Respiratory Heart Rate Variability in Humans: From Physiology to Pathology
Valentin Ghibaudo
Team TIGER, CRNL – Lyon

Abstract
Respiratory-related heart rate variability (RespHRV), formerly known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia, reflects the coupling between heart rate and the respiratory cycle. Its amplitude varies across physiological and pathological conditions, making it a widely used non-invasive marker of autonomic nervous system activity. However, its physiological origins and the methodological choices
required for its accurate quantification remain debated. During my PhD, I developed a novel approach enabling cycle-by-cycle analysis of RespHRV, implemented in an open-source Python toolbox (physio), allowing a fine-grained characterization of cardio-respiratory coupling dynamics. Building on this high-resolution framework, I applied these methods during my last postdoc in a neuro-intensive care setting to investigate RespHRV in brain-injured patients. This work revealed a marked collapse in RespHRV amplitude, with some alterations in phase, probably reflecting impaired central autonomic control due to the clinical conditions.

This approach is now being extended at the INMED to assess the sensitivity of RespHRV to pharmacological modulation, in infants with Prader–Willi syndrome treated with oxytocin. Overall, this seminar will present RespHRV as a practical marker of physiological and pathological states, while discussing its mechanisms, methodological challenges, and translational potential.

Invited by Françoise Muscatelli
Monday 27 April 2026 at 11am, Inmed conference room