Towards Disentangling the Contribution of Different Pathways for the Regulation of Cardiac Activity: A Pilot Study

Heartbeat is dynamically regulated through mediating routes associated with central and peripheral feedback mechanisms. Previous studies focused on the quantification of these mechanisms in the presence of a single stressor. In this pilot study we propose a model aimed to quantify the contribution of different heartbeat regulatory routes while multiple stressors are administrated to the subject. The model is tested with Heart rate Variability (HRV) series from 26 subjects undergoing physical and affective stressors. Results show that the physical stressor prevalently (74%) contributes in mediating cardiac vagal control dynamics in case of concurrent affective elicitation. These results may provide valuable insights on the regulatory mechanisms underlying cardiovascular variability.