Effects of Stimuli on Cardiovascular Reactivity Occurring at Regular Intervals During Mental Stress

Author:

Lackner Helmut Karl12,Goswami Nandu2,Hinghofer-Szalkay Helmut12,Papousek Ilona3,Scharfetter Hermann4,Furlan Rafaello5,Schwaberger Guenther2

Affiliation:

1. Institute of Adaptive and Spaceflight Physiology, Graz, Austria

2. Institute of Physiology, Center of Physiological Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria

3. Department of Psychology, Karl Franzens University of Graz, Austria

4. Institute of Medical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Austria

5. Syncope Unit, Internal Medicine Bolognini Hospital, Seriate, BG University of Milan, Italy

Abstract

Studies examining the direct effects of stimuli needed to perform mental stress tasks such as instructor commands at regular intervals during the mental task are limited to date. Because of the comprehensive effects of different stimuli, we studied the effect of short instructor commands occurring at regular intervals on the behavior of the cardiovascular system during two different types of tasks. Continuous beat-to-beat heart rate and blood pressure, respiration, thoracic impedance, skin conductance, and peripheral temperature were measured in 20 healthy females during a cancellation test of attention (stimuli interval of 20 s) and during mental arithmetic tasks (stimuli interval of 120 s). The transient effects of the stimuli on measures in the time domain as well as the effects of stimulus intervals on measures in the frequency domain (using spectral analysis) were examined. Instructor commands caused increases in several cardiovascular variables and in skin conductance. SBP (systolic blood pressure) and DBP (diastolic blood pressure) showed a significant stimulus response only during the mental arithmetic tasks. An effect of instructor commands at regular intervals was seen in the spectral analysis at 0.05 Hz (cancellation test of attention) and 1/120 Hz (mental arithmetic), according to the stimulus intervals of 20 s and 120 s used in these tasks. The findings suggest that even simple instructor commands given during high mental task load had a strong impact and can considerably influence measures of cardiovascular reactivity. The effects of paced stimuli should be considered when interpreting cardiovascular responses to task conditions with constant stimulus intervals.

Publisher

Hogrefe Publishing Group

Subject

Physiology,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology,General Neuroscience

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