title: Increased first and second pulse harmonics in Tai Chi Chuan practitioners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is known to be a good calisthenics for people. This study examined the relationship between pulse harmonics and autonomic nervous modulation in TCC practitioners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Power spectral measures of right pulse wave and heart rate variability (HRV) measures were compared between TCC practitioners and control subjects. Correlation analyses between pulse harmonics and HRV measures were performed using linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, the total power of pulse (TPp), powers of all individual pulse harmonics, normalized power of the 1(st) harmonics (nPh1) of TCC practitioners were greater, while the normalized power of the 4(th) pulse harmonics (nPh4) of TCC practitioners was smaller, than those of the controls. Similarly, the baseline standard deviation (SD(RR)), coefficient of variation (CV(RR)), and normalized high-frequency power (nHFP) of RR intervals were smaller, while the normalized very low-frequency power (nVLFP) and low-/high- frequency power ratio (LHR) were larger in the TCC practitioners. The TCC age correlated significantly and negatively with nPh1, and nearly significantly and negatively with nPh2 in the TCC practitioners. Thirty min after TCC exercise, the percentage changes in mRRI, SDRR, TP, VLFP were decreased, while the percentage changes in HR, ULFP, nLFP, and Ph2 were increased, relative to the controls. Correlation analysis shows that the %Ph2 correlates significantly and negatively with %mRRI and significantly and positively with %HR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TCC practitioners had increased baseline total power of pulse and the 1(st) and 2(nd) pulse harmonics, and decreased power of the 4(th) pulse harmonics, along with decreased vagal modulation and increased sympathetic modulation. After TCC exercise, the power of the 2(nd) harmonics of TCC practitioners was increased which might be related to the increase in HR due to decreased vascular resistance after TCC exercise.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biophysics, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 112, Taiwan.|Institute of Cultural Asset and Reinvention, Fo-Guang University, Yilan, 262, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wan-An
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Taipei, Taipei, 111, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biophysics, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 112, Taiwan. cdkuo23@gmail.com.|Division of Respiratory Care, Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 112, Taiwan. cdkuo23@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cheng-Deng
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011674:Pulse; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D026302:Tai Ji; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology*