Characteristics of Autonomic Regulation of the Heart Function in Musicians Playing Wind Instruments
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Neurophysiology, Vol. 52, No. 2, March, 2020
Characteristics of Autonomic Regulation of the Heart Function in Musicians Playing Wind Instruments A. Czyżyk,1 M. Izak,1 and B. Paleczny2 Received October 2, 2019 We compared measures of the sympatho-vagal balance in heart regulation and cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) between musicians playing wind instruments (n = 23) and non-musicians (n = 19) to elucidate whether playing wind instruments is associated with chronic alterations in autonomic cardiovascular control. The arterial blood pressure was measured and ECG was recorded under resting conditions, and the Valsalva maneuver was conducted. The main HRV parameters were calculated, and BRS values were estimated using a sequence method. Musicians were characterized by a higher average heart rate at rest, lower values of the parasympathetic-related HRV parameters, i.e., RMSSD, pNN50%, HF, and SD1, together with lower values of SDNN and total HRV power. The Valsalva maneuver estimates (BRS) did not differ significantly between musicians and non-musicians. Thus, certain HRV parameters differed significantly between the examined groups. Musicians were characterized, in general, by lower vagal activity and sympathetic predominance. There was no difference in the BRS.
Keywords: autonomic nervous system, heart rate variability (HRV), baroreflex sensitivity, musicians, wind instrument players.
INTRODUCTION Every oboist or trumpeter can recall the strenuous beginning of playing one’s instrument, when the joy of learning was accompanied by afflicting symptoms of dizziness or scotoma [1]. Playing a wind instrument is similar to the Val salva maneuver, as in both cases there is a cons i derable increase in the intrathoracic press ure and changes in blood circulation [2]. We hypothesized that the aforementioned changes in the blood pressure, which stimulate baroreceptors when play ing an instrument, may cause noticible chronic baro reflex sensitivity changes in wind instrument musi cians with an extensive practice experience. To verify whether playing a wind instrument is accompanied by altered baroreceptor activity, we have examined a group of musicians along with age- and sex-matched controls. We focused
Students’ Psychophysiological Association, Wroclaw Medical Uni versity, Wroclaw, Poland 2 Department of Physiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Correspondence should be addressed to A. Czyżyk (e-mail: alicja.czyż[email protected]). 1
on the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) indices, which reflect the auto nomic nervous control of cardiac activity.
METHODS Examined groups. Healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 30 years participated in the study. We compared two groups of subjects, wind instrument musicians and controls. The group of musicians consisted of 23 par ticipants recruited from the Ryszard Bukowski State Music School (4 bassoonists, 4 flutists, 6 oboists, 4 trombonists, 4 saxophonists, and 1 clarinetist). The control group included 19 students fro
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