Decrease In High-frequency Heart Rate Variability Research Articles

Caregivers' physiological responses during toddler vaccinations: associations with psychological and behavioral responses.

This study investigated biological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of caregivers' responses to toddlers' pain-related distress by measuring caregivers' high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV) responses during toddler vaccination pain and examining associations with caregivers' behavioral responses and psychological stress. Participants included caregiver-toddler dyads (N = 194) from a longitudinal cohort-sequential study who were observed during toddlers' 12-, 18-, or 24-month routine vaccinations. Changes in caregiver HRV were analyzed using growth curve modeling. Conditional growth curve models examined associations between caregiver HRV and caregivers' concurrent behavior and psychological stress. The unconditional growth curve model indicated a slight linear decrease in caregiver HRV (i.e., vagal withdrawal) across the 3 min post-needle (unstandardized B = -0.06, p = .049). In conditional growth curve models, higher levels of parenting stress were associated with less vagal withdrawal during the post-needle period (standardized B = 0.47, unstandardized B = 0.02, p = .003). Caregivers' behavioral responses (i.e., use of soothing and distress-promoting behaviors), state anxiety, and general anxiety symptomology were not significantly associated with HRV responses. Caregiver parasympathetic nervous system activity levels changed minimally from baseline to post-needle and decreased slightly across the post-needle period. Caregivers' self-reported parenting stress was associated with their parasympathetic responses to the procedure. Findings support an improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying caregivers' responses to children's pain-related distress in a naturalistic setting.

Childhood Family Stress and Women's Health: Parasympathetic Activity as a Risk and Resiliency Factor.

Childhood family stress (CFS) exacerbates risk for physical health problems across the lifespan. Health risks associated with CFS are particularly relevant for women who tend to endorse more CFS than men. Importantly, some evidence suggests that individuals may vary in their susceptibility to CFS. Parasympathetic activity, which helps to regulate automatic bodily activity (e.g., breathing, digestion), has been proposed to represent a marker of plasticity to environmental exposure. However, no research to date has tested whether parasympathetic activity may modulate the impact of early adversity on health. We examined whether parasympathetic activity would moderate the link between CFS and health complaints in a sample of 68 undergraduate women (Mean age = 19.44). Participants self-reported CFS and health complaints. Parasympathetic activity was indexed using high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and was evaluated by measuring changes in HF-HRV in response to and following a laboratory-based stress induction. Multiple regression analyses indicated that CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints. Further, HF-HRV in response to stress and during recovery relative to baseline significantly moderated relationship between CFS and health complaints. Specifically, more CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints among women who showed mean or greater decreases in HF-HRV in response to stress. Additionally, lower levels of CFS were associated with fewer health complaints among women who showed mean or greater HF-HRV during recovery relative to baseline. Findings highlight the importance of parasympathetic activity in modulating stress-health links.

The psychophysiological salience of past experiences of discrimination.

This study sought to test whether a discrimination recall task would elicit a significant parasympathetic response in multiracial undergraduate women. The study also investigated whether parasympathetic responsivity to the discrimination recall would be similar or different from that elicited by a widely used stress paradigm-the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and whether responses would differ for Black and White women. Multiracial undergraduate women (n = 67; Mage = 19.4 years; 32% White, 22% Black) completed the TSST and a discrimination recall task. Parasympathetic activity was assessed using high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV). Women exhibited significant HF-HRV responsivity to the discrimination recall and showed smaller average decreases in HF-HRV to the discrimination recall than the TSST. However, whereas White women exhibited decreased HF-HRV in response to both tasks, Black women showed increased HF-HRV for the discrimination recall but decreased HF-HRV for the TSST. Findings complement a growing body of research suggestive that experiences of discrimination are psychophysiologically salient. Additionally, discriminatory experiences may elicit distinctive patterns of HF-HRV responsivity compared to generic social stressors. Efforts to elucidate the unique role of discrimination-specific HF-HRV responsivity may be critical for delineating discrimination-health linkages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychological Inflexibility and HF-HRV reactivity to laboratory stressors

Psychological Inflexibility (PI) is a key component of the Unified Flexibility and Mindfulness Model. Higher levels of psychological Inflexibility have been associated with poorer wellbeing. High Frequency Heart Rate Variability (HF-HRV) is a reliable and valid index of vagal activation and wellbeing. The association between Psychological Inflexibility and HF-HRV has been examined in the context of laboratory-induced stressors that evoke different patterns of cardiovascular activation. The present sample included 81 US undergraduate students comprised of 44 females and 37 males (4 did not identify their gender) with a mean age of 19.9 (SD = 2.79) Participants were assigned to view a 3-min video that elicited an orienting response and complete a 3-min math task that elicited a defensive response. The order of stimulus exposure was counterbalanced. Psychological Inflexibility was measured using subscales from the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire using the Unified Flexibility and Mindfulness Model as a guide for scoring. Higher Psychological Inflexibility participants, relative to lower Psychological Inflexibility participants, had a significantly smaller increase in HF-HRV during the orienting stressor indicating less vagal activation. Higher Psychological Inflexibility participants also had a larger decrease in HF-HRV in response to the defensive stressor indicating greater vagal withdrawal. These results shed light on the interactions between Psychological Inflexibility, HF-HRV reactivity to laboratory stressors. • Role of Psychological Inflexibility on HF-HRV was examined in a laboratory setting. • Higher HF-HRV is linked to empathy, compassion, and prosocial behaviors. • Subjects completed HF-HRV-increase and decrease inducing stressors. • Higher PI subjects displayed a lower increase in HF-HRV than lower PI subjects. • Higher levels of PI might have interfered with the evocation of higher HF-HRV.

Psychophysiological correlates of systemic inflammation in black and white men

Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and levels of circulating inflammatory markers are associated with future CVD risk. However, the physiological mechanisms that control systemic levels of circulating inflammatory markers are not well understood. Here, we explore possible autonomic nervous system mechanisms by testing whether resting and stressor-evoked cardiovascular responses are associated with two markers of systemic inflammation: interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). Subjects were 159 black and 129 white men (M=33.0years) who completed a laboratory protocol including an anger recall speech task. Electrocardiography and impedance cardiography data were collected during a resting baseline, the speech task, and a final recovery period. Hierarchical regressions tested whether resting or stressor-evoked levels of heart rate (HR), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), pre-ejection period (PEP), and pulse transit time (PTT) were associated with CRP or IL-6. Higher resting HR was associated with higher CRP (β=0.19, p=0.003) and IL-6 (β=0.13, p<0.05). Similarly, shorter resting PTT was associated with higher CRP (β=-0.21, p<0.001) and IL-6 (β=-0.14, p=0.02). In addition, greater stressor-evoked decreases in HF-HRV were associated with higher CRP (β=-0.14, p=0.01). Associations were independent of age, race, body mass index (BMI), smoking behavior, and socioeconomic status. Resting HF-HRV and PEP were also associated with CRP and IL-6, but associations were not significant after controlling for BMI and smoking behavior. These findings indicate that resting HR and PTT, as well stressor-evoked HF-HRV reactivity, are associated with systemic inflammation. Our results suggest that both tonic and stressor-evoked sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity may contribute to regulation of systemic inflammation.

Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity During Speech Repetition Tasks: Heart Rate Variability and Skin Conductance.

Cognitive and emotional challenges may elicit a physiological stress response that can include arousal of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) and withdrawal of the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for recovery and rest). This article reviews studies that have used measures of electrodermal activity (skin conductance) and heart rate variability (HRV) to index sympathetic and parasympathetic activity during auditory tasks. In addition, the authors present results from a new study with normal-hearing listeners examining the effects of speaking rate on changes in skin conductance and high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV). Sentence repetition accuracy for normal and fast speaking rates was measured in noise using signal to noise ratios that were adjusted to approximate 80% accuracy (+3 dB fast rate; 0 dB normal rate) while monitoring skin conductance and HF-HRV activity. A significant increase in skin conductance level (reflecting sympathetic nervous system arousal) and a decrease in HF-HRV (reflecting parasympathetic nervous system withdrawal) were observed with an increase in speaking rate indicating sensitivity of both measures to increased task demand. Changes in psychophysiological reactivity with increased auditory task demand may reflect differences in listening effort, but other person-related factors such as motivation and stress may also play a role. Further research is needed to understand how psychophysiological activity during listening tasks is influenced by the acoustic characteristics of stimuli, task demands, and by the characteristics and emotional responses of the individual.

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

Abstract Background Reduced 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. Methods 76 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. Results Multilevel 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. Conclusions Individual differences in the extent to which people tolerate uncertainty and perceive the consequences to their worries as severe predict HF-HRV responses during worry.

Understanding the psychophysiology of flow: A driving simulator experiment to investigate the relationship between flow and heart rate variability

We investigated the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and flow.We conducted a driving-simulator experiment to induce boredom, flow, and anxiety.HRV differed significantly between the three mental states.A negative linear relation exists between low-frequency component of HRV and flow.Flow is associated with baroreflex modulation of cardiovascular activity. We present the results of an experimental investigation on the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and flow in adults exposed to computer-simulated tasks with different demand level manipulations: a balanced skill-demand level (fit) to induce flow, too high demands to induce anxiety, and too low demands to induce boredom. Eighteen participants were exposed to three simulated driving tasks that differed in their demand levels. During all tasks, the participants' heart rates were monitored and flow was measured after each task by means of a questionnaire. Our results show that high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV) and low-frequency HRV (LF-HRV) differed between the three experimental conditions and an increase in demand level caused a decrease in HF-HRV and LF-HRV. Furthermore, experiencing flow in a balanced skill-demand task was associated with a decreased LFHRV activity compared to being engaged in a task with too high demands (anxiety condition), in which higher levels of flow were related to moderate parasympathetic activity (HF-HRV) as well as to moderate baroreflex function (LF-HRV). Our results contribute to a better understanding of the psychophysiology of flow and further demonstrate how virtual environments such a driving simulator can be effectively used to investigate psychological constructs such as flow or anxiety.

Is meditation always relaxing? Investigating heart rate, heart rate variability, experienced effort and likeability during training of three types of meditation

Meditation is often associated with a relaxed state of the body. However, meditation can also be regarded as a type of mental task and training, associated with mental effort and physiological arousal. The cardiovascular effects of meditation may vary depending on the type of meditation, degree of mental effort, and amount of training. In the current study we assessed heart rate (HR), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and subjective ratings of effort and likeability during three types of meditation varying in their cognitive and attentional requirements, namely breathing meditation, loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation. In the context of the ReSource project, a one-year longitudinal mental training study, participants practiced each meditation exercise on a daily basis for 3 months. As expected HR and effort were higher during loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. With training over time HR and likeability increased, while HF-HRV and the subjective experience of effort decreased. The increase in HR and decrease in HF-HRV over training was higher for loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. In contrast to implicit beliefs that meditation is always relaxing and associated with low arousal, the current results show that core meditations aiming at improving compassion and meta-cognitive skills require effort and are associated with physiological arousal compared to breathing meditation. Overall these findings can be useful in making more specific suggestions about which type of meditation is most adaptive for a given context and population.

Social integration prospectively predicts changes in heart rate variability among individuals undergoing migration stress.

Poor social integration increases risk for poor health. The psychobiological pathways underlying this effect are not well-understood. This study utilized a migration stress model to prospectively investigate the impact of social integration on change in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of autonomic functioning. Sixty new international students were recruited shortly after their arrival in the host country and assessed 2 and 5months later. At each assessment period, participants provided information on social integration and loneliness and had their resting HF-HRV evaluated. There was an overall decrease in HF-HRV over time. The magnitude of the within-person and between-person effects of social integration on HRV increased over time, such that greater social integration was associated with higher HF-HRV at later follow-ups. These results suggest that altered autonomic functioning might represent a key pathway linking social integration to health outcomes.

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.

Human cardiac autonomic responses to head-up tilting during 72-h starvation

Starvation may change autonomic nervous system activity and sensitivity such that a greater vagal withdrawal may occur during a sympathetic challenge. Six healthy humans endured a 3-day, water-only fast, during which participants were subjected to passive 80° head-up tilt testing twice on each day (a.m. and p.m.). Heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), ventilation [Formula: see text], and respiration ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) were recorded during supine rest and head-up tilting. On Day 1 (a.m.), supine heart rate was 46.0 ± 3.3 beats min(-1), increasing to 51.6 ± 7.4 beats min(-1) on Day 3 (p.m.). On Day 1 (a.m.), supine high frequency HRV was 57.9 ± 31.6(NU), increasing to 69.5 ± 21.3(NU) on Day 3 (p.m.). Tilt-induced increases in heart rate were greater following starvation (10.5 ± 7.8 vs. 16.1 ± 8.6 beats min(-1)), and tilt-induced decreases in high frequency HRV were greater following starvation (-4.1 ± 27.7 vs. -28.0 ± 20.8(NU)). Supine V'CO(2) remained unchanged, whereas V'O(2) increased and respiratory exchange ratio decreased (0.91 ± 0.10 vs. 0.80 ± 0.05). Greater vagal withdrawal and elevated heart rate induced by head-up tilting during starvation may indicate increased autonomic sensitivity.

Hot flashes and cardiac vagal control

The understanding of the physiology of hot flashes is incomplete. The autonomic nervous system has been hypothesized to play a role in hot flashes but has received limited empirical attention. Furthermore, emerging research has linked hot flashes to cardiovascular risk. Reduced high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), an index of vagal control of heart rate, has been associated with cardiovascular events. We hypothesized that decreases in HF-HRV would occur during hot flashes relative to periods before and after hot flashes. Thirty perimenopausal and postmenopausal women aged 40 to 60 years reporting four or more hot flashes per day underwent laboratory hot flash provocation testing, with electrocardiogram and measurement of sternal skin conductance. Hot flashes were reported and identified from sternal skin conductance. HF-HRV was estimated using spectral analysis of the heart rate time series. The 5-minute interval during the hot flash period was compared with that during two nonflash periods before and after the hot flash via mixed-effects models. HRV was significantly decreased during hot flashes relative to periods before (b = 0.18, SE = 0.05; P = 0.0001) and after (b = 0.16, SE = 0.05; P = 0.002) physiologically measured hot flashes, controlling for age, race, education, task condition, menopause status, task, hypertension status, diabetes status, physical activity, body mass index, smoking, and anxiety. Findings were unchanged when considering self-reported hot flashes. Significant decreases in cardiac vagal control occurred during hot flashes, which may help shed light on the physiology of hot flashes. The autonomic nervous system may deserve greater attention in understanding the mechanisms linking hot flashes to cardiovascular risk.