Changes in R?R variability before and after endurance training measured by power spectral analysis and by the effect of isometric muscle contraction

Relationships between muscle activity and autonomic regulation during cycling with a torque-assisted bicycle

For customizing the assistance scheme of a torque-assisted bicycle, we estimated physical activity during cycling with ECG and surface EMG for the circuit including a steep uphill section near the middle and compared it with the vehicle data. Using the respiratory-sinus-arrhythmia-related power ratio in the fluctuation of the R-R interval, prRSA and a muscular fatigue index, we classified physical activity into four groups for each trial. Results showed that the assist enlarged prRSA but did not sufficiently support muscular fatigue.

The use of heart rate variability measures to assess autonomic control during exercise

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive indicator of cardiac autonomic modulation at rest. During rhythmic exercise, global HRV decreases as a function of exercise intensity. Measures reflecting sympathovagal interactions at rest do not behave as expected during exercise. This makes interpretation of HRV measures difficult, especially at higher exercise intensities. This problem is further confounded by the occurrence of non-neural oscillations in the high-frequency band due to increased respiratory effort. Alternative data treatments, such as coarse graining spectral analysis (CGSA), have demonstrated expected changes in autonomic function during exercise with some success. The separation of harmonic from fractal and/or chaotic components of HRV and study of the latter during exercise have provided further insight into cardioregulatory control. However, more research is needed. Some cross-sectional differences between HRV in athletes and controls during exercise are evident and data suggest longitudinal changes may be possible. Standard spectral HRV analysis should not be applied to exercise conditions. The use of CGSA and non-linear analyses show much promise in this area. Until further validation of these measures is carried out and clarification of the physiological meaning of such measures occurs, HRV data regarding altered autonomic control during exercise should be treated with caution.

Decrease in heart rate variability with overtraining: assessment by the Poincare plot analysis

Numerous symptoms have been associated with the overtraining syndrome (OT), including changes in autonomic function. Heart rate variability (HRV) provides non-invasive data about the autonomic regulation of heart rate in real-life conditions. The aims of the study were to: (i) characterize the HRV profile of seven athletes (OA) diagnosed as suffering of OT, compared with eight healthy sedentary (C) and eight trained (T) subjects during supine rest and 60 degrees upright, and (ii) compare the traditional time- and frequency-domain analysis assessment of HRV with the non-linear Poincaré plot analysis. In the latter each R-R interval is plotted as a function of the previous one, and the standard deviations of the instantaneous (SD1) and long-term R-R interval variability are calculated. Total power was higher in T than in C and OA both in supine (1158 +/- 1137, 6092 +/- 3554 and 2970 +/- 2947 ms2 for C, T and OA, respectively) and in upright (640 +/- 499, 1814 +/- 806 and 1092 +/- 712 ms2 for C, T and OA, respectively; P<0.05) positions. In supine position, indicators of parasympathetic activity to the sinus node were higher in T compared with C and OA (high-frequency power: 419.1 +/- 381.2, 1105.3 +/- 781.4 and 463.7 +/- 715.8 ms2 for C, T and OA, respectively; P<0.05; SD1: 29.5 +/- 18.5, 75.2 +/- 17.2 and 37.6 +/- 27.5 for C, T and OA, respectively; P<0.05). OA had a marked predominance of sympathetic activity regardless of the position (LF/HF were 0.47 +/- 0.35, 0.47 +/- 0.50 and 3.96 +/- 5.71 in supine position for C, T and OA, respectively, and 2.09 +/- 2.17, 7.22 +/- 6.82 and 12.04 +/- 10.36 in upright position for C, T and OA, respectively). The changes in HRV indexes induced by the upright posture were greater in T than in OA. The shape of the Poincaré plots allowed the distinction between the three groups, with wide and narrow shapes in T and OA, respectively, compared with C. As Poincaré plot parameters are easy to compute and associated with the 'width' of the scatter gram, they corroborate the traditional time- and frequency-domain analysis. We suggest that they could be used to indicate fatigue and/or prevent OT.