Frequency domain characteristics of muscle sympathetic nerve activity in heart failure and healthy humans

Researchers have investigated the impact of congestive heart failure (CHF) on the rhythmic control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). This involved characterizing oscillations in MSNA in the frequency domain in health men and men with CHF. These were related to blood pressure (BP), breathing frequency and heart rate (HR). It was possible to identify spectral power in the MSNA signal which is similar in magnitude in people with normal and impaired ventricular functions in relation to total power and the relative proportion of harmonic and nonharmonic elements.