Nonlinear analysis of BP signal. Can it detect malfunctions in BP control?

In the present study, our aim was to evaluate the applicability of the nonlinear technique to the investigation of cardiovascular control. We applied an approach known as the "surrogate data method" to test for nonlinear components in the blood pressure (BP) signal. Our results strongly indicate that there are nonlinear components in the BP time series taken from a Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY), suggesting that the use of nonlinear methods may provide new information about the BP control system. We developed a procedure appropriate for the stable and reliable calculation of the Grassberger-Procaccia correlation dimension (D) of the arterial BP signal. The saturation value D was 5.48 +/- 0.30 for the WKY group and 5.92 +/- 0.26 for the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) group, with P < 0.001. We also found that in the WKY group D displays a significant response to complete alpha 1 blockade and bleeding, whereas no response is observed in the SHR group. These results imply that differences in the control mechanisms may be detected by the nonlinear dynamics approach both under baseline conditions and when interfering with cardiovascular control.