Hypothetical Control of Heart Rate Variability

Abstract

In the last three decades, the analysis of heart rate variability by nonlinear methods demonstrated the complexity of cardiovascular regulation. Additionally to the observations of periodic heart rate regulation by the autonomic nervous system, the long-term statistics of the heart rate has been determined to reminisce a tempered Lévy process. A number of heuristic arguments have previously been made to support a tempering conjecture, using exponentially truncated waiting times for the time intervals between heart beats. Herein we use the fractional probability calculus to frame our arguments and to parameterize the control process that tempers the Lévy process through a collective-induced potential. We also determine that the hypothesis of a self-induced nonlinear potential control resulting in such a tempered Lévy process is consistent with the hypothesis of disease being the loss of physiologic complexity made over 25 years ago.