부산대학교 도서관

Depressed heart rate variability and mood are associated with increased mortality in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Here autonomic indexes were assessed 3 and 7 wk after left coronary artery ligation in telemetered rats, after which anxiety-like behaviors were assessed in an elevated plus maze. Low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) heart rate variability were reduced in CHF rats 3 wk after infarction (LF, 1.60 [+ or -] 0.52 vs. 6.97 [+ or -] 0.79 [ms.sup.2]; and HF, 1.53 [+ or -] 0.39 vs. 6.20 [+ or -] 1.01 [ms.sup.2]; P < 0.01). The number of sequences of interbeat intervals that correlated with arterial pressure was decreased in CHF rats at 3 and 7 wk (week 3, 26.60 [+ or -] 10.85 vs. 59.75 [+ or -] 11.4 sequences, P < 0.05; and week 7, 20.80 [+ or -] 8.97 vs. 65.38 [+ or -] 5.89 sequences, P < 0.01). Sequence gain was attenuated in CHF rats by 7 wk (1.34 [+ or -] 0.06 vs. 2.70 [+ or -] 0.29 ms/mmHg, P < 0.01). C oherence between interbeat interval and mean arterial blood pressure variability in the LF domain was reduced in CHF rats at 3 (0.12 [+ or -] 0.03 vs. 0.26 [+ or -] 0.05 [k.sup.2], P < 0.05) and 7 (0.16 [+ or -] 0.02 vs. 0.31 [+ or -] 0.05 [k.sup.2], P < 0.05) wk. CHF rats invariably entered the open arm of the elevated plus maze first and spent more time in the open arms (36.0 [+ or -] 15% vs. 4.6 [+ or -] 1.9%, P < 0.05). CHF rats also showed a tendency to jump head first off the apparatus, whereas controls did not. Together the data indicate that severe autonomic dysfunction is accompanied by escape-seeking behaviors in rats with verified CHF. telemetry; blood pressure; elevated plus maze; myocardial infarction; congestive heart failure