title: Frequency analysis of heart rate variability: a useful assessment tool of linearly polarized near-infrared irradiation to stellate ganglion area for burning mouth syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by the following subjective complaints without distinct organic changes: burning sensation in mouth or chronic pain of tongue. BMS is also known as glossodynia; both terms are used equivalently in Japan. Although the real cause of BMS is still unknown, it has been pointed out that BMS is related to some autonomic abnormality, and that stellate ganglion near-infrared irradiation (SGR) corrects the autonomic abnormality. Frequency analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is expected to be useful for assessing autonomic abnormality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated whether frequency analysis of HRV could reveal autonomic abnormality associated with BMS, and whether autonomic changes were corrected after SGR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight subjects received SGR; the response to SGR was assessed by frequency analysis of HRV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference of autonomic activity concerning low-frequency (LF) norm, high-frequency (HF) norm, and low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) was found between SGR effective and ineffective groups. Therefore, we proposed new parameters: differential normalized low frequency (D LF norm), differential normalized high frequency (D HF norm), and differential low-frequency/high-frequency (D LF/HF), which were defined as differentials between original parameters just before and after SGR. These parameters as indexes of responsiveness of autonomic nervous system (ANS) revealed autonomic changes in BMS, and BMS seems to be related to autonomic instability rather than autonomic imbalance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequency analysis of HRV revealed the autonomic instability associated with BMS and enabled tracing of autonomic changes corrected with SGR. It is suggested that frequency analysis of HRV is very useful in follow up of BMS and for determination of the therapeutic efficacy of SGR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, the University of Tokushima Graduate Faculty of Dentistry, Tokushima, Japan. momota@dent.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Momota
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kani
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Motegi
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aota
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: Mayuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Shigemasa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomioka
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azuma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013233:Stellate Ganglion; D016896:Treatment Outcome