title: Impaired heart rate variability in euthymic bipolar patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has recently been shown to be a reliable non-invasive test for quantitative assessment of the central sympathovagal interaction that modulates cardiovascular autonomic function.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 39 euthymic bipolar patients and 39 controls, matched for age and sex. A high-resolution electrocardiogram was obtained during complete rest. Spectral analysis of R-R intervals was performed by the fast Fourier transform algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Euthymic bipolar patients at rest are characterized by markedly low HRV, independent of specific drug treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While these results of autonomic stability in euthymic bipolar patients are counter-intuitive, the findings may be important in understanding pathophysiology of bipolar affective illness.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. hagitc@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Hagit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Zeev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotler
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mittelman
authors.forename: Yamima
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osher
authors.forename: Yuly
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bersudsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents