A Controlled Study of the Effects of Mental Relaxation on Autonomic Excitatory Responses in Healthy Subjects
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19307333 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniela Lucini (0000-0003-4845-8988, Luigi Sacco Hospital), Gabriella Covacci, Richard Milani, Richard V Milani (0000-0002-6094-8253), Giuseppe Sandro Mela, Alberto Malliani, Massimo Pagani |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 541-552 |
| Publication date | 1997-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/00006842-199709000-00012 |
| PMID | 9316188 |
| OpenAlex | W2077359501 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 38 |
OBJECTIVE: Circumstantial evidence indicates that, in the presence of a suitable substratum, sudden, behaviorally induced increases in sympathetic drive to the cardiovascular system might play an important physiopathological role in various conditions, ranging from arterial hypertension to sudden coronary death. Accordingly, it might be useful to study the effects of behavioral interventions, such as mental relaxation, that might be capable of blunting excitatory autonomic responses. It would also be preferable to study healthy subjects in whom autonomic control is not modified by the presence of disease, and to use noninvasive approaches to minimize the possible emotional impact produced by invasive recordings. METHODS: We examined healthy subjects who were either subjected to relaxation training (N = 13) or sham relaxation (N = 12). An additional group, treated with beta-adrenergic blockade (N = 12), was also examined. Spectral and cross-spectral analysis of RR interval and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) variabilities provided quantitative markers of sympathovagal balance modulating the sinoatrial (SA) node, of sympathetic vasomotor modulation, and of the gain of the arterial pressure/heart period baroreflex (index alpha). Subjects were studied at rest, during standing, and during mental arithmetic. RESULTS: Data indicate that both beta-adrenergic blockade and relaxation training significantly blunted the excitatory autonomic responses to standing and to mental arithmetic. Indices of sympathetic modulation also seemed reduced by beta blockade at rest. No changes were observed with sham training. CONCLUSIONS: Frequency domain analysis of cardiovascular variabilities, using a totally noninvasive approach, indicates that relaxation training significantly blunts the excitatory autonomic changes produced by standardized behavioral laboratory stimuli
Autonomic nervous system · Baroreflex · Blood pressure · Cardiology · Excitatory postsynaptic potential · Heart rate · Inhibitory postsynaptic potential · Relaxation (psychology) · Vasomotor · Cardiac Health and Mental Health · Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Psychology · Stress Responses and Cortisol
Somatic Research Bibliography
Psychological Intervention Based on Mental Relaxation to Manage Stress in Female Junior Elite Soccer Team
An Historical and Critical Review of the Articles on Blood Pressure Published in Psychosomatic Medicine Between 1939 and 1997
Cardiovascular Indices of Peripheral and Central Sympathetic Activation
Implementation and Interpretation of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Measures in Psychosomatic Medicine
The Effects of Relaxation Before or After Skin Damage on Skin Barrier Recovery
Cardiovascular neural regulation explored in the frequency domain.
Power spectral analysis of heart rate and arterial pressure variabilities as a marker of sympatho-vagal interaction in man and conscious dog.
Relationships Between Circulating Catecholamines and Low Frequency Heart Period Variability as Indices of Cardiac Sympathetic Activity During Mental Stress
| Citations per year | 0.21 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1998 - 2023 (26) |
| Highly cited | No |