Reconstructing the model equation for the autonomic control of the mean arterial pressure from rat data

Several parameters of the autonomic control of the mean arterial pressure, namely the time delay in the feedback loop, parameters of the nonlinear transfer function between the arterial pressure and baroreceptor activity, and inertial properties of the system, cannot be measured directly. Therefore, the ability to evaluate them indirectly and reconstruct an personalized mathematical model of the autonomic control is valuable for both fundamental investigation and diagnostics of the cardiovascular system. We developed an algorithm that tackles this problem. We initially tested the algorithm on the data, generated by a mathematical model of the autonomic control of the mean arterial pressure with added noises of various nature, and the algorithm demonstrated sufficient resistance to noise. Then we tested the algorithm against the experimental rat data. The time series from the reconstructed model closely resembled the experimental data in terms of spectral properties and the shape of oscillations, and estimations of the parameters were stable across the record. Due to that stability, we can assume that the reconstructed values represent the intrinsic characteristics of the system.