This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Crasset, V. Articles by van de Borne, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Crasset, V. Articles by van de Borne, P. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Seniors' Health Related Collections Autonomic, reflex, and neurohumoral control of circulation

(Circulation. 2001;103:84.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.

Clinical Investigation and Reports

Effects of Aging and Cardiac Denervation on Heart Rate Variability During Sleep

Vincent Crasset, MD; Silvia Mezzetti, MD; Martine Antoine, MD; Paul Linkowski, MD, PhD; Jean Paul Degaute, MD, PhD; Philippe van de Borne, MD, PhD

From the Department of Cardiology/Hypertension Clinic/Cardiac Surgery, Erasme Hospital (V.C, S.M., M.A., J.P.D., P.v.d.B.) and the Sleep Laboratory, Erasme Hospital (P.L.), Brussels, Belgium.

Correspondence to J.P. Degaute, MD, PhD, Hypertension Clinic, Erasme Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. E-mail jdegaute{at}ulb.ac.be

Background—Cardiac vagal predominance increases the RR interval and RR high-frequency (HF) variability during non–rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep (stages I through IV) in young subjects. Aging suppresses deep sleep, but effects of age-related changes in sleep architecture on RR are unknown. Whether mechanical effects of changes in the breathing pattern on the sinus node during sleep affect RR variability is unclear.

Methods and Results—Polygraphic sleep recordings and RR and RR spectral profiles were determined in 8 young (22.5±3.3 years) and 8 older (55.0±7.3 years) healthy volunteers. HF oscillations in RR of 8 cardiac-denervated heart transplant recipients determined mechanical effects of respiration on the sinoatrial node during sleep. Transition from wakefulness to non-REM sleep increased the RR interval in young and older subjects and increased the HF variability of RR in the young (P<0.05) but not in the older subjects. Older subjects disclosed a faster RR (P<0.01) and a lower HF variability (P<0.05) during non-REM sleep than the young subjects. Aging did not affect light and REM sleep but decreased deep sleep (stage IV) from 39±23 to 6±6 minutes (P<0.001). Reduction in sleep stage IV with aging blunted the increase in RR and in RR HF variability during non-REM sleep (r>0.55, P<0.05). Transition from wakefulness to non-REM sleep doubled the markedly reduced HF variability of RR in the heart transplant recipients (P<0.05).

Conclusions—Disappearance of deep sleep with aging impairs nocturnal increase in cardiac vagal activity. Mechanical effects of changes in breathing pattern during sleep favor increases in HF oscillations of the RR interval during non-REM sleep.

Key Words: aging • sleep • heart rate • transplantation

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Laitio, J. Jalonen, T. Kuusela, and H. Scheinin The Role of Heart Rate Variability in Risk Stratification for Adverse Postoperative Cardiac Events Anesth. Analg., December 1, 2007; 105(6): 1548 - 1560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. T. Laitio, H. V. Huikuri, T. H. Makikallio, J. Jalonen, E. S. H. Kentala, H. Helenius, O. Pullisaar, J. Hartiala, and H. Scheinin The Breakdown of Fractal Heart Rate Dynamics Predicts Prolonged Postoperative Myocardial Ischemia Anesth. Analg., May 1, 2004; 98(5): 1239 - 1244. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Hayano and F. Yasuma Hypothesis: respiratory sinus arrhythmia is an intrinsic resting function of cardiopulmonary system Cardiovasc Res, April 1, 2003; 58(1): 1 - 9. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. L. Holmes, H. J. Burgess, and D. Dawson Effects of sleep pressure on endogenous cardiac autonomic activity and body temperature J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2002; 92(6): 2578 - 2584. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]