ACTA UNIVERSITATIS PALACKIANAE OLOMUCENSIS GYMNICA ...

Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2004, vol. 34, no. 2 45in patients with ischemic heart disorder played animportant role. The use of spectral analysis of heartrate variability when assessing the effect of respiratorytechniques on the functional changes in the autonomousnervous system was studied in a thesis by Ježek (2001).The influence of regulated and spontaneous respirationon actual changes in the autonomous nervous system,respectively on the frequency and amplitude modulationof the respiratory bound activity of the vagus, was studiedin the works of Kolisko, Salinger et al. (1997, 2001).Additionally, Brown et al. (1993), Grosmann, Beek, andWietjes (1990), Saul, Kaplan, and Kitney (1988) studiedthe relation among respiration frequency, heart rate oscillationand respectively, the R-R intervals.Some special respiratory techniques (hyperventilationetc.) are used in some special psychotherapeutictechniques (for example holotropic respiration). In thesphere of psychotherapy the effect of regulated intensifiedrespiration is known to induce intensified relaxationresponses in the body (Baštecký, Šavlík, & Šimek, 1993;Benson & Starková, 1997; Míček, 1984).Voluntary regulation of respiration is thus regardedby us as a fundamental factor that aims to infl uence,through actual autonomous regulation, the activity of itspartial subsystems in sympathetic and parasympatheticaspects while systematically influencing the body’s activitydirected by this system. That’s why, since 1995, wehave been engaged in the study of the problem and thepossibilities of objectifying the voluntary regulation ofthe actual functional condition of ANS with the methodof spectral analysis of heart rate variability (Kolisko,Salinger, Opavský et al., 1997).The Vario Cardio TF4 diagnostic system used byus for assessing R-R intervals variability enables us,together with the method of spectral analysis of heartrate variability (Yamamoto & Hughson, 1991; Havano,Sakakibara, Yamada et al., 1991; Salinger, Vychodil,Novotný et al., 1995; Salinger, Pumpla, Vychodil et al.,1999), to observe non-invasively the actual functionalchanges in heart rate variability that reflect actual functionalchanges in regulation modulated by the autonomousnervous system.The method of spectral analysis of heart rate variabilityenables the observation of the relationship betweenselected respiratory techniques and actual functionalchanges in heart rate variability.The current literature does not offer detailedstudies on the relations between voluntary regulationof respiration and changes in heart rate variability,respectively frequency and amplitude modulation ofthe frequency spectrum characterising sympatheticand vagus activities. The problems of the relationshipbetween respiratory frequency and changes in heartrhythm is described in the works of Brown, Beightol,Koh, and Eckberk (1993), Grossman (1992a, 1992b),Grossman, Karemaker, and Wieling (1991), Grossmanand Kollai (1993). Saul et al. (1988, 1989) found a relationshipbetween respiratory frequency and respiratorysinus arrhythmia. The occurrence of respiratorysinus arrhythmia is closely related to vagus activation.In a number of published works there is a descriptionof a marked decrease or a complete absence of respiratorysinus arrhythmia during cholinergic blockage orafter vagotomy (Cacioppo et al., 1994; Katona & Jih,1975; Kollai & Mizsci, 1990). For this reason we supposethat regulation of respiration has an extraordinaryimportance during activation of the vagus componentof the autonomous nervous system and enables actualregulation of the sympathetic-vagus balance (Akselrodet al., 1981, 1985).Intentionally, apart from Šlachta, Stejskal, Elfmarket al. (2002) and Stejskal, Šlachta, Elfmark et al. (2002),we did not apply the total autonomous regulation levelparameter, so-called functional age, which expressesbasically the functional changes in sympathetic andparasympathetic activities depending on the verticaland horizontal body position during examination.In our study, we opted for the sitting position with anupright trunk for assessing the influence of respirationon changes in SAHRV. This position is connected withchanges of diaphragm position and enables a highereffectiveness of respiratory muscles engagement (Véle,1997; Paleček et al., 1999). That’s why it is evidentlyempirically applied and duly recommended for respiratoryand auto concentration exercises in yoga (Dostálek,1996).RESEARCH AIMTo find changes in heart rate variability, respectivelychanges in the autonomous nervous system during differentbreathing techniques.RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES1. What is the relationship between frequency of respirationand the frequency component of ANS bound torespiration which we regard as vagus activity?2. In what manner do the values of the observed functionalparameters of the spectral analysis of heart ratevariability (SAHRV) change in frequency zones of verylow frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF) and high frequency(HF) during rhythmised respiratory frequencyof 12 cycles/min., during spontaneous respiratoryfrequency, during intensified respiration (so-called fullyoga breath), during alternate respiration through onenostril and during rhythmised tachypnoe (the so-calledtechnique of kapalabhaty)?