Title :
Assessment of autonomic pathways through esophageal stimulation
Author :
Kamath, M. ; Hollerbach, S. ; Tougas, G. ; Fallen, E. ; Upton, A.
Author_Institution :
McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ont., Canada
Abstract :
The authors studied the effects of esophageal electrical stimulation on heart rate variability power spectra and cortical evoked potentials (EPs) in healthy subjects. In the first study they stimulated the esophagus of 15 healthy subjects at 20 mA using 200 μs wide pulses at frequencies from 0.1 Hz to 1 Hz. For the second study they stimulated the esophagus of 13 volunteers at currents from 2-20 mA and at 6/minute. For both studies the LF:HF ratio decreased significantly during stimulation when compared to resting levels. In the second study, the amplitude of the principal wave (P2) of the EP increased with the stimulus intensity. The authors´ studies suggest that esophageal stimulation can permit one to access neural pathways of the autonomic nervous system
Keywords :
electrocardiography; electroencephalography; medical signal processing; neurophysiology; spectral analysis; 0.1 to 1 Hz; 2 to 20 mA; 200 mus; LF:HF ratio; autonomic nervous system; autonomic pathways assessment; cortical evoked potentials; esophageal electrical stimulation effects; healthy subjects; heart rate variability power spectra; neural pathways accessing; principal wave amplitude; resting levels; stimulus intensity; Autonomic nervous system; Electrical stimulation; Electrocardiography; Electrodes; Esophagus; Frequency; Heart rate; Heart rate variability; Neural pathways; Scalp;
Conference_Titel :
Computers in Cardiology 2000
Conference_Location :
Cambridge, MA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6557-7
DOI :
10.1109/CIC.2000.898647
