Pupillary and cardiovascular responses to a video movie in senior human subjects

• Published in: Autonomic neuroscience Vol. 97; no. 2; pp. 129 - 135
• Main Authors: Ando, Tomoo, Tanaka, Akira, Fukasaku, Sadahumi, Takada, Ritsuko, Okada, Masahiko, Ukai, Kazuhiko, Shizuka, Kazuhiko, Oyamada, Hiroshi, Toda, Haruo, Taniyama, Tomokazu, Usui, Tomoaki, Yoshizawa, Makoto, Kiryu, Tooru, Takagi, Mineo, Saida, Shinya, Bando, Takehiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 31.05.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Autonomic nervous function; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; Electrocardiography; Fasting; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Hypertension - physiopathology; Male; Middle Aged; Motion picture; Motion Pictures - instrumentation; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Noninvasive method; Pupillary light reflex; Reflex, Pupillary - physiology; Spectrum analyses; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Videotape Recording; Autonomic nervous function; Spectrum analyses; Motion picture; Pupillary light reflex; Noninvasive method; Human; Cardiovascular control; Video cassette; Autonomic nervous system; Non invasive method; Pupillary reflex; Movies; Elderly; Spectral analysis
• ISSN: 1566-0702; 1872-7484
• DOI: 10.1016/S1566-0702(02)00047-4

The effects of watching video movies on autonomic functions were estimated by measuring changes in pupillary and cardiovascular parameters in 10 senior subjects. The subjects looked at a series of video images (with accompanied sounds) taken during the execution of motor vehicles. The images were rear-projected on a large screen for 15 min. Pupil diameter and parameters of the light reflex were measured by an infrared pupillometer before and after the video presentation. Their electrocardiograms (ECG) and blood pressure were measured continuously. Subjects were divided into two groups depending on their values of blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose level. Subjects in Group A had blood pressures of less than 140 mm Hg and a fasting plasma glucose level of less than 7 mmol/dl (normal group). Other subjects were included in Group B (mild hypertension or diabetes mellitus group). While changes in pupillary light reflex after video viewing were minimal in the members of Group A, amplitudes of the pupillary reflex in the members of Group B varied over a significantly wide range. By the spectral analysis of cardiovascular rhythm, %LF and %HF components of blood pressure rhythm were significantly different between the two groups before video viewing. However, the ratios of frequency components before and after video viewing were not significantly different between the two groups. Our findings suggest that pupillary light reflex was less precisely controlled in subjects with mild autonomic dysfunction after prolonged audiovisual stimulation.