Cardiologia (Rome, Italy)
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Cardiologia (Rome, Italy) · Mar 1999
Comparative Study[Cardiovascular neuroregulation and rhythms of the autonomic nervous system: frequency domain analysis].
Studies using spectral analysis of cardiovascular variability series, as a non invasive tool for assessing the autonomic nervous system activity, have attracted growing interest in the last 20 years. Short-term recordings of heart rate variability distinguish two main spectral components: a high-frequency (HF) component (ranging between 0.15-0.40 Hz), and a low-frequency (LF) component (ranging between 0.04-0.15 Hz), respectively considered markers of parasympathetic and sympathetic control. Spectral analysis of microcirculatory blood flow, by using laser Doppler flowmetry, recently disclosed the presence of similar rhythms. ⋯ These findings are consistent with the increased sympathetic modulation induced by the head-up tilt test. These data confirm previous findings and observations, collected with different techniques and for different purposes. Whether these rhythms can be expression of central common oscillators or reflex mechanical factors is of primary importance for possible clinical applications of this approach.