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Cited by 786Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlNon-Invasive Vital Sign MonitoringCardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias

Heart Rate Variability ? A Historical Perspective

Open access
Billman, George E.·2011·Frontiers in Physiology
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2011.00086PMC PMC3225923
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Abstract

Heart rate variability (HRV), the beat-to-beat variation in either heart rate or the duration of the R-R interval - the heart period, has become a popular clinical and investigational tool. The temporal fluctuations in heart rate exhibit a marked synchrony with respiration (increasing during inspiration and decreasing during expiration - the so called respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA) and are widely believed to reflect changes in cardiac autonomic regulation. Although the exact contributions of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system to this variability are controversial and remain the subject of active investigation and debate, a number of time and frequency domain techniques have been developed to provide insight into cardiac autonomic regulation in both health and disease. It is the purpose of this essay to provide an historical overview of the evolution in the concept of HRV. Briefly, pulse rate was first measured by ancient Greek physicians and scientists. However, it was not until the invention of the "Physician's Pulse Watch" (a watch with a second hand that could be stopped) in 1707 that changes in pulse rate could be accurately assessed. The Rev. Stephen Hales (1733) was the first to note that pulse varied with respiration and in 1847 Carl Ludwig was the first to record RSA. With the measurement of the ECG (1895) and advent of digital signal processing techniques in the 1960s, investigation of HRV and its relationship to health and disease has exploded. This essay will conclude with a brief description of time domain, frequency domain, and non-linear dynamic analysis techniques (and their limitations) that are commonly used to measure HRV.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fphys.2011.00086

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  • The genesis of RSA involves a network of central, peripheral and mechanical elements that are likely interacting bidirectionally and contributing synergistically to HRV.

    “it is generally accepted that the genesis of RSA involves a network of central, peripheral and mechanical elements that are likely interacting bidirectionally and contributing synergistically to HRV [36, 38, 83].”

    From The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human (2017) · cites this paper as [38]

    The Historical Overview says central and peripheral mechanisms can both contribute to RSA. Some Limitations and Caveats adds that mechanical effects contribute to HRV and describes complex interactions among autonomic influences. Neither section establishes bidirectional, synergistic interaction among all three elements; the Historical Overview says their relative contributions remain controversial. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Augmentation of mechanical elements and peripheral reflexes can be achieved by slow, deep breathing, which would contribute to the observed increases in RSA amplitude.

    “Augmentation of these mechanical elements and peripheral reflexes can be achieved by slow, deep breathing, which would contribute to the observed increases in RSA amplitude (reviewed by Billman [38]).”

    From The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human (2017) · cites this paper as [38]

    In “Some Limitations and Caveats” (page unavailable), Billman reports that slow, deep breathing can provoke respiratory R–R oscillations through mechanical effects and that slower, deeper breathing increases heart-rate variability. The “Historical Overview” (page unavailable) says pulmonary stretch receptors can contribute to RSA, but the paper does not establish that slow, deep breathing augments those peripheral reflexes specifically. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • HRV is largely a product of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity.

    “HRV is therefore largely a product of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity [38].”

    From The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human (2017) · cites this paper as [38]

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Floyer S. J. (1707). The Physician’s Pulse-Watch; or, an Essay to Explain the Old Art of Feeling the Pulse, and to Improve it by Help of the Pulse Watch, Vol. 1, Published by S. Smith and B. Walford (London), 13
  2. Galen (1997). “The pulse for beginners,” in Galen: Selected Works, (Singer P. N. Translator), New York: Oxford University Press, 332
  3. Hon E. H. Lee S. T. (1965). Electronic evaluations of fetal heart rate patterns preceding fetal death, further observations. Am. J. Obset. Gynecol. 87, 814– 826 14085784
  4. Peñáz J. (1957). Oscillations de la fréquence cardique et du tonus vasomoteur au cours de respiration ràlentie et accélérée. J. Physiol. (Paris) 49, 346– 349 13449839

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Authors
Billman, G. E.
Affiliations
The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Billman, George E.
Venue
Frontiers in Physiology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2011
Volume
2
Pages
86-86
ISSN
1664-042X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fphys.2011.00086
PMC
PMC3225923
OpenAlex
W2111772099
Semantic Scholar
09bab97fbbeffdc9e3fca77723c524390d242097
Cited by
786
References
182
Citations by year
2026: 57 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 66 · 2017: 71 · 2016: 51 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 10
FWCI
15.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Physiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Non-Invasive Vital Sign Monitoring
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias
Keywords
heart rate variability, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, cardiac autonomic regulation, parasympathetic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system, pulse measurement, Stephen Hales, Carl Ludwig, ECG, time-domain analysis, frequency domain analysis, nonlinear dynamic analysis

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