Reduced vagal modulations of heart rate during overwintering in Antarctica

Martina A Maggioni, Giampiero Merati, Paolo Castiglioni, Stefan Mendt, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Alexander C Stahn, Martina A Maggioni, Giampiero Merati, Paolo Castiglioni, Stefan Mendt, Hanns-Christian Gunga, Alexander C Stahn

Abstract

Long-duration Antarctic expeditions are characterized by isolation, confinement, and extreme environments. Here we describe the time course of cardiac autonomic modulation assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) during 14-month expeditions at the German Neumayer III station in Antarctica. Heart rate recordings were acquired in supine position in the morning at rest once before the expedition (baseline) and monthly during the expedition from February to October. The total set comprised twenty-five healthy crewmembers (n = 15 men, 38 ± 6 yrs, n = 10 women, 32 ± 6 yrs, mean ± SD). High frequency (HF) power and the ratio of low to high frequency power (LF/HF) were used as indices of vagal modulation and sympathovagal balance. HF power adjusted for baseline differences decreased significantly during the expedition, indicating a gradual reduction in vagal tone. LF/HF powers ratio progressively shifted toward a sympathetic predominance reaching statistical significance in the final trimester (August to October) relative to the first trimester (February to April). This effect was particularly pronounced in women. The depression of cardio-vagal tone and the shift toward a sympathetic predominance observed throughout the overwintering suggest a long-term cardiac autonomic modulation in response to isolation and confinement during Antartic overwintering.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Temporal profiles of log HF (a) and log LF/HF (c) during Antarctica overwintering in men (blue) and women (red). Data are adjusted means and standard errors. Contrasts show mean effects and 95% CI for linear and cubic trends in men and women and their differences. Detailed polynomial contrast analyses are provided in Table 3. Panel (b) and (d) show changes between trimesters T1, T2, and T3 for men (blue) and women (red), which were defined as T1: Feb to April; T2: May to July; and T3: Aug to Oct. Contrasts indicate interactions between trimesters and sex, i.e., mean differences between men and women relative to changes in log HF and Log LF/HF from T1 to T2, T2 and T3, and T1 and T3, respectively. Detailed contrasts analyses are reported in Table 5.

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