Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability as a new method for assessing autonomic activity in the rat

Abstract

The authors studied power spectral analysis of heart rate variability in the rat, hypothesizing that the quantitative information provided by this analysis reflects the interaction between sympathetic and parasympathetic regulatory activities. For this purpose, an electrocardiogram was recorded from conscious and unrestrained Wistar rats (Nippon, Shizuoka) (12–16 weeks old) by a telemetry system and analyzed by a power spectrum. Because it was thought that the electrocardiogram recorded by the telemetry system could provide more reliable data to assess autonomic nervous activity than the tethering system, the telemetry recording system was used. There were two major spectral components in the power spectrum at low frequency (LF) (0.6 Hz) and high frequency (HF) (∼1.4 Hz). On the basis of these data, the authors defined two frequency bands of interest: LF (0.04–1.0 Hz) and HF (1.0–3.0 Hz). The power of LF was higher than that of HF in the normal rat. Atropine (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally) significantly reduced both HF and LF power. Propranolol (4 mg/kg intraperitoneally) also significantly reduced LF power; however, it had no significant effect on HF power. Thus, this study in the rat confirmed earlier observations in the conscious dog and human. Furthermore, the decrease in the parasympathetic mechanism produced by atropine was reflected by a slight increase in the LF/HF ratio. The LF/HF ratio appeared to follow the reductions of sympathetic activity produced by propranolol. From these results, the LF/HF ratio seemed to be a convenient index of parasympathetic and sympathetic interactions in the rat. Therefore, power spectral analysis of heart rate variability may provide a very powerful noninvasive technique for assessing autonomic nervous activity in the rat.