Evaluation of Aging, Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Cardiovascular Events

The regulatory effects of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) concern almost all organs which permanently feed information back to this global biological vigilance system controlling allostasis. Heart rate fluctuations are highly dependent on ANS control, making the heart one of the best indicators of ANS activity. Low ANS activity level is associated with severe cardiac and cerebral events, as well as to death from any cause in the general population. This PROOF study was hence designed to evaluate ANS activity levels among a healthy retired population, but should these levels decline overtime, to use this as a predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, taking into account established cardiovascular risk factors.