Autonomic nervous function and localization of cerebral activity during lavender aromatic immersion

Issue title: Synergy of Informatics and Biology – Grand Challenge of Bio-nantechnology Based Future Biomedical Engineering

Guest editors: Toshiyuki Hayase and Atsushi Shirai

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Duan, Xudong^{a; *} | Tashiro, Manabu^a | Wu, Di^b | Yambe, Tomoyuki^c | Wang, Qingtian^c | Sasaki, Takehisa^a | Kumagai, Kazuaki^a | Luo, Yun^d | Nitta, Shin-ichi^e | Itoh, Masatoshi^a

Affiliations: [a] Division of Nuclear Medicine, Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan | [b] Division of Music Education, Miyagi University of Education, Japan | [c] Department of Medical Engineering and Cardiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan | [d] Biomedical Engineering Research Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan | [e] Department of Medical Engineering and Clinical Investigation, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan | Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Xudong Duan, M.D., Ph.D, Division of Cyclotron Nuclear Medicine, Cyclotron Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki Aobaku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan. Tel.: +81 22 795 7802; Fax: +81 22 795 7797; E-mail: xddan@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp.

Abstract: Changes in the autonomic nervous activity can be induced by various sensory and emotional stimuli. The authors examined whether the power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) could detect changes in autonomic tone following a lavender aroma treatment or not. Healthy young women (n=10, 23±3 years old) underwent continuous electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring before and after (10, 20, 30 minutes) the lavender fragrance stimuli. HRV was expressed by three indices: low (0.04–0.15 Hz) and high (0.15–0.40 Hz) frequency components (nLF and nHF, respectively) as well as LF/HF ratio. Increases in the parasympathetic tone were observed after the lavender fragrance stimulus as seen as increases in the HF component and decreases in the LF/HF. Additional measurement with positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrated the regional metabolic activation in the orbitofrontal, posterior cingulate gyrus, brainstem, thalamus and cerebellum, as well as the reductions in the pre/post-central gyrus and frontal eye field. These results suggested that lavender aromatic treatment induced not only relaxation but also increased arousal level in these subjects.

Keywords: Lavender, heart rate variability (HRV), positron emission tomography (PET), relaxation, aroma-therapy

DOI: 10.3233/THC-2007-15201

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 69-78, 2007