A Note on Warner´s Vagus Heart Rate Control Model

In the situation of a constant vagus impulse rate, Warner´s model for vagal stimulation heart rate (HR) control is a linear differential equation. The particular constants in the Warner model that may be explicitly computed from the experimental data and the sensitivity of the simulation of Warner´s model to variations in these parameters are determined. The performance of the Warner model and that of a first-order differential equation model are compared with each other and with experimental data. On the basis of this study, it is concluded that Warner´s published experimental data are more supportive of a first-order differential equation model for vagal heart control than it is of a second-order model.