Concept of stress The PPS measurement Conducting the PPS measurement The intervention The practical applicability Ethics
Hypotheses Validation studies Ongoing research
Scientific articles Books
 
 

New neuroscience technology for measurement of Autonomic Nervous System Function

 
 
 
 
 

A Groundbreaking discovery

 

The device measures Periostal Pressure Sensitivity (PPS) and “bears paramount clinical importance. It can serve as a diagnostic tool to assess Autonomic activity and as a therapeutic target”¹

 
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Key scientific findings:

  1. The PPS measure is closely associated to a broad range of health risk factors, which are all controlled by the autonomic nervous system²⁻¹³.

  2. The PPS measure is closely associated to the homeostatic processes, which are controlled by the autonomic nervous system and are vital for survival in all living organisms¹⁴.

  3. The PPS measure is not influenced by medication which blocks sympathetic autonomic function (i.e., Beta-blocker medication), although this medication blocks the effect on health risk factors controlled by the sympathetic autonomic system when an elevated PPS is reduced. This indicates that PPS is controlled centrally in the autonomic nervous system, i.e., in the brain10, ¹⁵. 

  4. A non-pharmacological intervention, which activates reflexes in the autonomic nervous system, reduces the PPS measure, and concomitantly reduces the broad range of elevated health risk factors¹¹⁻¹³. 

  5. The PPS measure is closely associated to the contemporary methods for measurement of autonomic function: Baroreflex response to Tilt Table Testing and Heart Rate Variability – both of which are influenced by Beta-blocker medication⁸﹐ ¹⁰.

  6. In persons with type 2 diabetes, an elevated PPS is associated with disrupted glucose regulation. This is reversed by the mentioned intervention (see point 4), leading to a clinically highly relevant reduction in blood glucose (HbA1c) (22 % reduction)¹⁴.

  7. In persons with ischemic heart disease and with elevated PPS measure as a sign of disrupted autonomic function, the mentioned intervention leads to a substantial 60% reduction in 5-years all-cause mortality¹⁶.

Conclusions
The scientific data allow for a fully evidence-based public implementation of the PPS measurement and the associated PPS home-based biofeedback guided intervention.

Persons with type 2 diabetes and persons with ischemic heart disease represent the natural first groups for implementation.

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