METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF AUTONOMIC RESPONSE BY BROAD-BAND EXCITATION

A rapid, noninvasive technique for quantifying the dynamic response of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to perturbations it senses over a broad range of physiologically relevant frequencies. The technique involves two steps. First, a physiologic parameter sensed by the ANS is subjected to a broad-band perturbation as an input signal while a physiologic parameter modulated by the ANS is monitored as an output signal. Then, the transfer relation between input signal and output signal is determined. The computed transfer relation is then readily interpretable in terms of responsiveness of the various limbs of the ANS.