title: Waveform reliability of the phase related external suction baroreceptor manipulation method.
abstract: The phase related external suction (PRES) method of controlled carotid baroreceptor manipulation (a neck cuff with cardiac cycle timed pressure variations) has been used to investigate not only the human baroreflex, but extrahomeostatic effects of baroreceptor activity (such as the modulation of cortical activity, peripheral reflexes, and pain) as well. The present study provides quantitative within subject test-retest reliability estimates of PRES effects on 6-s trial-length heart rate waveforms. Mean within subject test-retest reliability for each averaged heart rate response waveform was 0.77 for the baroreceptor stimulation (systolic negative/diastolic positive cuff pressure) condition, 0.56 for the control condition (diastolic negative/systolic positive cuff pressure), and 0.69 for the difference between conditions. The importance of analyzing time-intensity dynamics, rather than merely the mean or maximum effect of any treatment variable is emphasized, and recommended for investigations of a wide variety of short duration, induced physiological time series processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen, Germany. harald.rau@ unituebingen.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brody
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000294:innervation; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D011311:Pressoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013396:Suction