Key result
Female sex in corn snakes is linked to ~43 ms longer RR intervals and higher RMSSD.
Why the study?
Assessing heart rate variability with linear methods and Poincare plots can help evaluate autonomic cardiac regulation and assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of heart disease in snakes.
Cross-Sectional (n=21)
No
Absolute Event Rate: 1192.7% vs 1150.1%
p-value: p=<0.0001
This study establishes baseline electrocardiogram and heart rate variability parameters for adult corn snakes, providing useful reference values for future veterinary cardiac assessments.
Sex differences in corn snake HRV metrics should not change practice; leaves open extension to other species or models.
The assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) by linear methods in conjunction with Poincaré plots can be useful for evaluating cardiac regulation by the autonomic nervous system and for the diagnosis and prognosis of heart disease in snakes. In this report, we describe an analysis of HRV in conscious adult corn snakes Pantherophis guttatus (P. guttatus). The electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters were determined in adult corn snakes (8 females, 13 males) and used for HRV analysis, and the RR interval was analyzed by linear methods in the time and frequency domains. There was no sex-related difference in heart rate. However, significant differences were seen in the duration of the P, PR, and T waves and QRS complex; there was no difference in the QT interval. The values for the RR interval varied by 15.3% and 18.8% in male and female snakes, respectively, and there was considerable variation in the values for the high and low frequency domains. The changes in the time domain were attributed to regulation by the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, in agreement with variations in the high and low frequency domains. The values for standard deviations 1 and 2 in Poincaré plots, as well as the values of the frequency domain, provide useful parameters for future studies of cardiac function in P. guttatus.
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Neto et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=21). Female sex vs. Male sex was evaluated on RR interval (ms) (p=<0.0001). In conscious adult corn snakes, female sex was associated with a significantly longer RR interval (1192.7 ms vs 1150.1 ms) and higher RMSSD compared to males, despite no significant difference in overall heart rate.
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