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Updated: Oct 4, 2025
Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System ANS Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
Evaluation of perinatal autonomic development in infants using the QT/RR variability ratio
Yuri Mizutani1,2, Arisa Kojima3, Yuka Takeuchi1
1Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
Objectives:
Development of the autonomic nervous system may play a role in myocardial repolarization lability in infants, but its relationship to repolarization abnormalities remains unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between gestational age and ventricular repolarization lability using the variability ratio (VR).
Methods:
Infants who underwent electrocardiography at a 1-month check-up were included (n=209; 125 males). Gestational age and the following four VR parameters at 1 month of age were compared: VR-I, SDQT/SDRR; VR-II, SDQT/rMSSD; VR-III, SDQTc/SDRR; and VR-IV, SDQTc/rMSSD; where SD, QTc, and rMSSD are standard deviation, QT interval corrected using Fridericia's formula, and root mean square difference of successive RR intervals, respectively. Twenty-eight preterm infants born at <37 weeks of gestation and 181 full-term infants were included.
Results:
Significant correlations were observed between gestational age and VR-I, -III, and -IV (all p<0.05). All VR values were significantly higher in preterm infants compared with full-term infants (I: 0.54 vs 0.48, II: 1.15 vs 0.96, III: 0.88 vs 0.68, IV: 1.59 vs 1.39; median, all p<0.05).
Conclusion:
VR assessed at 1 month after birth was impaired in preterm infants, suggesting immaturity of their cardiac autonomic nervous system and ventricular myocardial repolarization.
