BACKGROUND: There is evolving evidence that heart rate (HR) is genetically determined. Heart rate variability (HRV) measured by power spectral analysis provides quantitative phenotypic markers of autonomic nervous system activity. Reported determinants of HR and HRV only partially explain their variability in the population. The purpose of this study was to assess the heritability of HR and HRV and estimate the contribution of genetic factors to their variance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Subjects who underwent ambulatory recordings at a routine examination were eligible; subjects with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and those taking cardioactive medications were excluded. We analyzed high-frequency power, low-frequency power, very low-frequency power, total power, low-frequency/high-frequency ratio, and the standard deviation of normal R-R intervals from 2-hour continuous ECG recordings. Heritability analysis was done by studying correlations between siblings (n=682, in 291 sibships, 517 pairs) and between spouse pairs (n=206 pairs) after adjusting for important covariates. Results from separate models were combined to estimate the components of variance attributable to measured covariates, additive genetic effects (heritability), and household effects. After adjusting for covariates, the correlations were consistently higher among siblings (0.21 to 0.26) compared with spouses (0.01 to 0.19). The measured covariates in general accounted for 13% to 40% of the total phenotypic variance, whereas genetic factors accounted for 13% to 23% of the variation among HR and HRV measures. CONCLUSIONS: Heritable factors may explain a substantial proportion of the variance in HR and HRV. These results highlight the contribution of genetic versus environmental factors to autonomic nervous system activity.
BACKGROUND: There is evolving evidence that heart rate (HR) is genetically determined. Heart rate variability (HRV) measured by power spectral analysis provides quantitative phenotypic markers of autonomic nervous system activity. Reported determinants of HR and HRV only partially explain their variability in the population. The purpose of this study was to assess the heritability of HR and HRV and estimate the contribution of genetic factors to their variance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Subjects who underwent ambulatory recordings at a routine examination were eligible; subjects with congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and those taking cardioactive medications were excluded. We analyzed high-frequency power, low-frequency power, very low-frequency power, total power, low-frequency/high-frequency ratio, and the standard deviation of normal R-R intervals from 2-hour continuous ECG recordings. Heritability analysis was done by studying correlations between siblings (n=682, in 291 sibships, 517 pairs) and between spouse pairs (n=206 pairs) after adjusting for important covariates. Results from separate models were combined to estimate the components of variance attributable to measured covariates, additive genetic effects (heritability), and household effects. After adjusting for covariates, the correlations were consistently higher among siblings (0.21 to 0.26) compared with spouses (0.01 to 0.19). The measured covariates in general accounted for 13% to 40% of the total phenotypic variance, whereas genetic factors accounted for 13% to 23% of the variation among HR and HRV measures. CONCLUSIONS: Heritable factors may explain a substantial proportion of the variance in HR and HRV. These results highlight the contribution of genetic versus environmental factors to autonomic nervous system activity.
Authors: Mark Eijgelsheim; Christopher Newton-Cheh; Nona Sotoodehnia; Paul I W de Bakker; Martina Müller; Alanna C Morrison; Albert V Smith; Aaron Isaacs; Serena Sanna; Marcus Dörr; Pau Navarro; Christian Fuchsberger; Ilja M Nolte; Eco J C de Geus; Karol Estrada; Shih-Jen Hwang; Joshua C Bis; Ina-Maria Rückert; Alvaro Alonso; Lenore J Launer; Jouke Jan Hottenga; Fernando Rivadeneira; Peter A Noseworthy; Kenneth M Rice; Siegfried Perz; Dan E Arking; Tim D Spector; Jan A Kors; Yurii S Aulchenko; Kirill V Tarasov; Georg Homuth; Sarah H Wild; Fabio Marroni; Christian Gieger; Carmilla M Licht; Ronald J Prineas; Albert Hofman; Jerome I Rotter; Andrew A Hicks; Florian Ernst; Samer S Najjar; Alan F Wright; Annette Peters; Ervin R Fox; Ben A Oostra; Heyo K Kroemer; David Couper; Henry Völzke; Harry Campbell; Thomas Meitinger; Manuela Uda; Jacqueline C M Witteman; Bruce M Psaty; H-Erich Wichmann; Tamara B Harris; Stefan Kääb; David S Siscovick; Yalda Jamshidi; André G Uitterlinden; Aaron R Folsom; Martin G Larson; James F Wilson; Brenda W Penninx; Harold Snieder; Peter P Pramstaller; Cornelia M van Duijn; Edward G Lakatta; Stephan B Felix; Vilmundur Gudnason; Arne Pfeufer; Susan R Heckbert; Bruno H Ch Stricker; Eric Boerwinkle; Christopher J O'Donnell Journal: Hum Mol Genet Date: 2010-07-16 Impact factor: 6.150
Authors: Phillip E Melton; Sue Rutherford; Venkata Saroja Voruganti; Harald H H Göring; Sandra Laston; Karin Haack; Anthony G Comuzzie; Thomas D Dyer; Matthew P Johnson; Jack W Kent; Joanne E Curran; Eric K Moses; John Blangero; Ana Barac; Elisa T Lee; Lyle G Best; Richard R Fabsitz; Richard B Devereux; Peter M Okin; Jonathan N Bella; Uli Broeckel; Barbara V Howard; Jean W MacCluer; Shelley A Cole; Laura Almasy Journal: Hum Mol Genet Date: 2010-07-03 Impact factor: 6.150
Authors: Anatoli I Yashin; Igor V Akushevich; Konstantin G Arbeev; Lucy Akushevich; Svetlana V Ukraintseva; Aliaksandr Kulminski Journal: Age (Dordr) Date: 2006-12
Authors: Reuben Howden; Eric Liu; Laura Miller-DeGraff; Heather L Keener; Christopher Walker; James A Clark; Page H Myers; D Clay Rouse; Tim Wiltshire; Steven R Kleeberger Journal: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Date: 2008-05-02 Impact factor: 4.733