The Influence of Rhythm, Cognitive Task and Physical Activity on the Cardiac ANS in Chronic Stroke Patients

Autonomic dysfunction is a common complication of stroke that may lead to poor rehabilitation outcomes and to increase in mortality. The severity of the autonomic dysfunction can be measured in many ways, but the most common way is assessment of the sympathetic-parasympathetic equilibrium by heart rate variability analysis. It is known that the plasticity of the brain can influence the autonomic nerve system and that providing appropriate stimuli encourages these changes. It was found that stimulation of rhythm, stimulation of cognitive tasks and stimulation of activity, influence the autonomic nerve system in healthy subjects. Thus, we can ask if an integrated task (activity, cognitive, rhythm) may influence the autonomic nervous system and cause an increase in brain activity, therefore contributing to the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Taken together, the purpose of this study is to examine the influence of stimulation of rhythm, stimulation of cognition, stimulation of activity and combined stimulation, on the autonomic nerve system. This effect will be tested by measuring heart rate variability in chronic stroke patients and in a control group.