The aim of the present paper was, using artificial neural networks, to identify chaotic attractors presumed to be responsible for heart rate fluctuations. Chaotic behaviour is based on low-dimensional deterministic processes which are highly sensitive to initial conditions and therefore of limited predictability. Chaotic attractors produce orbits in the phase space where the points are dense. Following transformation of measured heart rate date into the phase space, such heart rate prediction characteristics were found in 6 adult rabbits. A low-dimensional deterministic model was designed by means of an artificial neural network [2*dimension of the time series +1) input neurons, 1 hidden layer, 1 output neuron and was successfully employed to predict the next 5 heart beats. Training of the neural network in terms of the prediction of the suspected chaotic orbits was dramatically improved by considering all possible prediction intervals within the prediction horizon. The trained models enabled the heart rate fluctuations to be distinguished during consciousness, under anaesthesia and additional vagal blockade.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biocybernetic investigations of pursuit and posture motor control--a strategy for a detailed characterization of movement disorders in brain-damaged children.

By means of a biocybernetic approach the pursuit and posture motor control of brain-damaged children with spastic hemiparesis and disturbed motor coordination of mild extent were investigated. The postural motor control system was loaded by pseudostochastic binary torque sequences applied to the wrist. The dynamics of this system were characterized on the basis of the parameters forearm displacement as well as surface-EMG of M. Biceps and Triceps (calculations of weight functions). The pursuit motor control was analyzed by a pursuit tracking method. By this way the motor capacity for fine and rough motor coordination, motor rhythm, motor adaptation, the maximal speed of movements and motor reaction time could be tested. Considering these results a characterization of movement control on different levels of motor regulation was possible (dynamics of muscular, spinal, and supraspinal components of motor control).

Brain Damage, Chronic↗