Cardiopulmonary adjustments during operant heart rate control

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Biofeedback Research
• Autonomic Nervous System Function

Background:

• Biofeedback is a technique used to gain voluntary control over physiological processes.
• Cardiac vagal tone (V) is a key indicator of autonomic nervous system regulation of the heart.
• Understanding the interplay between heart rate, vagal tone, and respiration is crucial for cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ability of healthy individuals to voluntarily modulate heart rate using visual analogue biofeedback.
• To examine the relationship between heart rate changes and cardiac vagal tone (V).
• To explore the role of respiration and cardiopulmonary coupling in heart rate variability during voluntary control.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three healthy participants underwent a 5-session experiment involving heart rate increase and decrease tasks.
• Visual analogue biofeedback was employed to guide participants in modulating their heart rate.
• Measurements included heart rate, respiration rate and amplitude, cardiac vagal tone (V), and cardiopulmonary coupling.

Main Results:

• Participants successfully increased and decreased their heart rate from resting baseline.
• Heart rate changes were strongly correlated with changes in cardiac vagal tone (V).
• Increased V accompanied heart rate slowing, while decreased V accompanied heart rate speeding. Respiration did not significantly influence these effects.

Conclusions:

• Healthy adults can effectively use biofeedback to voluntarily alter heart rate and cardiac vagal tone.
• Heart rate modulation is primarily mediated by changes in vagal tone, independent of respiratory influences.
• Cardiopulmonary coupling dynamics reflect the degree of heart rate control achieved through biofeedback.