| Speaker: Alona Ben-Tal Affiliation: Massey University Time: 2 pm Thursday, 17 May, 2018 Location: 303-257 |
| When we breathe deep and slow, our heart rate variability increases. This is mainly due to a healthy phenomenon called Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA). RSA is strongest in the young and fit and its loss is linked with cardiac mortality. We have shown using a variety of mathematical techniques and mathematical models that RSA may serve to minimize the energy expenditure of the heart while maintaining physiological levels of arterial carbon dioxide; our theoretical study did not support a previously suggested hypothesis that the physiological function of RSA is to optimize gas exchange in the lungs. This talk will describe how we came up with the new hypothesis and our current efforts to answer a follow up question: could reinstating RSA in people with heart disease help their heart recover? |