K. (1998): ‘Cholinesterase affects dynamic transduction properties from vagal stimulation to heart rate’,Am. J. Physiol.,275, pp. R541-R547
Nakahara, T., Kawada, T., Sugimachi, M., Miyano, H., Sato, T., Shishido, T., Yoshimura, R., Miyashita, H., Inagaki, M., Alexander, J., andSunagawa, K. (1999): ‘Neural uptake affects dynamic characteristics of heart rate response to sympathetic stimulation’,Am. J. Physiol.,277, pp. R140-R146
Pagani, M., Lombardi, F., Guzzetti, S., Rimoldi, O., Furlan, R., Pizzinelli, P., Sandrone, G., Malfatto, G., Dell'orto, S., Piccaluga, E., Turiel, M., Baselli, G., Cerutti, S., andMalliani, A. (1986): ‘Power spectral analysis of heart rate and arterial pressure variabilities as a marker of sympatho-vagal interaction in man and conscious dog’,Circ. Res.,59, pp. 178–193
Patton, D. J., Triedman, J. K., Perrott, M. H., Vidian, A. A., andSaul, J. P. (1996): ‘Baroreflex gain: characterization using autoregressive moving average analysis’,Am. J. Physiol.,39, pp. H1240-H1249
Perrott, M. H., andCohen, R. J. (1996): ‘An efficient approach to ARMA modeling of biological systems with multiple inputs and delays’,IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng.,43, pp. 1–14
Pomeranz, B., Macaulay, R. J. B., Caudill, M. A., Kutz, I., Adam, D., Gordon, D., Kilborn, K. M., Barger, A. C., Shannon, D. C., Cohen, R. J., andBenson, H. (1985): ‘Assessment of the autonomic function in humans by heart rate spectral analysis’,Am. J. Physiol.,248, pp. H151-H153
Porta, A., Baselli, G., Rimoldi, O., Malliani, A., andPagani, M. (2000): ‘Assessing baroreflex gain from spontaneous variability in conscious dogs: role of causality and respiration’,Am. J. Physiol.,279, pp. H2558-H2567
Raczkowska, M., Eckberg, D. L., andEbert, T. J. (1983): ‘Muscarinic cholinergic receptors modulate vagal cardiac responses in man’,J. Auton. Nerv. Syst.,7, pp. 271–278
Saul, J. P., Berger, R. D., Chen, M. H., andCohen, R. J. (1989): ‘Transfer function analysis of autonomic regulation II. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia’,Am. J. Physiol.,256, pp. H153-H161
Saul, J. P., Berger, R. D., Albrecht, P., Stein, S. P., Chen, M. H., andCohen, R. J. (1991): ‘Transfer function analysis of the circulation: unique insights into cardiovascular regulation’,Am. J. Physiol.,261, pp. H1231-H1245
Seals, D. R., andEsler, M. D. (2000): ‘Human ageing and the sympathoadrenal system’,J. Physiol.,528, pp. 407–417
Triedman, J. K., Perrott, M. H., Cohen, R. J., andSaul, J. P. (1995) ‘Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: time domain characterizatin using autoregressive moving average analysis’,Am. J. Physiol.,268, pp. H2232-H2238
Van De Borne, P., Montano, N., Narkiewicz, K., Degaute, J. P., Oren, R., Pagani, M., andSomers, V. K. (1998): ‘Sympathetic rhythmicity in cardiac transplant recipients’,Circulation,99, pp. 1606–1610
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Porta, A., Montano, N., Pagani, M. et al. Non-invasive model-based estimation of the sinus node dynamic properties from spontaneous cardiovascular variability series. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 41, 52–61 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343539
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02343539