title: Cardiac autonomic control in individuals with Down syndrome.
abstract: Our goal in this study was to compare cardiac autonomic control at rest between 50 individuals with Down syndrome and 24 control participants without disabilities. Resting autonomic function was assessed using analysis of heart rate variability. Participants with Down syndrome had reduced total heart rate variability, which indicates possible autonomic dysfunction in this population. Their VO2 peak and BMI were not significantly correlated with resting cardiac autonomic control. This may suggest that fitness level and obesity differentially affect cardiac autonomic control in persons with Down syndrome compared to their healthy, nondisabled peers.
authors.affiliation: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-5040, USA. sgoulopo@syr.edu
authors.forename: Styliani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goulopoulou
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baynard
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: Ifigenia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giannopoulou
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pitetti
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernhall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D012119:Respiration; D012146:Rest