36th Annual Student Research Conference
Recruiting Core Muscles in Slow-Paced Contraction Increases Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Low-Frequency Power
Melody K. Zakarian*, Gabriel Durkee, and Isaac Compton
Dr. Fred Shaffer, Faculty Mentor
Slow-paced contraction (SPC) at one’s resonance frequency (~6 contractions per min [cpm]) can stimulate the arterial and vascular tone baroreflexes. Whereas core muscle SPC with crossed legs and wrist-ankle SPC with uncrossed legs produced resonance effects, researchers have not directly compared the effects on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and low-frequency (LF) power. This within-subjects experiment investigated whether crossing the legs and recruiting core muscles enhances wrist-ankle SPC effects on RSA and LF power. We trained 35 participants to complete 6-cpm wrist-ankle SPC (ankles uncrossed), 6-cpm wrist-core-ankle SPC (ankles crossed), and a control condition in which participants sat quietly (ankles uncrossed). Both SPC conditions produced greater HR, HR Max-HR Min, and LF power than the control condition. Wrist-core-ankle yielded greater HR and HR Max-HR Min than wrist-ankle SPC. These findings suggest that wrist-core-ankle SPC with legs crossed may more powerfully stimulate the baroreflex than wrist-ankle SPC with legs uncrossed.
Keywords: Heart Rate Variability, Biofeedback, Applied Psychophysiology
Topic(s):Psychology
Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 103-5
Location: SUB Georgian Room B
Time: 9:30