title: Stochastic feedback and the regulation of biological rhythms.
abstract: We propose a general approach to the question of how biological rhythms spontaneously self-regulate, based on the concept of "stochastic feedback". We illustrate this approach by considering at a coarse-grained level the neuroautonomic regulation of the heart rate. The model generates complex dynamics and successfully acounts for key characteristics of cardiac variability, including the l/f power spectrum, the functional form and scaling of the distribution of variations, and correlations in the Fourier phases indicating nonlinear dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Boston University, MA 02215, USA.
authors.lastname: Ivanov PCh
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Nunes Amaral
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Goldberger
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Stanley
mesh_terms: D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D017709:Fractals; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013269:Stochastic Processes