Changes In High-frequency Heart Rate Variability Research Articles

Public health nurse-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for postpartum depression: Assessing the effects of maternal treatment on infant emotion regulation.

The effects of maternal postpartum depression (PPD) on offspring emotion regulation (ER) are particularly deleterious as difficulties with ER predict an increased risk of psychopathology. This study examined the impact of maternal participation in a public health nurse (PHN)-delivered group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on infant ER. Mothers/birthing parents were ≥ 18 years old with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 10, and infants were < 12 months. Between 2017 and 2020, 141 mother-infant dyads were randomized to experimental or control groups. Infant ER was measured at baseline (T1) and nine weeks later (T2) using two neurophysiological measures (frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV)), and informant-report of infant temperament. Mothers were a mean of 30.8 years old (SD = 4.7), 92.3% were married/ common-law, and infants were a mean of 5.4 months old (SD = 2.9) and 52.1% were male. A statistically significant group-by-time interaction was found to predict change in HF-HRV between T1 and T2 (F(1,68.3) = 4.04, p = .04), but no significant interaction predicted change in FAA or temperament. Results suggest that PHN-delivered group CBT for PPD may lead to adaptive changes in a neurophysiological marker of infant ER, highlighting the importance of early maternal intervention.

Processing speed and attention training modifies autonomic flexibility: A mechanistic intervention study

Adaptation capacity is critical for maintaining cognition, yet it is understudied in groups at risk for dementia. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is critical for neurovisceral integration and is a key contributor to adaptation capacity. To determine the central nervous system’s top-down regulation of ANS, we conducted a mechanistic randomized controlled trial study, using a 6-week processing speed and attention (PS/A)-targeted intervention. Eighty-four older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) were randomized to a 6-week PS/A-targeted intervention or an active control without PS/A. Utilizing repeated measures (i.e., PS/A test different from the intervention, resting and cognitive task-based ECG, and resting fMRI) at baseline, immediately post-intervention (post-test), and 6-month follow-up, we aimed to test whether PS/A causally influences vagal control of ANS via their shared central neural pathways in aMCI. We indexed vagal control of ANS using high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) extracted from ECG data. Functional brain connectivity patterns were extracted from fMRI using advanced statistical tools. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvement in PS/A, HF-HRV, salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), and frontal parietal network (FPN) connectivity at post-test; the effect on SN, CEN, and FPN remained at 6-month follow-up. Changes in PS/A and SN connectivity significantly predicted change in HF-HRV from baseline to post-test and/or 6-month-follow-up. Age, neurodegeneration, nor sex did not affect these relationships. This work provides novel support for top-down regulation of PS/A and associated SN on vagal control of ANS. Intervening PS/A may be a viable approach for promoting adaptation capacity in groups at risk for dementia.

Wearing your heart on your screen: Investigating congruency-effects in autonomic responses and their role in interoceptive processing during biofeedback

The experience of one’s embodied sense of self is dependent on the integration of signals originating both from within and outwith one’s body. During the processing and integration of these signals, the bodily self must maintain a fine balance between stability and malleability. Here we investigate the potential role of autonomic responses in interoceptive processing and their contribution to the stability of the bodily self. Using a biofeedback paradigm, we manipulated the congruency of cardiac signals across two hierarchical levels: (i) the low-level congruency between a visual feedback and participant’s own cardiac signal and (ii) the high-level congruency between the participants’ beliefs about the identity of the cardiac feedback and its true identity. We measured the effects of these manipulations on high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a selective index of phasic vagal cardiac control. In Experiment 1, HF-HRV was sensitive to low-level congruency, independently of whether participants attempted to regulate or simply attend to the biofeedback. Experiment 2 revealed a higher-level congruency effect, as participants’ prior veridical beliefs increased HF-HRV while when false they decreased HF-HRV. Our results demonstrate that autonomic changes in HF-HRV are sensitive to congruencies across multiple hierarchical levels. Our findings have important theoretical implications for predictive coding models of the self as they pave the way for a more direct way to track the subtle changes in the co-processing of the internal and external milieus.

Sleep and Parasympathetic Activity During Rest and Stress in Healthy Adolescents and Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder.

Sleep disruption contributes to the pathophysiology of mental disorders, particularly bipolar illness, but the biobehavioral mechanisms of this relationship are insufficiently understood. This study evaluated sleep duration, timing, and variability as prospective predictors of parasympathetic nervous system activity during rest and social stress in adolescents with bipolar disorder, reflecting sleep-related interference in stress regulatory systems that may confer vulnerability to mood episodes. Participants were adolescents with bipolar disorder (n = 22) and healthy adolescents (n = 27). Sleep duration and timing were measured by actigraphy for 1 week before a laboratory social stress task, during which high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) was indexed using electrocardiography. Multilevel models were used to evaluate group, sleep characteristics, and their interactions as predictors of initial HF-HRV and change in HF-HRV during rest and stress. Associations between group and changes in HF-HRV during stress were moderated by sleep duration mean (z = 2.24, p = .025) and variability (z = -2.78, p = .006). There were also main effects of mean sleep duration on initial HF-HRV during rest (z = -5.37, p < .001) and stress (z = -2.69, p = .007). Follow-up analyses indicated that, in bipolar adolescents during stress, shorter and longer sleep durations were associated with lower initial HF-HRV (z = -5.44, p < .001), and greater variability in sleep duration was associated with less change in HF-HRV (z = -2.18, p = .029). Sleep durations that are relatively short or long, which are characteristic of mood episodes, are associated with parasympathetic vulnerability to social stress in adolescents with bipolar disorder. Obtaining regular sleep of moderate duration may favorably affect responses to stress in bipolar youth.

Autonomic Parameter and Stress Profile Predict Secondary Ischemic Events After Transient Ischemic Attack or Minor Stroke.

Background and Purpose- Traditional risk factors for ischemic stroke are body stressors that are related to autonomic autonomic system (ANS) dysfunction. The value of ABCD2 score (age, blood pressure, clinical features, duration of symptoms, diabetes) to predict ischemic stroke after transient ischemic attack is compromised by the inclusion of a limited number of stressors. We aimed to assess whether markers of ANS function and stress could predict the occurrence of secondary ischemic events after transient ischemic attack or minor stroke. Methods- This is a prospective cohort study in which 201 patients were recruited within 48 hours after initial transient ischemic attack or minor stroke and followed for 90 days to assess the development of secondary ischemic events. ABCD2 score, heart rate variability (HRV) parameters as markers of ANS function, and psychological stress were assessed. Logistic regression and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the models' predictive ability. Results- Morning high frequency (HF) HRV power and changes in HF HRV from morning to afternoon (daytime HF changes) were the most useful HRV predictors for both ischemic events (AUC=0.61 and 0.70) and ischemic stroke (AUC=0.62 and 0.72). Compared with ABCD2 score, 2 HRV-based stress models showed higher predictive ability for ischemic events (AUC=0.82 versus 0.63, 0.76 versus 0.63; P<0.05) and ischemic stroke (AUC=0.87 versus 0.64, 0.82 versus 0.64; P<0.05). Conclusions- Assessing the effects of stress on the ANS may be an innovative way to stratify the risk of ischemic events after transient ischemic attack or minor stroke. New risk stratification by assessing the dynamic features of ANS dysfunction and stress may help identify high-risk sub-populations that may benefit from added management.

Disrupted physiological reactivity among children with a history of suicidal ideation: Moderation by parental expressed emotion-criticism

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to examine physiological reactivity during parent-child interactions in children with and without a history of suicidal ideation (SI), a group known to be at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the future. We also examined the potential moderating role of parental expressed emotion-criticism (EE-Crit) to determine whether the presence of parental criticism may help to identify a subgroup of children with a history of SI most at risk for physiological dysregulation. MethodParticipants were 396 children (age 7–11; 54% male, 71.7% Caucasian) and their biological parent. Children’s levels of high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) were assessed during a resting baseline period followed by a positive and negative discussion with their parent. Additionally, parents completed the Five-Minute Speech Sample to determine levels of EE-Crit toward their child, and children completed an interview assessing their history of SI. ResultsConsistent with our hypothesis, we found that exposure to parental criticism moderated the relation between a child’s history of SI and their HF-HRV reactivity to the discussions. Specifically, while most children exhibited the typical pattern of HF-HRV suppression from baseline to both interactions, the highest risk children (i.e., children with a history of SI who also had highly critical parents) did not display any change in HF-HRV across the tasks, suggesting a failure to engage a typical psychophysiological response during emotional contexts. ConclusionsThese results suggest a specific physiological mechanism that may place these children at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the future.

Abstract P132: Increased Cardiovascular Parasympathetic Tone in African Americans With CD36 Partial Deficiency

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among African Americans (AA). Reduced parasympathetic tone as measured by high frequency heart rate variability (HF RRI ) predicts cardiovascular mortality. HF RRI is reduced after a high fat meal through caveolar sequestration of muscarinic M2 receptors. The fatty acid translocase CD36 is a protein abundant in the myocardium and important for heart function and lipid metabolism. CD36 plasma membrane localization and function in fatty acid uptake is modulated by its interaction with caveolin. One in four AAs are G-allele carriers for CD36 SNP rs3211938 resulting in ~50% decreased CD36 expression. CD36 deficiency also reduces fat taste perception, which might lead to higher fat intake to reach taste saturation. We tested the hypothesis that obese AAs with partial CD36 deficiency have altered parasympathetic tone during fasting and after a high-fat meal. We recruited 13 G-allele carriers and 39 non-carriers. Subjects were matched by age (P=0.820), BMI (P=0.751), and blood pressure (P=0.701). There was a trend towards reduction in heart rate in carriers (P=0.07). Baseline HF RRI was elevated in G carriers (557.1 [251 to 942] vs. 224 [95 to 655] ms 2 , P=0.046). Eleven subjects received a high-fat meal (700 Cal/m 2 BSA, 80% fat). HF RRI was measured at baseline and 30, 60, 120, 240 minutes after meal. Non-carriers (n=4) showed a time-dependent decline in the percent change in HF RRI (-23, -32, -70, -84, respectively). In G-allele carriers (N=6), the decline in HF RRI (21, -11, -61, -70 min) was attenuated. Conclusion: AAs with partial CD36 deficiency have enhanced fasting parasympathetic tone and a blunted response to a high fat meal.

Depression impacts the physiological responsiveness of mother-daughter dyads during social interaction

Maternal depression is associated with increased risk of psychiatric illness in offspring. While risk may relate to depressed mothers' difficulties regulating emotions in the context of interacting with offspring, physiological indicators of emotion regulation have rarely been examined during mother-child interactions-and never among mother-adolescent dyads in which both mother and adolescent have histories of major depressive disorder (MDD). We examined changes in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), an indicator of parasympathetic (vagal) function that has been related to depression, stress, social engagement, and emotion regulation, in 46 mother-daughter dyads (23 in which both mother and daughter had an MDD history and 23 never-depressed controls). Hierarchical linear models evaluated changes in HF-HRV while mother-daughter dyads engaged in discussions about shared pleasant events and relationship conflicts. While control dyads displayed positive slopes (increases) in HF-HRV during both discussions, MDD dyads displayed minimal change in HF-HRV across discussions. Among controls, HF-HRV slopes were positively correlated between mothers and daughters during the pleasant events' discussion. In contrast, HF-HRV slopes were negatively correlated between MDD mothers and daughters during both discussions. Vagal responses observed in control mother-daughter dyads suggest a pattern of physiological synchrony and reciprocal positive social engagement, which may play a role in adolescent development of secure social attachments and healthy emotion regulation. In contrast, MDD mothers and daughters displayed diminished and discordant patterns of vagal responsiveness. More research is needed to understand the development and consequences of these patterns of parasympathetic responses among depressed mother-daughter dyads.

Guanfacine alters the effect of stress and smoking on heart rate variability in regular daily smokers.

We had previously demonstrated that guanfacine, an α2a-adrenergic agonist, attenuated the effect of stress on smoking-lapse behavior in regular daily smokers. Heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of vagal activity, may be a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between stress, smoking, and relapse. We examined whether guanfacine (0mg/day vs. 3mg/day; n=26) altered changes in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) following stress and ad-lib smoking using a validated laboratory analogue of smoking-lapse behavior. All participants completed a parent study evaluating the effects of guanfacine on stress-precipitated smoking. Each subject completed two laboratory sessions assessing the effects of guanfacine on HF-HRV following stress imagery (vs. neutral imagery; order counterbalanced) and smoking. Results demonstrated that guanfacine did not increase tonic levels of HF-HRV relative to placebo. Following the stress versus neutral imagery manipulation (prior to ad-lib smoking), there were no significant changes in HF-HRV in the placebo group. In contrast, guanfacine increased phasic HF-HRV following stress imagery and decreased HF-HRV following neutral imagery. Ad libitum smoking following both the stress and neutral conditions decreased HF-HRV in the placebo group across both imagery conditions. In contrast, guanfacine attenuated stress- and smoking-related decreases in phasic HF-HRV relative to the neutral imagery condition. This is the first demonstration that a noradrenergic target altered dynamic changes in HF-HRV in response to stress and smoking, suggesting that guanfacine alters HF-HRV response to stress. Findings support current theories which suggest that phasic changes in HRV are an important marker of the stress response.

Intolerance of uncertainty, worry catastrophizing, and heart rate variability during worry-inducing tasks

BackgroundReduced high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) is associated with elevated worry, though considerable between-person variability has been reported. This study examined whether intolerance of uncertainty, a cognitive vulnerability for worry, predicted decreases in HF-HRV during worry-inducing tasks and whether worry catastrophizing was associated with HF-HRV. Methods76 undergraduate students completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) and had their HF-HRV monitored during resting, worry, and a Catastrophizing Interview, a task that assesses feared worry consequences. The number of consequences generated and the perceived likelihood and severity of these consequences assessed different aspects of the worry catastrophizing process. ResultsMultilevel modeling indicated that IUS scores moderated the slope of change in HF-HRV (β(E)=−.002(.001), p=0.02), whereby higher IUS scores were associated with greater decreases in HF-HRV. Regression analyses indicated that of the Catastrophizing Interview variables, only greater severity estimates were associated with lower HF-HRV during the task (β(SE)=−.07(.03), p=.02). Although IU was related to perceived severity estimates, severity estimates did not mediate the moderating impact of the IUS on changes in HF-HRV. ConclusionsIndividual differences in the extent to which people tolerate uncertainty and perceive the consequences to their worries as severe predict HF-HRV responses during worry.

Meditation-induced changes in high-frequency heart rate variability predict smoking outcomes.

Background: High-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) is a measure of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) output that has been associated with enhanced self-regulation. Low resting levels of HF-HRV are associated with nicotine dependence and blunted stress-related changes in HF-HRV are associated with decreased ability to resist smoking. Meditation has been shown to increase HF-HRV. However, it is unknown whether tonic levels of HF-HRV or acute changes in HF-HRV during meditation predict treatment responses in addictive behaviors such as smoking cessation. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between HF-HRV and subsequent smoking outcomes. Methods: HF-HRV during resting baseline and during mindfulness meditation was measured within two weeks of completing a 4-week smoking cessation intervention in a sample of 31 community participants. Self-report measures of smoking were obtained at a follow up 17-weeks after the initiation of treatment. Results: Regression analyses indicated that individuals exhibiting acute increases in HF-HRV from resting baseline to meditation smoked fewer cigarettes at follow-up than those who exhibited acute decreases in HF-HRV (b = −4.89, p = 0.008). Conclusion: Acute changes in HF-HRV in response to meditation may be a useful tool to predict smoking cessation treatment response.

Continuous positive airway pressure increases heart rate variability in heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

Patients with heart failure or OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea) have reduced HF-HRV (high-frequency heart rate variability), indicating reduced cardiac vagal modulation, a marker of poor prognosis. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) abolishes OSA in patients with heart failure, but effects on daytime HF-HRV have not been determined. We hypothesized that, in patients with heart failure, treatment of coexisting OSA by CPAP would increase morning HF-HRV. In 19 patients with heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction <45%) and OSA (>/=20 apnoeas and hypopnoeas/h of sleep), HF-HRV was quantified before and 1 month after randomization to a control or CPAP-treated group. In the control group (n=7), there were no changes in HF-HRV over the 1 month study during wakefulness in the morning. In the CPAP-treated group (n=12) HF-HRV increased significantly during wakefulness in the morning [from 2.43+/-0.55 to 2.82+/-0.50 log(ms(2)/Hz); P=0.002] due to an increase in transfer function between changes in lung volume and changes in HF-HRV (92.37+/-96.03 to 219.07+/-177.14 ms/l; P=0.01). In conclusion, treatment of coexisting OSA by nocturnal CPAP in patients with heart failure increases HF-HRV during morning wakefulness, indicating improved vagal modulation of heart rate. This may contribute to improved prognosis.