You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.


  • J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Nov 2000

    The effects of metronome breathing on the variability of autonomic activity measurements.

    • D Driscoll and G Dicicco.
    • Parker College of Chiropractic, Dallas, Tex., USA.
    • J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2000 Nov 1;23(9):610-4.

    BackgroundMany chiropractors hypothesize that spinal manipulation affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, the ANS responses to chiropractic manipulative therapy are not well documented, and more research is needed to support this hypothesis. This study represents a step toward the development of a reliable method by which to document that chiropractic manipulative therapy does affect the ANS by exploring the use of paced breathing as a way to reduce the inherent variability in ANS measurements.ObjectiveTo examine the hypothesis that the variability of ANS measurements would be reduced if breathing were paced to a metronome at 12 breaths/min.SettingThe study was performed at Parker College Research Institute. Eight normotensive subjects were recruited from the student body and staff.MethodsRespiration frequency was measured through a strain gauge. A 3-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was used to register the electric activity of the heart, and arterial tonometry monitors were used to record the left and right radial artery blood pressures. Signals were recorded on an IBM-compatible computer with a sampling frequency of 100 Hz. Normal breathing was used for the first 3 recordings, and breathing was paced to a metronome for the final 3 recordings at 12 breaths/min. Fourier analysis was performed on the beat-by-beat fluctuations of the ECG-determined R-R interval and systolic arterial pressure (SBP). Low-frequency fluctuations (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) reflected sympathetic activity, whereas high-frequency fluctuations (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) represented parasympathetic activity. Sympathovagal indices were determined from the ratio of the two bandwidths (LF/HF). The coefficient of variation (CV%) for autonomic parameters was calculated ([average/SD] x 100%) to compare breathing normally and breathing to a metronome with respect to variability. One-way analysis of variance was used to detect differences. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant; all results are presented as average +/- SD.ResultsThree male and 5 female normotensive subjects were studied. Metronome breathing did not produce any significant changes in blood pressure for the left and right radial arteries, heart rate, or pressure pulse transmission time. Breathing to a metronome increased ECG-HF power (0.25 +/- 0.07 vs 0.35 +/- 0.09, P < 0.04), decreased ECG-LF/HF (1.08 +/- 0.55 vs 0.57 +/- 0.35, P < 0.05), and reduced the CV% for ECG-LF (47.6% +/- 23.4% vs 23.8% +/- 14.6%, P < 0.03), ECG-HF (46.2% +/- 14.2% vs 25.8% +/- 17.0%, P < 0.03) and ECG-LF/HF (50.1% +/- 27.6% vs 23.4% +/- 12.3%, P < 0.03) in comparison with normal breathing. Metronome breathing increased the left and right radial artery SBP-HF fluctuations (left, 0.11 +/- 0.05 vs 0.30 +/- 0.16, P < 0.007; right, 0.09 +/- 0.05 vs 0.27 +/- 0.15, P < 0.008) and decreased the SBP-LF/HF components (left, 3.42 +/- 2.36 vs 1.14 +/- 0.88, P > 0.03; right, 3.08 +/- 1.77 vs 1.20 +/- 0.93, P < 0.02). Metronome breathing did not significantly alter the CV% for SBP-HF, SBP-LF, and SBP-LF/HF.ConclusionsMetronome breathing increased parasympathetic activity, as evidenced by augmented HF power in the ECG and SBP data. The variability (CV%) of ECG-determined ANS measurements was significantly reduced with paced breathing at 12 breaths/min, but no significant reductions were observed for the SBP-determined ANS measurements. These findings indicate that ECG data are more sensitive than SBP data for future clinical trials.

      Pubmed     Full text   Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        
    You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
    • Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as *italics*, _underline_ or **bold**.
    • Superscript can be denoted by <sup>text</sup> and subscript <sub>text</sub>.
    • Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines 1. 2. 3., hyphens - or asterisks *.
    • Links can be included with: [my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com)
    • Images can be included with: ![alt text](https://bestmedicaljournal.com/study_graph.jpg "Image Title Text")
    • For footnotes use [^1](This is a footnote.) inline.
    • Or use an inline reference [^1] to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document [^1]: This is a long footnote..

    hide…

What will the 'Medical Journal of You' look like?

Start your free 21 day trial now.

We guarantee your privacy. Your email address will not be shared.