Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) and Possible Determination of ANS Activity in Obesity

Overview

Obesity belongs to diseases with presumably modify activity of autonomous nervous system and its individual sympathetic and parasympathetic subsystems. The evaluation of individual components of ANS in obesity in most papers is characterized by the frequent finding of decreased parasympathetic activity, whereas the conclusions related to sympathetic part are controversial.

The determination of interactions between sympathetic and parasympathetic subsystems is presently analyzed mainly by time and spectral analysis of variability in the frequency of heart action, blood pressure or cardiovascular tests. The continual increase in the occurrence of obesity indicates how important it is to investigate changes in ANS activity, its mechanisms as well as to search for new and noninvasive mode of determination of these changes in obesity.

Key words:
obesity, autonomous nervous system, variability of heart rate, variability of blood pressure, cardiovascular tests