Cardiac stimulus intensity and heartbeat detection: effects of tilt-induced changes in stroke volume

The effects of variations in stroke volume on the intensity of cardiac stimuli was examined in a series of three experiments that employed classical psychophysical methods to assess heartbeat detection. Stroke volume was manipulated by passive body tilt and recorded using impedance cardiography while subjects performed heartbeat detection tasks. The postural manipulation generated little or no change in contractility or momentum but did produce substantial changes in stroke volume. However, this potential source of variation in cardiac stimulus magnitude did not influence either the precision of heartbeat detection or the temporal location of heartbeat sensations. It is concluded that the intensity dimension of the heartbeat stimulus is not determined by stroke volume.