title: Light-induced arousal affects simultaneously EEG and heart rate variability in the rat.
abstract: In awaken rats, ECG and EEG were simultaneously analysed in order to quantify the cortical EEG and beat-to-beat heart rate variability (HRV) in response to light onset. The HRV bands LF (40-200 mHz), MF (200-600 mHz) and HF (600-2500 mHz) and the EEG bands delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (13-32 Hz) were assessed. Light onset induced a significant arousal reaction in the EEG, manifested by a global decrease in total spectral power and a shift towards theta and beta bands, while total HRV spectral power increased, with a shift to the sympathetic-related MF band. This simultaneous changes in HRV and EEG induced by light onset could be triggered by the same common factor that controls both oscillatory responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Troncoso
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feria
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000528:radiation effects; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000528:radiation effects