Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Restraint to Induce Stress in Mice and Rats
Published on: December 6, 2024
Effects of psychological stress on autonomic control of heart in rats
Hideaki Inagaki1, Masayoshi Kuwahara, Hirokazu Tsubone
1Department of Comparative Pathophysiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of psychological stress on autonomic control of the heart in rats. For this purpose, we evoked anxiety-like or fear-like states in rats by means of classical conditioning and examined changes in autonomic nervous activity using an implanted telemetry system and power spectral analysis of heart rate variability. Anxiety-like states resulted in a significant increase in heart rate (HR), low frequency (LF) power, and LF/HF ratio, with no change in high frequency (HF) power. Fear-like states resulted in a significant increase in HR and a significant decrease in HF power with no significant change in both LF power and LF/HF ratio, although LF/HF ratio increased slightly. These results suggest that autonomic balance becomes predominant in sympathetic nervous activity in both anxiety-like and fear-like states. These changes in rats correspond to changes which are relevant to cardiovascular diseases in humans under many kinds of psychological stress. Therefore, the experimental design of this study is a useful experimental model for investigating the effects of psychological stress on autonomic control of the heart in humans.
More Related Videos
07:26Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
06:55An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents
Published on: December 2, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
Psychological Responses to Stress
Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle