Autonomic Response to Tactical Pistol Performance Measured by Heart Rate Variability

Abstract Thompson, AG, Swain, DP, Branch, JD, Spina, RJ, and Grieco, CR. Autonomic response to tactical pistol performance measured by heart rate variability. J Strength Cond Res 29(4): 926–933, 2015—This study evaluated changes in autonomic tone during a tactical pistol competition. At rest and during a match, heart rate variability (HRV) was examined in 28 healthy subjects. Heart rate variability time-domain variables (including interbeat interval [IBI]) and frequency-domain variables (low frequency [LF], high frequency [HF], total power [TP]) measured during shooting were subtracted from those measured during rest to produce &Dgr;s. The shooting task involved several, rapid tactical maneuvers. Raw time to completion and inaccurate shots (points down [PDs]) were recorded and combined to form a match score where lower values indicated superior shooting performance. Mean (±SD) raw time was 135.9 ± 34.1 seconds, PDs were 78 ± 34, and match score was 175.3 ± 39.8. Shooting decreased IBI (i.e., increased heart rate) and LF. &Dgr;LF, &Dgr;HF, and &Dgr;TP were independent of &Dgr;IBI. Raw time was significantly (p ⩽ 0.05) correlated to shooting IBI (r = 0.404) and &Dgr;IBI (r = −0.426). Points down were significantly correlated to &Dgr;TP (r = 0.416) and &Dgr;LF (r = 0.376). Match score was significantly correlated to &Dgr;IBI (r = −0.458), &Dgr;HF (r = 0.467), &Dgr;LF (r = 0.377), and &Dgr;TP (r = 0.451). In conclusion, individuals with a greater decrease in IBI (and thus heart rate) performed better by accomplishing the match faster. Individuals with less change in stress-related HRV measures (LF, HF, and TP) performed better through improved accuracy. Thus, HRV-derived sympathetic response is significantly related to shooting performance and should be used to assess marksmanship effectiveness under duress.

[1]  E. Miller,et al.  Top-Down Versus Bottom-Up Control of Attention in the Prefrontal and Posterior Parietal Cortices , 2007, Science.

[2]  D. Brodie,et al.  The use of heart rate variability measures to assess autonomic control during exercise , 2006, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[3]  H. Engeland,et al.  Heart rate and skin conductance in four-year-old children with aggressive behavior , 2009, Biological Psychology.

[4]  Vladimir Coric,et al.  Relation between cardiac vagal tone and performance in male military personnel exposed to high stress: three prospective studies. , 2007, Psychophysiology.

[5]  A. Arnsten.  Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function , 2009, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[6]  Amanda E. Markham,et al.  Age-Matched Comparison of Elite and Non-elite Military Performers during Free Living and Intense Operational Stress , 2009 .

[7]  Gregory K. W. K. Chung,et al.  The Role of Anxiety on Novices' Rifle Marksmanship Performance , 2005 .

[8]  R. Oudejans,et al.  Effects of anxiety on handgun shooting behavior of police officers: a pilot study , 2010, Anxiety, stress, and coping.

[9]  Kewei Chen,et al.  Neural correlates of heart rate variability during emotion , 2009, NeuroImage.

[10]  Robert Henning,et al.  SOCIAL-PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL COMPLIANCE AS A PREDICTOR OF FUTURE TEAM PERFORMANCE , 2005 .

[11]  U. Rajendra Acharya,et al.  Heart rate variability: a review , 2006, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[12]  H. G. Rauch,et al.  The effect of short duration heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on cognitive performance during laboratory induced cognitive stress , 2011 .

[13]  Caroline Di Bernardi Luft,et al.  Heart rate variability and cognitive function: Effects of physical effort , 2009, Biological Psychology.

[14]  A. Malliani,et al.  Heart rate variability. Standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use , 1996 .

[15]  R. Lane,et al.  Claude Bernard and the heart–brain connection: Further elaboration of a model of neurovisceral integration , 2009, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

[16]  G. Breithardt,et al.  Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation and clinical use. Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. , 1996 .

[17]  Marek Malik,et al.  Heart Rate Variability: Measurements and Risk Stratification , 2008 .

[18]  Matthew W. Miller,et al.  The Effects of Team Environment on Attentional Resource Allocation and Cognitive Workload , 2013 .

[19]  Adam W. Hoover,et al.  Physiological compliance and team performance. , 2009, Applied ergonomics.

[20]  Zachary N. J. Horn,et al.  Cognitive Readiness: The Need for a Multi-Modal Measurement Approach , 2012 .

[21]  Gregory K. W. K. Chung,et al.  The Influence of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Factors on the Development of Rifle Marksmanship Skills. CRESST Report 753. , 2009 .

[22]  J. Thayer,et al.  The Effect of Brief Situational Awareness Training in a Police Shooting Simulator: An Experimental Study , 2006 .

[23]  J. Thayer,et al.  Relationship between heart rate variability and cognitive function during threat of shock , 2009, Anxiety, stress, and coping.

[24]  J. Thayer,et al.  Heart Rate Variability, Prefrontal Neural Function, and Cognitive Performance: The Neurovisceral Integration Perspective on Self-regulation, Adaptation, and Health , 2009, Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

[25]  Monica Martinussen,et al.  Psychological Measures As Predictors of Military Training Performance , 2003 .

[26]  Patrick J. Rosopa,et al.  Predicting Team Performance in a Dynamic Environment , 2013 .

[27]  C L Feldman,et al.  Determinants of heart rate variability. , 1996, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

[28]  Jessica L. Graves,et al.  Protocol for Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training , 2013 .