{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:10:57Z","timestamp":1790143857835,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002322","name":"Coordena\u00e7\u00e3o de Aperfei\u00e7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00edvel Superior","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Physiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Military pilots are exposed to high psychophysiological demands arising from Q9 environmental, operational, and cognitive factors. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used as a non-invasive marker of autonomic modulation, whereas the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) allows the assessment of perceived workload. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated these parameters in aerial demonstration pilots.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To compare autonomic responses assessed by HRV and perceived workload in pilots from the Brazilian Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron during recovery following operational maintenance (OM) and aerial demonstration (AD) flights.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Nine elite military pilots (32 \u00b1 3 years) performed two flights with an average duration of 50 minutes: an OM flight, characterized by lower operational complexity, and an AD flight, characterized by higher operational complexity and involving seven aircraft performing synchronized aerobatic maneuvers. HRV was recorded using the Equivital\u00ae system and analyzed with Kubios\u00ae software, including SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, and LF\/HF during an immediate post-flight recovery segment. After each flight, perceived workload was assessed using the NASA-TLX. Comparisons between conditions were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with statistical significance set at p &amp;lt; 0.05.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>AD flights showed higher scores for temporal demand (+29%; p = 0.01) and effort (+28%; p = 0.03), as well as percentage increases in the other NASA-TLX dimensions. Most HRV indices remained stable between conditions (p &amp;gt; 0.05). The only significant difference was observed for maximum heart rate, which was 9% lower in the post-flight comparison between OM and AD conditions (p = 0.01).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Exploratory correlation analyses revealed sparse and largely non-significant associations between HRV indices and NASA-TLX dimensions, with only a few nominal associations involving temporal demand and the spectral HF component.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Aerial demonstration flights were associated with higher perceived workload scores, particularly in the temporal demand and effort dimensions. However, no statistically significant differences were detected for most HRV indices assessed during the immediate post-flight recovery period. These findings suggest relative stability of autonomic responses in highly experienced military pilots, even in the presence of increased perceived workload.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2026.1919969","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T05:50:07Z","timestamp":1790142607000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Perceived workload and heart rate variability in elite military pilots recovering from operational maintenance and air demonstration flights"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Wilian de Jesus","family":"Santana","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"GETAFIS \u2013 Study Group on Training, Physical Activity, and Health, S\u00e3o Judas Tadeu University","place":["S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gilberto Pivetta","family":"Pires","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Air Force University (UNIFA) \u2013 Brazilian Air Force University","place":["Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Diego","family":"Santiago","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GETAFIS \u2013 Study Group on Training, Physical Activity, and Health, S\u00e3o Judas Tadeu University","place":["S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edson Koury do","family":"Nascimento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Air Force University (UNIFA) \u2013 Brazilian Air Force University","place":["Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paulo","family":"Farinatti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LABSAU \u2013 Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Rio de Janeiro State University","place":["Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlos Eduardo Rosa","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GETAFIS \u2013 Study Group on Training, Physical Activity, and Health, S\u00e3o Judas Tadeu University","place":["S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aylton","family":"Figueira Junior","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GETAFIS \u2013 Study Group on Training, Physical Activity, and Health, S\u00e3o Judas Tadeu University","place":["S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/aerospace7090137","article-title":"Aircraft pilots workload analysis: Heart rate variability objective measures and NASA-Task Load Index subjective evaluation","volume":"7","author":"Alaimo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aerospace"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e212","DOI":"10.1093\/milmed\/usaf300","article-title":"Evaluation of workload in military pilots during formation flight instruction: Impacts of function and experience","volume":"191","author":"Almeida","year":"2026","journal-title":"Military Med."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/s25082343","article-title":"Detection of cognitive load modulation by EDA and HRV","volume":"25","author":"Boffet","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"873","DOI":"10.1590\/S0104-530X2012000400015","article-title":"Avalia\u00e7\u00e3o da carga mental de trabalho e do desempenho de medidas de mensura\u00e7\u00e3o: NASA-TLX e SWAT","volume":"19","author":"Cardoso","year":"2012","journal-title":"Gest\u00e3o Produ\u00e7\u00e3o"},{"key":"B5","article-title":"Measuring and evaluating workload: A primer","author":"Casner","year":"2010"},{"key":"B6","first-page":"7007","article-title":"Detection of G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) prognosis through EMG monitoring on gastrocnemius muscle in flight","author":"Choi","year":"2015"},{"key":"B7","volume-title":"Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences","author":"Cohen","year":"1988"},{"key":"B8","first-page":"P73","article-title":"G-factor as a tool in basic research: Mechanisms of orthostatic tolerance","volume":"6","author":"Convertino","year":"1999","journal-title":"J. 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