title: Cardiac cycle length variability in ponies at rest and during exercise.
abstract: We evaluated cardiac cycle length variability in ponies at rest and during strenuous exercise with and without premedication with atropine. In the absence of premedication, cardiac cycle length at rest was 1,112 +/- 53 ms, the individual cardiac cycle length standard deviation (SDCL) was 75 +/- 23 ms, and the individual cycle length coefficient of variation (CVCL) was 6.32 +/- 1.62. Exercise significantly decreased (P < 0.05) all three indexes (290 +/- 9 ms, 5 +/- 1 ms, and 1.65 +/- 0.20, respectively). Atropine premedication significantly reduced resting cardiac cycle length (685 +/- 46 ms), SDCL (10 +/- 2 ms), and CVCL (1.45 +/- 0.19) compared with nonpremedicated values. Cardiac cycle length was significantly decreased by exercise after atropine premedication, but no statistically significant changes occurred in SDCL or CVCL. Thus, although considerable cardiac cycle length variability exists in nonpremedicated ponies at rest, it is nearly completely abolished by strenuous exercise. The absence of significant differences between the indexes of variability during exercise without premedication, at rest after atropine, and during exercise after atropine indicates that cardiac cycle length variability in the pony is mediated primarily through activity of the parasympathetic system.
authors.affiliation: John M. Dalton Research Center, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rugh
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hatfield
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001285:Atropine