Abstract
Cardiovascular phase, especially diastole, influences attention and the event-related potential (ERP) of the right hemisphere of the brain. Depression and schizoprenia are characterized by attentional deficits, unique lateralization of brain function, and deviant phase relationships of biological oscillators. In the present study, the ERP was recorded during stimulation triggered by diastole and systole in control (n = 16), depressed (n = 16), and schizophrenic (n = 9) subjects. Fifty tones were presented and subjects were instructed to count them silently. Previous findings were supported of delayed latencies and increased amplitude in depressed patients and decreased amplitudes and delayed latencies in schizophrenics. An exaggerated effect of diastole on the ERP in the right hemisphere was observed in depressed patients, however, no cardiovascular effect on the ERP was apparent in schizophrenic patients. Results suggested that heart/brain networks are tightly coupled in normal controls, perhaps “overdriven” in depressed patients, and uncoupled in schizophrenics.
Highlights
Relationships between cardiovascular and brain phase may be sensitive biological markers of psychopathology
The latencies for these components were delayed for both patient groups, the largest differences occurred between the schizophrenic patients and normals for NI and N2, and between the depressed patients and normals for P2
As suggested earlier (Sandman et al 1982), event-related potential (ERP) changes in depressed patients may result from tightly coupled central and peripheral "drive" systems
Summary
Relationships between cardiovascular and brain phase may be sensitive biological markers of psychopathology. There is substantial evidence that behavior and perceptual efficiency vary with cardiovascular phase, diastole. Attention and perceptual threshold are related to decelerating heart rate and the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle (Lacey 1959; Lacey et al 1963; Lacey 1967; Lacey and Lacey 1974). Accelerating heart rate and the systolic phase have been related to decision making and complex problem-solving (Bitten et ai 1963; Cacioppo and Sandman 1978; Sandman et al 1977; Saari and Pappas 1976). Stimulation synchronized with diastole, but not systole, produces enhanced visual and auditory event-rolated potentials (ERP's) (Sandman 1984; Walker and Sandman 1979, 1982).
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