Nonlinear dynamics in the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory coordination: fundamentals, experimental-mathematical approaches, and results

The dynamic nonlinear coordination of the common cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory autonomic system is introduced from the physiological and from the systems-theoretical point of view. Fundamental relations to chaos theory and synergetics as well as corresponding experimental-mathematical approaches are presented. The investigations, which were performed on humans and piglets, were focused on nonlinear coordinations. They encovered particular nonlinear couplings and intermittent phase synchronizations depending on the physiological behavioral state. It can be concluded that different aspects of nonlinear coordination exist which should be investigated by means of different appropriate methods. This opens particular windows into the complex functioning of the nervous system and its pathophysiological disorders.