Abstract
The neurovisceral integration model proposes a neuronal network that is related to heart rate activity and cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) and variability in electroencephalographic (EEG) functional connectivity in the resting state are related to cognitive flexibility. Thirty-eight right-handed students completed the CAMBIOS test, and their heart and EEG activity was recorded during 6 min in the resting state with their eyes open. We calculated correlations, partial correlations and multiple linear regressions among HRV indices, functional brain connectivity variability and CAMBIOS scores. Furthermore, the sample was divided into groups according to CAMBIOS performance, and one-way ANOVA was applied to evaluate group differences. Our results show direct and inverse correlations among cognitive flexibility, connectivity (positive and negative task networks) and heartbeat variability. Partial correlations and multiple linear regressions suggest that the relation between HRV and CAMBIOS performance is mediated by neuronal oscillations. ANOVA confirms that HRV and variability in functional brain connectivity is related to cognitive performance. In conclusion, the levels of brain signal variability might predict cognitive flexibility in a cognitive task, while HRV might predict cognitive flexibility only when it is mediated by neuronal oscillations.
Highlights
Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to flexibly adapt processing to changing environmental information, to guide thought and behavior and to allow directed action toward a goal (Cañas et al, 2003; Geurts et al, 2009; Dennis and Vander Wal, 2010; Ionescu, 2012)
Because the aim of this research was to study the relation between heart rate variability (HRV), SampEnFC and performance, the Hits subscore correlation was not obtained because HRV indices were not correlated in the previous analysis
The aim of the present study was to determine whether individual functional connectivity variability in the resting state (RSVFC) and HRV predicted performance on a cognitive task
Summary
Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to flexibly adapt processing to changing environmental information, to guide thought and behavior and to allow directed action toward a goal (Cañas et al, 2003; Geurts et al, 2009; Dennis and Vander Wal, 2010; Ionescu, 2012). The neurovisceral integration model (Thayer and Lane, 2009) proposes a neuronal network that relates heart rate activity and cognitive performance This model assumes that the CNS and ANS are reciprocally interconnected such that information flows bidirectionally (Smith et al, 2017). In a series of studies in which individuals were a priori stratified according to their resting-state levels of HRV, individuals with high HRV performed better on tasks involving executive function than those with low HRV (Hansen et al, 2009) Such findings indicate that individual differences in HRV are a useful predictor of cognitive flexibility (Gillie and Thayer, 2014)
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