Predictive Modeling of Heart Rate from Respiratory Signals at Rest in Young Healthy Humans

Biological signals such as respiration (RSP) and heart rate (HR) are oscillatory and physiologically coupled, maintaining homeostasis through regulatory mechanisms. This report models the dynamic relationship between RSP and HR in 45 healthy volunteers at rest. Cross-correlation between RSP and HR was computed, along with regression analysis to predict HR from RSP and its first-order time derivative in continuous signals. A simulation model tested the possibility of replicating the RSP-HR relationship. Cross-correlation results showed a time lag in the sub-second range of these signals (849.21 ms ± SD 344.84). The possible modulation of HR by RSP was mediated by the RSP amplitude and its first-order time derivative (in 45 of 45 cases). A simulation of this process allowed us to replicate the physiological relationship between RSP and HR. These results provide support for understanding the dynamic interactions in cardiorespiratory coupling at rest, showing a short time lag between RSP and HR and a modulation of the HR signal by the first-order time derivative of the RSP. This dynamic would optionally be incorporated into dynamic models of resting cardiopulmonary coupling and suggests a mechanism for optimizing respiration in the alveolar system by promoting synchrony between the gases and hemoglobin in the alveolar pulmonary system.