with the assumption of a sympathetic origin of the LF band.
No systematic linkage between HRV and PTT—an index of
b1-adrenergic influences on myocardial contractibility—was found
(Table 3). The only significant association contradicted the expec-
tations in the sense that LF power correlated positively with PTT
assessed during letter cancellation as well as time reaction tasks. In
the physical exercise study (Martín-Vázquez & Reyes del Paso,
2010), we used impedance cardiography in order to assess pre-
ejection period (PEP), one of the most reliable and valid noninva-
sive indicator of b1-cardiac adrenergic influences (McCubbin,
Richardson, Langer, Kizer, & Obrist, 1983; Sherwood et al., 1990).
No associations were found between HRV and PEP (Table 4). In
another study we compared patients suffering from fibromyalgia
with matched healthy controls in parameters of autonomic
cardiovascular
control
(Reyes
del
Paso,
Garrido,
Pulgar,
Martín-Vázquez, & Duschek, 2010). Again, the reanalysis of these
data revealed no associations between PEP and HRV (Table 4).
It has been argued that left ventricular ejection time (LVET)
constitutes a specific indicator of chronotropic sympathetic tone
(Uijtdehaage & Thayer, 2000). Given its inverse relationship with
sympathetic tone, one may predict negative correlations between
LVET
and
LF
power.
In
the
physical
exercise
study
(Martín-Vázquez & Reyes del Paso, 2010) correlations between
LVET and the three HRV components were .57, .46, and .40 for
baseline and .50, .46, and .48 for cognitive load, respectively, for
VLF, LF, and HF (all ps < .05). In the chronic pain study (Reyes del
Paso, Garrido, et al., 2010), correlations were .15, .48, and .47 for
baseline and .20, .24, and .51 for cognitive load, respectively, for
VLF, LF, and HF (ps < .05 for HF during baseline and cognitive
load and for LF during baseline). In the framework of the Uijtde-
haage and Thayer hypothesis, the positive associations of LF oscil-
lations with LVET clearly contradict the assumption of its
sympathetic origin.
Some authors have suggested that the LF component constitutes
a specific index of baroreceptor gain in mediating oscillations in
blood pressure and vasomotor activity (Goldstein et al., 2011;
Moak et al., 2007). We assessed BRS in our studies using sequence
analysis in the time domain (Reyes del Paso, González, &
Hernández, 2010). Tables 3 and 4 show associations between BRS
and the three frequency bands revealed by our reanalyses. Signifi-
cant correlations between BRS and the three components were
obtained, which contradicts the assumption of a specific relation-
ship between the LF band and baroreflex function. In all above
mentioned studies we found associations in the same direction
between the three HRV components and other parameters of car-
di
l
l I i
h
f
lik l
h
f h
Autoregression Technique with Interbeat Interval (IBI), Pre-
Ejection Period (PEP), and Baroreflex Sensitivity (BRS) in the
Physical Exercise Study (cf. Table 2) by Martín-Vázquez and Reyes
del Paso (2010; Panel A, n = 40) and in the Chronic Pain Study by
Reyes del Paso, Garrido, et al. (2010; Panel B, n = 64)
IBI
VLF
LF
HF
Panel A
IBI-BL
.672*
.563*
.563*
IBI-Task
.729*
.664*
.688*
PEP-BL
.081
.133
-.061
-.097
PEP-Task
.120
-.076
-.106
-.110
BRS-BL
.688*
.484*
.738*
.768*
BRS-Task
.724*
.617*
.461*
.762*
Panel B
IBI-BL
.252+
.527*
.584*
IBI-Task
.244
.282+
.339*
PEP-BL
.198
.098
.077
.049
PEP-Task
.180
.059
.028
.065
BRS-BL
.688*
.370*
.738*
.768*
BRS-Task
.506*
.311+
.521*
.455*
Note. BL = baseline, Task = mental arithmetic, VLF = very low frequency,
LF = low frequency, HF = high frequency.
+p < .05.
*p < .01.
loaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyp.12027 by University of Canterbury Library Access and Collections, Wiley Online Library on [17/05/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https
