Local Sensitivity Analysis of a Closed-Loop in Silico Model of the Human Baroregulation

Using a minimal but sufficient closed-loop encapsulation and the theoretical framework of classical control, we implement and test the mathematical model of the baroregulation due to Mauro Ursino [24]. We present and compare data from a local relative sensitivity analysis and an input parameter orthogonality analysis from a regulated and then an equivalent unregulated cardiovascular model with a single ventricle and “CRC” Windkessel representation of the systemic circulation. We conclude: (i) a basic model of the closed-loop control is intrinsically stable; (ii) regulation generally (but not completely) suppresses the sensitivity of output responses on mechanical input parameters; (iii) with the sole exception of the regulation set-point, the mechanical input parameters are more influential on system outputs than the regulation input parameters. This work is the initial step for further analysis of more complex and computationally expensive models of the cardiovascular system, with baroreflex control, with possible applications in space-flight medicine or research on exercise intolerance.