The ClassA Framework: HRV Based Assessment of SNS and PNS Dynamics Without LF-HF Controversies

Conclusion The Classification Angle (ClassA) framework has been introduced to accurately capture stress-specific dynamics of the autonomic nervous system using heart rate variability (HRV). This has been achieved based on a second-order-difference-plot of HRV, which makes it possible to assess cardiac dynamics. The framework has been shown to identify which branch of the autonomic nervous system is dominating, without inheriting any of the controversies associated with the low- and high- frequency components of HRV. The Classification Angle framework is comprehensive and has been designed to produce four metrics to assess autonomic dynamics. All four ClassA metrics have been able to distinguish between epochs of mental stress and physical stress, and the preceding epochs of no stress; this was established over experiments on 10 males, with statistically significant p-values in the range of 2 × 10−4 to 2.3 × 10−2 (Bonferroni corrected p-value ≤ 0.025). Out of the standard temporal, spectral and nonlinear HRV metrics (heart rate, standard deviation of beat-to-beat intervals, low frequency and high frequency components, sample entropy and permutation entropy of HRV) applied on the same data, heart rate, the high frequency components of HRV and permutation entropy were able to discern between epochs of physical stress from the preceding epochs of no stress, with p-values in the range of 2 × 10−4 to 1 × 10−2...
Source: Frontiers in Physiology - Category: Physiology Source Type: research