Chapter 13 - Heart Rate Variability as a Translational Biomarker for Emotional and Cognitive Deficits

Abstract

Abstract Heart Rate Variability (HRV) refers to the beat-to-beat variation in intervals in heartbeat within the electrocardiogram. In this paper, we review the possible usefulness of HRV as a translational and transdiagnostic biomarker. After a brief introduction on the relevance of novel translational biomarkers, we focus our attention on HRV and its relationship with emotional and cognitive deficits. This discussion is followed by a description of the many ways in which HRV can be quantified, paying attention to both the more traditional, linear measurements as well as the more novel, nonlinear methods. HRV alterations have been described in many different psychiatric disorders and we highlight particularly the changes seen in schizophrenia, major depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and autism spectrum disorders. One of the major advantages of HRV is that it can be assessed in humans and animals with the same techniques, and in the next section, we discuss HRV studies in rodents, particularly those with relevance for psychiatric disorders. We conclude with a number of suggestions for future research.