Complexity-Based Decoding of the Coupling Among Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Walking Path
Shahul Mujib Kamal1, Mohammad Hossein Babini1, Ondrej Krejcar2
1School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Insights
This study reveals a strong link between walking path complexity and heart rate variability (HRV) complexity. Analyzing fractal patterns and sample entropy demonstrates how different walking paths influence heart rate dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Biomechanics
- Complexity Science
Background:
- Walking is a fundamental daily activity with known effects on heart rate variability (HRV).
- Understanding the relationship between physical activity complexity and physiological responses is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the coupling between the complexity of walking paths and heart rate complexity for the first time.
- To evaluate how path complexity influences heart rate variability (HRV) during walking.
Main Methods:
- Employed fractal theory and sample entropy to analyze R-R time series data.
- Measured fractal exponent and sample entropy in nine participants walking on four paths of varying complexity.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a significant coupling between the fractal dimension of HRV and walking path complexity.
- Sample entropy analysis corroborated the findings from fractal analysis, confirming the relationship.
Conclusions:
- Path complexity directly influences the complexity of heart rate variability during walking.
- Future research can explore similar couplings with other physiological signals and activities.
Abstract:
Walking is an everyday activity in our daily life. Because walking affects heart rate variability, in this research, for the first time, we analyzed the coupling among the alterations of the complexity of walking paths and heart rate. We benefited from the fractal theory and sample entropy to evaluate the influence of the complexity of paths on the complexity of heart rate variability (HRV) during walking. We calculated the fractal exponent and sample entropy of the R-R time series for nine participants who walked on four paths with various complexities. The findings showed a strong coupling among the alterations of fractal dimension (an indicator of complexity) of HRV and the walking paths. Besides, the result of the analysis of sample entropy also verified the obtained results from the fractal analysis. In further studies, we can analyze the coupling among the alterations of the complexities of other physiological signals and walking paths.
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