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Genetic Influences on Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia across Different Task Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

D.I. Boomsma ,
G.C.M. van Baal  and
J.F. Orlebeke
D.I. Boomsma*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
G.C.M. van Baal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
J.F. Orlebeke
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
Department of Psychology, Free University, De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract

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Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been shown to be a sensitive index of vagal cardiac control. We studied the genetic and nongenetic influences on individual differences in RSA in a sample of 160 adolescent twins. RSA was measured during rest and across two different tasks. Results show that heritability is task dependent. The amount of genetic variance is the same, however, during rest and task conditions. Because nonshared environmental variance decreases during tasks, heritability is larger for RSA measured under more stressful conditions than for RSA as measured during rest. Multivariate models assessed the continuity of the genetic and environmental influences and show genetic influences to be the same across different conditions, while environmental influences are different. More specifically, a one-factor model is found for genetic influences and a second-order autoregressive model for the environmental factors.

Keywords

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)Vagal toneTwins
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 181 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

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