Increase In Heart Rate Variability Research Articles

Photoplethysmography recordings preceding onset atrial fibrillation show a higher heart rate variability - a TeleCheck-AF subanalysis

Abstract Background An increased heart rate variability (HRV), mostly assessed by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) or long-term Holter monitoring, can be associated with the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF). Data evaluating HRV measurements using digital devices, especially those using photoplethysmography (PPG), in patients at risk for AF are sparse. In this analysis, we aimed to assess if hand-held-based non-continuous PPG measurements can provide short-term HRV to predict AF. Methods Patients from the TeleCheck-AF project with at least one PPG measurement in AF and one measurement in sinus rhythm (SR) were analyzed. Briefly, patients were provided with a PPG-based heart rate/rhythm monitoring smartphone app. They were instructed to record a PPG measurements three times daily and in case of symptoms for seven consecutive days. Short-term HRV using root mean square of successive normal-to-normal interval differences (RMSSD) was calculated in recordings in SR and compared between those not preceding and preceding an episode of AF (figure 1). Results Overall, 136 patients [56.3% men, median age 66 (59; 72) years] were included in the analysis. Median total number of recordings per patient was 24 (19; 30) including 4 (2;7) AF episodes per 1 week recording period. RMSSD was significantly higher in PPG measurements preceding an AF episode than in PPG measurements not preceding an AF episode [42.5 (33.2;70.7)ms vs. 41.1 (32.4;54.7)ms; p<0.001]. Between-group comparison revealed no significant difference for gender, age, previous ablation or betablocker therapy (p=0.824; p=0.484; p=0.519 and p=0.624, respectively). Conclusion Short-term HRV based on RMSSD, assessed by digital hand-held devices is significantly higher in PPG recordings preceding an AF episode than in measurements not preceding a consecutive AF episode. Whether PPG-recording derived short-term HRV can help to predict onset-AF warrants further study in larger populations. Figure 1: Patient example and exemplary analysis scheme, depicting the total number of recordings (n=14). HRV of recordings in sinus rhythm (SR) not preceding an episode of atrial fibrillation (AF) (A; grey circles) were compared to recordings preceding a consecutive AF episode (B; blue circles).Figure 1

SPECIAL ISSUE: Slow-Paced Contraction: An Evidence-Based Method for Increasing Heart Rate Variability

Slow-paced muscle contraction (SPC) is an easily learned method for increasing heart rate variability (HRV). SPC provides an alternative to slow-paced breathing (SPB) in clinical and optimal performance applications. SPB can be challenging (e.g., chronic pain), anatomically impossible (e.g., phrenic nerve damage), or medically contraindicated (e.g., diabetes and kidney disease). SPC may be especially helpful for clients who breathe dysfunctionally or who cannot slow their breathing to the resonance frequency (RF) range. The RF is an individual’s unique stimulation rate that maximally increases HRV. Wrist-core-ankle SPC increases several HRV metrics more than only contracting the wrists and ankles. Preliminary evidence suggests that combining wrist-ankle SPC with SPB may increase HRV more than either method alone.

Comparing multimodal physiological responses to social and physical pain in healthy participants.

Previous physiology-driven pain studies focused on examining the presence or intensity of physical pain. However, people experience various types of pain, including social pain, which induces negative mood; emotional distress; and neural activities associated with physical pain. In particular, comparison of autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses between social and physical pain in healthy adults has not been well demonstrated. We explored the ANS responses induced by two types of pain-social pain, associated with a loss of social ties; and physical pain, caused by a pressure cuff-based on multimodal physiological signals. Seventy-three healthy individuals (46 women; mean age = 20.67 ± 3.27 years) participated. Behavioral responses were assessed to determine their sensitivity to pain stimuli. Electrocardiogram, electrodermal activity, photoplethysmogram, respiration, and finger temperature (FT) were measured, and 12 features were extracted from these signals. Social pain induced increased heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) and decreased blood volume pulse (BVP), pulse transit time (PTT), respiration rate (RR), and FT, suggesting a heterogeneous pattern of sympathetic-parasympathetic coactivation. Moreover, physical pain induced increased heart rate variability (HRV) and SC, decreased BVP and PTT, and resulted in no change in FT, indicating sympathetic-adrenal-medullary activation and peripheral vasoconstriction. These results suggest that changes in HR, HRV indices, RR, and FT can serve as markers for differentiating physiological responses to social and physical pain stimuli.

Acute fasting modulates autonomic nervous system function and ambulatory cardiac interoception

Intermittent fasting has been associated with diverse physical and psychological health benefits. According to previous research, fasting-induced alterations in psychophysiological functioning should facilitate the accurate detection of an internal bodily signal (like the heart), which is referred to as interoceptive accuracy. In two within-subjects studies we aimed to examine whether an intermittent fasting protocol (i) evokes distinct autonomic nervous system changes in the laboratory and (ii) improves (objectifiable) interoceptive accuracy and sensibility (i.e., the subjective belief in perceiving bodily signals) in everyday life. Study 1 (N = 36) found increasing heart rate variability (precisely, the root mean square of successive differences; RMSSD) accompanied by a more vascular than myocardial response following a 16 h fast. Study 2 (N = 40) applied an ecological momentary assessment design including intermittent fasting (8 h normal eating followed by 16 h fasting) and normal eating (24 h normal eating) for three consecutive days each. Findings suggested a tendency toward higher interoceptive accuracy and sensibility during the fasting regimen, which was particularly pronounced in individuals exhibiting lower RMSSD. Together, findings suggest that (short-term) fasting seems to facilitate momentary attention to organismic cues due to alterations in autonomic nervous system function.

Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound to the Human Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Attenuates Acute Pain Perception and Autonomic Responses.

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is a critical brain area for pain and autonomic processing, making it a promising noninvasive therapeutic target. We leverage the high spatial resolution and deep focal lengths of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to noninvasively modulate the dACC for effects on behavioral and cardiac autonomic responses using transient heat pain stimuli. A N = 16 healthy human volunteers (6 M/10 F) received transient contact heat pain during either LIFU to the dACC or Sham stimulation. Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electrodermal response (EDR) were recorded. Outcome measures included pain ratings, heart rate variability, EDR response, blood pressure, and the amplitude of the contact heat-evoked potential (CHEP).LIFU reduced pain ratings by 1.09 ± 0.20 points relative to Sham. LIFU increased heart rate variability indexed by the standard deviation of normal sinus beats (SDNN), low-frequency (LF) power, and the low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio. There were no effects on the blood pressure or EDR. LIFU resulted in a 38.1% reduction in the P2 CHEP amplitude. Results demonstrate LIFU to the dACC reduces pain and alters autonomic responses to acute heat pain stimuli. This has implications for the causal understanding of human pain and autonomic processing in the dACC and potential future therapeutic options for pain relief and modulation of homeostatic signals.

Can Virtual Art Touch Your Heart?—The Impact of Virtual Reality Art on Affect Considering Individual Characteristics and Aesthetic Experiences

Since the dawn of digital art, discourse regarding its potential persists. This research investigates how a virtual reality (VR) art gallery impacts positive and negative affect, examining the influences of aesthetic experiences and individual characteristics. It explores the connection between measures of aesthetic experiences (self-assessed, heart rate, and heart rate variability) and how gender influences this relationship. Digital art's beneficial effect is indicated by decreased negative affect after visiting the VR gallery, potentially influencing mental wellbeing. Individual characteristics influence this impact on affect after the VR experience, especially openness to experience and affect before the visit, mediated by aesthetic experience, and expertise mediated by heart rate. The findings highlight the potential impact of gender on subjective interpretations of physiological responses in the VR environment. Specifically, women tend to attribute heightened heart rate, a sign of arousal, while men associate increased heart rate variability, a sign of relaxation, to positive experiences in the VR.

Can job crafting eLearning intervention boost job crafting and work engagement, and increase heart rate variability? Testing a health enhancement process.

Applying job demands-resources theory, this quasiexperimental, three-wave study investigated whether work engagement can be increased via an eLearning intervention aiming to increase job crafting behavior. Furthermore, proposing a refinement to job demands-resources theory, that is, adding "a health enhancement process," this study also investigated whether through improvements in work engagement, the intervention would yield health-related benefits, utilizing an objective indicator of physical health (i.e., optimal functioning of autonomic nervous system activity indicated by increased heart rate variability [HRV]). The study was conducted among all the employees of a municipality (n = 69/experimental group, n = 45/control group), and the effects were assessed 2 weeks and 4 months after the intervention. Job crafting and work engagement were measured using an electronic questionnaire, and HRV using ambulatory monitoring period of two nights' sleep. Latent change score modeling revealed, as expected, that job crafting increased both immediately and delayed after the intervention. Furthermore, as hypothesized, the intervention increased work engagement via increased job crafting when measured immediately after the intervention, but there was no indirect delayed effect on work engagement. There were no indirect immediate or delayed effects on HRV. However, unexpectedly, HRV decreased among the control group after the intervention. Thus, an eLearning intervention based on the principles of job crafting is a promising tool to increase job crafting and consequently work engagement. Furthermore, the findings provide an initial indication that a job crafting eLearning intervention could have a buffering effect on autonomic nervous system activity and help to maintain its optimal functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Validity and Efficacy of the Elite HRV Smartphone Application during Slow-Paced Breathing

Slow-paced breathing is a clinical intervention used to increase heart rate variability (HRV). The practice is made more accessible via cost-free smartphone applications like Elite HRV. We investigated whether Elite HRV can accurately measure and augment HRV via its slow-paced breathing feature. Twenty young adults completed one counterbalanced cross-over protocol involving 10 min each of supine spontaneous (SPONT) and paced (PACED; 6 breaths·min−1) breathing while RR intervals were simultaneously recorded via a Polar H10 paired with Elite HRV and reference electrocardiography (ECG). Individual differences in HRV between devices were predominately skewed, reflecting a tendency for Elite HRV to underestimate ECG-derived values. Skewness was typically driven by a limited number of outliers as median bias values were ≤1.3 ms and relative agreement was ≥very large for time-domain parameters. Despite no significant bias and ≥large relative agreement for frequency-domain parameters, limits of agreement (LOAs) were excessively wide and tended to be wider during PACED for all HRV parameters. PACED significantly increased low-frequency power (LF) for Elite HRV and ECG, and between-condition differences showed very large relative agreement. Elite HRV-guided slow-paced breathing effectively increased LF values, but it demonstrated greater precision during SPONT and in computing time-domain HRV.

Consecutive treatments of methamphetamine promote the development of cardiac pathological symptoms in zebrafish.

Chronic methamphetamine use, a widespread drug epidemic, has been associated with cardiac morphological and electrical remodeling, leading to the development of numerous cardiovascular diseases. While methamphetamine has been documented to induce arrhythmia, most results originate from clinical trials from users who experienced different durations of methamphetamine abuse, providing no documentation on the use of methamphetamine in standardized settings. Additionally, the underlying molecular mechanism on how methamphetamine affects the cardiovascular system remains elusive. A relationship was sought between cardiotoxicity and arrhythmia with associated methamphetamine abuse in zebrafish to identify and to understand the adverse cardiac symptoms associated with methamphetamine. Zebrafish were first treated with methamphetamine 3 times a week over a 2-week duration. Immediately after treatment, zebrafish underwent electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement using an in-house developed acquisition system for electrophysiological analysis. Subsequent analyses of cAMP expression and Ca2+ regulation in zebrafish cardiomyocytes were conducted. cAMP is vital to development of myocardial fibrosis and arrhythmia, prominent symptoms in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Ca2+ dysregulation is also a factor in inducing arrhythmias. During the first week of treatment, zebrafish that were administered with methamphetamine displayed a decrease in heart rate, which persisted throughout the second week and remained significantly lower than the heart rate of untreated fish. Results also indicate an increased heart rate variability during the early stage of treatment followed by a decrease in the late stage for methamphetamine-treated fish over the duration of the experiment, suggesting a biphasic response to methamphetamine exposure. Methamphetamine-treated fish also exhibited reduced QTc intervals throughout the experiment. Results from the cAMP and Ca2+ assays demonstrate that cAMP was upregulated and Ca2+ was dysregulated in response to methamphetamine treatment. Collagenic assays indicated significant fibrotic response to methamphetamine treatment. These results provide potential insight into the role of methamphetamine in the development of fibrosis and arrhythmia due to downstream effectors of cAMP.

Impact of a combination of pimobendan, furosemide, and enalapril on heart rate variability in naturally occurring, symptomatic, myxomatous mitral valve degeneration dogs

BackgroundPimobendan, diuretics, and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) are widely used for the management of chronic valvular heart disease in dogs; however, the effects of that combination on heart rate variability (HRV) are unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the HRV of symptomatic myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) dogs in response to therapy with a combination of pimobendan, diuretics, and ACEi.ResultsMMVD stage C (n = 17) dogs were enrolled and a 1-hour Holter recording together with echocardiography, blood pressure measurement, and blood chemistry profiles were obtained before and 1, 3, and 6 months after oral treatment with pimobendan (0.25 mg/kg), enalapril (0.5 mg/kg), and furosemide (2 mg/kg) twice daily. The results revealed that MMVD stage C dogs at the baseline had lower values of time-domain indices, low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and total power, as well as higher value of LF/HF. Triple therapy significantly increases these parameters in MMVD stage C dogs (P < 0.05). A positive moderate correlation was observed between time domain parameters and a left ventricular internal diastole diameter normalized to body weight (P < 0.05).ConclusionsIt can be concluded that MMVD stage C dogs possess low HRV due to either the withdrawal of parasympathetic tone or enhanced sympathetic activation, and a combination therapy was shown to enhance cardiac autonomic modulation inferred from the increased heart rate variability. Therefore, a combination therapy may be useful for restoring normal autonomic nervous system activity in dogs with MMVD stage C.

Lifetide biofeedback intervention in type 2 diabetic patients: a pilot observation

To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of lifetide biofeedback intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We analyzed the changes in average blood glucose, estimated glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels in 5 patients with T2DM undergoing lifetide biofeedback intervention without the use of hypoglycemic drugs. A transient blood glucose monitoring system was used for drug withdrawal management during the intervention. Compared with those before the intervention, the average blood glucose and fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels showed no significant changes after the intervention without using hypoglycemic drugs (P>0.05), but the estimated HbA1c was significantly decreased after the intervention (P<0.05). Two patients achieved complete remission, two showed partial remission, and one had substantially improved blood glucose levels. One patient showed a marked increase in extremity temperature after the intervention (P<0.05). Another patient had a significantly increased heart rate variability index (P<0.05) without obvious changes in heart rate after the intervention (P>0.05). By reestablishing the balance in autonomic nervous system regulation and enhancing peripheral microcirculation, lifetide biofeedback intervention helps to maintain stable blood glucose levels, achieve disease remission, and reduce the occurrence of complications in T2DM patients after discontinuation of hypoglycemic drugs without changing their lifestyles.

Effect of Hooding on Physiological Parameters During Manual Restraint in Rhode Island Red Hybrid Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Manual handling of chickens is required for many veterinary, research, and breeding procedures. This study aimed to assess the changes in physiological parameters over time during manual restraint of chickens, as well as the effect of hooding on these parameters. Heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and body temperature were measured every 3 minutes for 15 minutes during manual restraint in 13 adult laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Heart rate variability was significantly higher in hooded hens than in nonhooded hens (P= 0.003) but was not significant over time. Hooded hens were also found to have significantly lower heart rate (P = 0.043) and respiratory rate (P = 0.042) compared to nonhooded hens. Heart rate and respiratory rate significantly decreased over time, independent of the use of the hood (P = 0.008; P = 0.01, respectively). Temperature was found to increase significantly (P = 0.001) over time for both groups. Overall, hooding increased heart rate variability, a factor associated with a lower stress level, and decreased heart rate and respiratory rate. In conclusion, these data suggest that the use of the hood reduces stress levels in birds during manual restraint. Therefore, the use of the hood is encouraged for short (less than 15 minutes) painless procedures, such as physical examination or radiographic acquisition.

Effects of chronic caffeine on patterns of brain blood flow and behavior throughout the sleep-wake cycle in freely behaving mice.

Caffeine has significant effects on neurovascular activity and behavior throughout the sleep-wake cycle. We used a minimally invasive microchip/video system to continuously record effects of caffeine in the drinking water of freely behaving mice. Chronic caffeine shifted both rest and active phases by up to 2 h relative to the light-dark cycle in a dose-dependent fashion. There was a particular delay in the onset of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as compared with non-REM sleep during the rest phase. Chronic caffeine increased wakefulness during the active phase and consolidated sleep during the rest phase; overall, there was no net change in the amount of time spent in the wake, sleep, or REM sleep states during caffeine administration. Despite these effects on wakefulness and sleep, chronic caffeine decreased mean cerebral blood volume (CBV) during the active phase and increased mean CBV during the rest phase. Chronic caffeine also increased heart rate variability in both the sleep and wake states. These results provide new insight into the effects of caffeine on the biology of the sleep-wake cycle. Increased blood flow during sleep caused by chronic caffeine may have implications for its potential neuroprotective effects through vascular mechanisms of brain waste clearance.

A Serious Game to Self-Regulate Heart Rate Variability as a Technique to Manage Arousal Level Through Cardiorespiratory Biofeedback: Development and Pilot Evaluation Study.

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) is an established intervention for increasing heart rate variability (HRV) in the clinical context. Using this technique, participants become aware of their HRV through real-time feedback and can self-regulate it. The aim of this study was 2-fold: first, to develop a serious game that applies the HRVB technique to teach participants to self-regulate HRV and, second, to test the app with participants in a pilot study. An HRVB app called the FitLab Game was developed for this study. To play the game, users must move the main character up and down the screen, avoiding collisions with obstacles. The wavelength that users must follow to avoid these obstacles is based on the user's basal heart rate and changes in instantaneous heart rate. To test the FitLab Game, a total of 16 participants (mean age 23, SD 0.69 years) were divided into a control group (n=8) and an experimental group (n=8). A 2 × 2 factorial design was used in each session. Participants in the experimental condition were trained in breathing techniques. Changes in the frequency and time domain parameters of HRV and the game's performance features were evaluated. Significant changes in the average RR intervals and root mean square of differences between adjacent RR intervals (RMSSD) were found between the groups (P=.02 and P=.04, respectively). Regarding performance, both groups showed a tendency to increase the evaluated outcomes from baseline to the test condition. The results may indicate that playing different levels leads to an improvement in the game's final score by repeated training. The tendency of changes in HRV may reflect a higher activation of the mental system of attention and control in the experimental group versus the control group. In this context, learning simple, voluntary strategies through a serious game can aid the improvement of self-control and arousal management. The FitLab Game appears to be a promising serious game owing to its ease of use, high engagement, and enjoyability provided by the instantaneous feedback.

Abstract P3050: Cpne5 Is Necessary For Normal Murine Sinoatrial Node Function In Vivo

Cpne5 ( Copine 5 ) is a Ca 2+ -dependent phospholipid binding protein implicated in membrane trafficking but has no known role within the heart to date. In single-cell RNA-sequencing of the developing mouse heart, we previously found Cpne5 gene expression to be highly enriched in the cardiac conduction system (CCS). Further, variants in CPNE5 were identified in 6 independent GWAS related to heart rate variability in humans. We therefore hypothesized that Cpne5 is necessary for normal CCS function through Ca 2+ -dependent membrane trafficking of ion channels. Whole mount immunostaining with 3D volumetric imaging (iDISCO+) of intact WT hearts demonstrated robust and specific protein expression of Cpne5 throughout all CCS components, including the sinoatrial node (SAN) and SAN-transitional cells. Next, to assess the necessity of Cpne5 within the CCS, systemic knockout mice (Cpne5KO) were generated using CRISPR/Cas9. Successful deletion of Cpne5 in CRISPR-generated KO mice was confirmed by PCR and, at the protein level, immunofluorescence. Homozygous Cpne5KO mice were viable, showed normal growth and allele frequencies segregated in a normal Mendelian fashion. No gross anatomic defects of the CCS were observed in Cpne5KO mice and transthoracic echocardiogram studies showed a slight reduction in left ventricular fractional shortening but otherwise a structurally normal heart. Notably, while surface electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated normal intervals (PR, QRS, QTc), Cpne5KO mice exhibited pronounced sinus arrhythmia, with notable sinus pauses, sinus bradycardia, and increased heart rate variability as compared to WT littermate controls on long term telemetry. Systemic loss-of-function of Cpne5 in mice resulted in marked sinus node dysfunction, consistent with human GWAS data, implicating a novel role for Cpne5 in CCS function and/or development. Additional phenotyping and molecular studies, including CPNE5 deletion in human induced-pluripotent cell-derived SAN-like cells, are ongoing to further elucidate its underlying mechanism.

Knockdown of the TRPM4 channel alters cardiac electrophysiology and hemodynamics in a sex- and age-dependent manner in mice.

TRPM4 is a calcium-activated, voltage-modulated, nonselective ion channel widely expressed in various cells and tissues. TRPM4 regulates the influx of sodium ions, thus playing a role in regulating the membrane potential. In the heart, TRPM4 is expressed in both cardiomyocytes and cells of the conductive pathways. Clinical studies have linked TRPM4 mutations to several cardiac disorders. While data from experimental studies have demonstrated TRPM4's functional significance in cardiac physiology, its exact roles in the heart have remained unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of TRPM4 in cardiac physiology in a newly generated Trpm4 knockdown mouse model. Male and female Trpm4 knockdown (Trpm4-/- ) and wild-type mice of different ages (5- to 12- week-old (young) and 24-week-old or more (adult)) were characterized using a multimodal approach, encompassing surface electrocardiograms (ECG), echocardiography recordings, ex vivo ECGs in isolated heart, endocardial mappings, Western blots, and mRNA quantifications. The assessment of cardiac electrophysiology by surface ECGs revealed no significant differences between wild-type and Trpm4-/- young (5- to 12-week-old) mice of either sex. Above 24 weeks of age, adult male Trpm4-/- mice showed reduced heart rate and increased heart rate variability. Echocardiography revealed that only adult male Trpm4-/- mice exhibited slight left ventricular hypertrophic alterations compared to controls, illustrated by alterations of the mitral valve pressure halftime, the mitral valve E/A ratio, the isovolumetric relaxation time, and the mitral valve deceleration. In addition, an assessment of the right ventricular systolic function by scanning the pulmonary valve highlighted an alteration in pulmonary valve peak velocity and pressure in adult male Trpm4-/- mice. Endocardial mapping recordings showed that applying 5 μM of the new TRPM4 inhibitor NBA triggered a third-degree atrioventricular block on 40% of wild-type hearts. These results confirm the key role of TRPM4 in the proper structure and electrical function of the heart. It also reveals differences between male and female animals that have never been reported. In addition, the investigation of the effects of NBA on heart function confirms the role of TRPM4 in atrioventricular conduction.

Sex-related beneficial effects of exercise on cardiac function and rhythm in autistic rats.

Cardiovascular diseases are prevalent in autistic patients. As exercise is useful in the treatment of medical conditions, this study aimed to identify the effect of low-intensity endurance exercise (LIEE) and moderate-intensity endurance exercise (MIEE) on cardiovascular events in autistic rats. Valproic acid (VPA) was administrated once on gestational day 12.5 to pregnant rats to produce autism-like symptoms in offspring. Thirty-day-old offspring were divided into 12 groups: Male-CTL, Male-VPA, Male-CTL + LIEE, Male-CTL + MIEE, Male-VPA + LIEE, Male-VPA + MIEE, Female-CTL, Female-VPA, Female-CTL + LIEE, Female-CTL + MIEE, Female-VPA + LIEE, and Female-VPA + MIEE. LIEE and MIEE were performed 5 days a week for 30 days. Twenty-four hours after the last exercise session, electrocardiogram and hemodynamic and cardiac function indices were recorded. The results indicated that +dp/dt max and contractility index (CI) decreased in the Female-VPA group compared to the Female-CTL group. LIEE increased these parameters in the Female-VPA + LIEE group. However, MIEE normalized CI in the Male-VPA + MIEE compared to the Male-VPA group. Tau increased in the Female-VPA group compared to the Female-CTL group and it decreased in the Female-VPA + MIEE group compared to the Female-VPA group. LIEE and MIEE recovered the reduction of heart rate and the increase in P, R, and T amplitudes in Male-VPA group. LIEE and MIEE increased heart rate variability in the Male-VPA and Female-VPA groups. The findings showed that LIEE and MIEE alleviated cardiac dysfunction and disturbances in heart rhythm in the autistic offspring. Exercise may be recommended as a routine program for autistic patients to prevent and treat the harmful cardiovascular consequences of autism.

Hypertension depresses but exercise training restores both Mfsd2a expression and blood-brain barrier function within PVN capillaries.

Hypertension augments while exercise training corrects the increased vesicle trafficking (transcytosis) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) within preautonomic areas and the autonomic imbalance. There is no information on a possible mechanism(s) conditioning these effects. Knowing that Mfsd2a is the major transporter of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and that Mfsd2a knockout mice exhibited leaky BBB, we sought to identify its possible involvement in hypertension- and exercise-induced transcytosis across the BBB. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar rats were submitted to treadmill training (T) or kept sedentary (S) for 4 wk. Resting hemodynamic/autonomic parameters were recorded in conscious chronically cannulated rats. BBB permeability within the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was evaluated in anesthetized rats. Brains were harvested for Mfsd2a and caveolin-1 (an essential protein for vesicle formation) expression. SHR-S versus Wistar-S exhibited elevated arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR), increased vasomotor sympathetic activity, reduced cardiac parasympathetic activity, greater pressure variability, reduced HR variability, and depressed baroreflex control. SHR-S also showed increased BBB permeability, reduced Mfsd2a, and increased caveolin-1 expression. SHR-T versus SHR-S exhibited increased Mfsd2a density, reduced caveolin-1 protein expression, and normalized PVN BBB permeability, which were accompanied by resting bradycardia, partial AP drop, reduced sympathetic and normalized cardiac parasympathetic activity, increased HR variability, and reduced pressure variability. No changes were observed in Wistar-T versus Wistar-S. Training is an efficient tool to rescue Mfsd2a expression, which by transporting DHA into the endothelial cell reduces caveolin-1 availability and vesicles' formation. Exercise-induced Mfsd2a normalization is an important mechanism to correct both BBB function and autonomic control in hypertensive subjects.

Modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of right insula on compassion motivation.

Compassion motivation is associated with increased heart rate variability (HRV), reflecting a calm and self-soothing physiological state. Recent work, however, suggests that this association is dynamic for the specific components of compassion. The present study adopted anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the right insula to see whether this would modulate the sensitivity to suffering and the commitment to engage in helpful actions (i.e., the components of compassion motivation). Ninety-seven healthy individuals underwent 15-min anodal or sham tDCS over the frontotemporal lobe, while watching a video inducing empathic sensitivity and performing a Redistribution Game. Tonic and phasic HRV, dispositional traits, and momentary affects were assessed. Compared to sham condition, anodal stimulation favored significant i) HRV reductions during the video and HRV increases during the Redistribution Game; ii) decreases in self-reported levels of negative affect and increases in positive affect during task when the latter was preceded by the video, without influencing altruistic behavior. Anodal tDCS over the right insula may modulate the engagement phase of compassion by intensifying the psychophysiological sensitivity to signals of distress and protecting from being subjectively overwhelmed by it.

The effects of everyday-life social interactions on anxiety-related autonomic responses differ between men and women

Social buffering, a phenomenon where social presence can reduce anxiety and fear-related autonomic responses, has been studied in numerous laboratory settings. The results suggest that the familiarity of the interaction partner influences social buffering while also providing some evidence for gender effects. In the laboratory, however, it is difficult to mimic the complexity of real-life social interactions. Consequently, the social modulation of anxiety and related autonomic responses in everyday life remains poorly understood. We used smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) combined with wearable electrocardiogram sensors to investigate how everyday-life social interactions affect state anxiety and related cardiac changes in women and men. On five consecutive days, 96 healthy young participants (53% women) answered up to six EMA surveys per day, indicating characteristics of their most recent social interaction and the respective interaction partner(s). In women, our results showed lower heart rate in the presence of a male interaction partner. Men showed the same effect with female interaction partners. Moreover, only women showed decreased heart rate and increased heart rate variability with increasing interaction partner familiarity. These findings specify the conditions under which social interactions reduce anxiety-related responses in women and men.