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Carotid dP/dt as a Psychophysiological Index of Sympathetic Myocardial Effects: Some Considerations
Author(s) -
Heslegrave Ronald J.,
Furedy John J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1980.tb00187.x
Subject(s) - autonomic nervous system , psychology , heart rate , contractility , sympathetic nervous system , sympathetic activity , cardiology , heart rate variability , medicine , psychophysiology , parasympathetic nervous system , skin conductance , neuroscience , blood pressure , biomedical engineering
Heart rate (HR) is modulated by both branches of the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, the neural regulation of a specific change in HR cannot be deduced from HR changes per se. For example, HR deceleration cannot be interpreted as being due to sympathetic nervous system withdrawal and/or parasympathetic nervous system activation. It is quite possible that sympathetic activation may be dominated by parasympathetic antagonism. To determine neurogenic influences on the heart, one group of researchers have focused on measuring contractility aspects of ventricular function since it has been demonstrated that the ventricles are sympathetically dominated. This paper assesses the validity of contractility‐based dP/dt measures as indices of ventricular function, and thus of sympathetic activity, being especially concerned with the noninvasive carotid dP/dt measure which is of particular significance to psychophysiologists. The validation examination consists of an exploration into the underlying physiology of dP/dt measures as well as a critical appraisal of empirical psychophysiological findings related to dP/dt. Other important parameters related to psychophysiological measures, such as obtrusiveness and quantification, are also discussed. The conclusion is that carotid dP/dt has not been adequately validated for use by psychophysiologists and until such basic research is carried out, this psychophysiological index of sympathetic activity cannot seriously be considered a measure of sympathetic, betaadrenergic, or even ventricular function.