Time and frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability in cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a method to assess the function of the autonomic nervous system. Brainstem nuclei that influence HRV are affected by vacuolar changes and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) resulting in clinical signs suggestive of an increased parasympathetic tone. It was hypothesised that BSE in cattle causes changes in the autonomic nervous system; this was tested by comparing HRV indices derived from 1048 electrocardiograms, which were recorded from 51 naturally or experimentally infected cattle with BSE confirmed by postmortem tests, 321 clinical suspect cases or cattle inoculated with potentially infectious tissue without disease confirmation and 78 BSE-free control cattle.

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SUBMITTER: Konold T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3169472 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature