Paced 0.1 Hz breathing causes high amplitude HR oscillation, triggering resonance in the cardiovascular system (CVS). This oscillation is considered to be a primary therapeutic factor in HRV biofeedback treatments. This study examined whether rhythmical skeletal muscle tension (RSMT) can also cause 0.1 Hz resonance in the CVS, and compared oscillatory reactivity in CVS functions caused by RSMT and paced breathing (PB). Sixteen young healthy participants completed five tasks: baseline, three RSMT tasks at frequencies of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 Hz, and a 0.1 Hz PB task. ECG, respiration, finger pulse, and skin conductance data were collected. Results showed that 0.1 Hz RSMT as well as 0.1 Hz PB triggered resonance in the CVS and caused equivalent oscillations in all measured CVS functions, although in women, RSMT compared to PB caused lower HR oscillation. Clinical application of 0.1 Hz RSMT is discussed.
Resonance in the Cardiovascular System Caused by Rhythmical Muscle TensionResonance is a phenomenon characterized by the appearance of oscillation in a system at a specific frequency (resonance frequency) in response to perturbation. Such a system is called a resonance system or a system with a resonance property. The cardiovascular system (CVS) reveals resonance properties at frequencies of about 0.1 and 0.03 Hz due to the arterial baroreflex (Vaschillo, et al., 2002;van de Vooren, et al., 2007;Hammer and Saul, 2005). The 0.1 Hz resonance property of the CVS has demonstrated clinical utility in the treatment of disorders that involve autonomic nervous system dysregulation because patients may be trained to voluntarily produce high-amplitude oscillations in cardiovascular functions. Paced breathing at a rate of 0.1 Hz has been used effectively in heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback (Lehrer, Vaschillo, and Vaschillo, 2000) to improve symptoms of physical and mental disorders including asthma (Lehrer et al., 2004), hypertension (McCraty et al., 2003;Yucha et al., 2005), coronary heart disease (Cowan, Pike, & Budzynski, 2001;Del Pozo et al., 2004;Nolan et al., 2005), major depression , and fibromyalgia . The therapeutic effects of HRV biofeedback are thought to be due to the induction of high-amplitude oscillations in HR, BP, and VT which exercise and activate homeostatic reflexes (e.g., the baroreflex), retrain them (Chernigovskaya et al., 1990;Lehrer et al., 2003Lehrer et al., , 2004, and initiate, through the baroreceptors, a cascade of neurobiological events that produces a generalized inhibitory effect on the brain (Dworkin et al., 1994; Elbert et al., 1992;Nyklicek et al., 2005;Rau et al., 1993; Yasumasu et al., 2006). France et al., 2006 further showed that rhythmical skeletal muscle tension at a rate of 0.1 Hz increases brain oxygenation and effectively prevents the vasovagal reaction in people with a history of neurocardiogenic syncope, yet did not link
The Baroreflex Provides Resonances in the CVSThe arterial baroreflex is believed to be the mechanism that provides for resonance in the CVS. The ba...