Heart Rate Variability

Image Credit: Pandelis Perakakis

A complex system is a system composed of interconnected parts that as a whole exhibit one or more emergent properties not obvious from the properties of the individual parts. The heart is a strong example of such a system. In conjuction with my colleague and good friend Dr Pandelis Perakakis we are studying heart rate variability using detrended fluctuation analysis. We have found that the healthy heart operates at the edge of chaos in a state of self-organised criticality ready to respond efficiently to hormonal and metabolic changes, and that it is possible to associate fractal scale with heart conditions.

Forthcoming Articles:

1. Perakakis P, Reyes del Paso G, Taylor M, Vila J (2011). The effect of parasympathetic blockade on the detrended fluctuation analysis of heart rate variability. J Cardiology (Submitting) doi: [post-print] [journal article] [BibTeX]

Peer-Reviewed Articles:

1. Perakakis P, Joffily M, Taylor M, Guerra P, Vila J (2010) KARDIA: A Matlab software for the analysis of cardiac interbeat intervals. Computer Methods & Programs in Biomedicine 98:83-89. doi:10.1016/j.cmpb.2009.10.002 [post-print] [journal article] [BibTeX] 
2. Perakakis P, Taylor M, Martinez-Nieto E, Revithi I, Vila J (2009) Breathing frequency bias in fractal analysis of heart rate variability. Biological Psychology 82:82–88. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.06.004 [post-print] [journal article] [BibTeX] (3 citations)

Conference Proceedings:

1. Perakakis P, Taylor M, Anillo-Vento L, Vila J (2006) Linear and nonlinear measures of heart rate variability: correlations with respiratory variables. Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR) 46th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 25-29 October [Abstract]
2. Perakakis P, Taylor M, Muñoz MA, Rodríguez S, Vila J (2006) Dissociation between linear and nonlinear measures of heart rate variability: the role of respiration. Sociedad Española de Psicofisiología (SEPF), Granada, Spain, 28-30 September [Abstract]
3. Perakakis P, Taylor M, Muñoz MA, Vila J (2006) The heart as a complex adaptive system and the implications for respiratory interventions: does our heart like deep breathing? Federação de Sociedades de Biologia Experimental (FeSBE), Aguas de Lindóia, São Paulo, Brasil, 23-26 August [Abstract]
4. Perakakis P, Taylor M, Vila J (2006) Effects of shallow breathing on the fractal correlation properties of heart rate dynamics: an alternative explanation for the Buteyko effect. International Nonlinear Science Conference (INSC), Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 10-12 March [Abstract]
5. Perakakis  P, Taylor M, Vila J (2006) Los efectos del método Buteyko sobre las propiedades fractales de la dinámica cardiacal. I Congreso Hispano Cubano de la Psicología de la Salud, Cienfuegos, Cuba [Poster]