| Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, Vol. 13, Iss. 2, Apr, 2009, pp. 181-206 @2009 Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences The Long March: From Monofractals to Endogenous Multifractality in Heart Rate Variability Analysis Abstract: The paper presents a methodological critique of the literature on
heart rate variability in the context of nonlinear dynamics and time
series analysis. The concomitant developments in nonlinear dynamic
analysis and cardiology, together with the gradual shift from the
monofractal approach to multifractality are evaluated. It is argued
that despite its seminal contributions to the under-standing of heart
rate variability, the literature has often been plagued by a lack of
appropriate synthesis of nonlinear dynamics with time series statistics
on the one hand, and the misinterpretation of time and frequency domain
analyses on the other. Furthermore, several open questions for future
research are identified. Keywords: chaos, fractals, electrocardiogram, long memory, nonlinearity, surrogate data analysis |