Lower Resting Heart Rate Variability Research Articles

Multi-ethnic variation in the ties that bind rumination and heart rate variability: Implications for health disparities.

Higher self-reported rumination, a common form of trait perseverative cognition, is linked with lower resting heart rate variability (HRV), which indicates poorer cardiac function and greater disease risk. A meta-analysis and systematic review indicated that in samples with fewer European Americans, the association of rumination with both heart rate and blood pressure was stronger. Thus, trait rumination may be more strongly associated with resting HRV among ethnically minoritized populations. The current study investigated whether differences in the association of self-reported rumination with resting HRV varied by ethnicity in a sample (N=513; Mage =19.41; 226 Women) of self-identified African Americans (n=110), Asian Americans (n=84), and European Americans (n=319). Participants completed a five-minute baseline period to assess resting HRV, followed by the Ruminative Responses Scale, which contains three facets of rumination including brooding, depressive, and reflective rumination. On average, Asian Americans reported higher levels of rumination relative to European Americans. African Americans had higher resting HRV than Asian Americans. Adjusting for covariates, higher self-reported rumination was significantly associated with lower resting HRV in both African and Asian Americans, but not significantly so in European Americans. This finding was consistent for brooding and reflective, but not depressive rumination. Overall, this study lends insight into a psychological mechanism-rumination-that may impact health disparities among ethnically minoritized individuals, contributing to an understanding of how stress gets under the skin among such minoritized populations.

Depressive rumination and heart rate variability: A pilot study on the effect of biofeedback on rumination and its physiological concomitants.

ObjectiveRecent studies suggest that lower resting heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with elevated vulnerability to depressive rumination. In this study, we tested whether increases in HRV after HRV-biofeedback training are accompanied by reductions in rumination levels.Materials and methodsSixteen patients suffering from depression completed a 6-week HRV-biofeedback training and fourteen patients completed a control condition in which there was no intervention (waitlist). The training included five sessions per week at home using a smartphone application and an ECG belt. Depressive symptoms and autonomic function at rest and during induced rumination were assessed before and after each of the two conditions. We used a well-established rumination induction task to provoke a state of pervasive rumination while recording various physiological signals simultaneously. Changes in HRV, respiration rate, skin conductance, and pupil diameter were compared between conditions and time points.ResultsA significant correlation was found between resting HRV and rumination levels, both assessed at the first laboratory session (r = -0.43, p < 0.05). Induction of rumination led to an acceleration of heart rate and skin conductance increases. After biofeedback training, resting vagal HRV was increased (p < 0.01) and self-ratings of state anxiety (p < 0.05), rumination (p < 0.05), perceived stress (p < 0.05), and depressive symptoms (QIDS, BDI; both p < 0.05) were decreased. In the control condition, there were no changes in autonomic indices or depressive symptomatology. A significant interaction effect group x time on HRV was observed.ConclusionOur results indicate that a smartphone-based HRV-biofeedback intervention can be applied to improve cardiovagal function and to reduce depressive symptoms including self-rated rumination tendencies.

Heart Rate Variability and Erectile Function in Younger Men: A Pilot Study.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) in younger men is an increasing concern. In middle aged and older men, ED was related to lower resting heart rate variability (HRV), but research in younger men is lacking. The present study examined, in a nonclinical sample of 105 men between 18 and 39years, the association of ED with several parameters of resting HRV. Scores of the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) below 22 were considered as indicating ED. Eighteen men (17.1%) reported ED (mild in 16, mild to moderate in 2). Welch's tests revealed that ED was associated with lower low-frequency power (LF), lower high-frequency power (HF), lower standard deviation of interbeat intervals, and lower standard deviation of the heart rate, which is influenced by both sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. After removing outliers, ED was unrelated to HF. In younger men, erections might be facilitated by a combination of higher parasympathetic tone and relatively higher sympathetic tone in the heart, as indicated by LF and greater standard deviation of the heart rate, a largely overlooked parameter in HRV research.

Heart rate variability in patients with dementia or neurocognitive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Heart rate variability, a quantitative measure of mainly parasympathetic activity, has been applied in evaluating many types of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including dementia (or neurocognitive disorders). However, although dementia patients often showed significantly lower heart rate variability (various indices) than healthy controls, and different types of dementia had distinct heart rate variability features, the results were not identical across studies. We designed a systematic review and meta-analysis for incorporating data from different studies. We gathered studies comparing heart rate variability in patients with dementia and in healthy controls. Heart rate variability was analysed in several ways: parasympathetic function in hierarchical order (main analysis), total variability, comparison of heart rate variability between different subtypes of dementia, specific indices of heart rate variability and heart rate variability reactivity. In the initial search, we found 3425 relevant articles, from which 24 studies with a total of 1107 dementia patients and 1017 control participants finally entered the main meta-analysis. The dementia patients had a significantly lower resting heart rate variability for parasympathetic function (Hedges' g = -0.3596, p = 0.0002) and total variability (Hedges' g = -0.3059, p = 0.0002) than the controls. For diagnostic subgroup analysis relative to the controls, heart rate variability was significantly lower in patients with mild cognitive impairment (Hedges' g = -0.3060) and in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (Hedges' g = -1.4154, p < 0.0001). Relative to patients with Alzheimer's disease, heart rate variability in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies was significantly lower (Hedges' g = -1.5465, p = 0.0381). Meta-regression revealed that gender proportion was significantly associated with effect size. Our results show that dementia patients (especially those with dementia with Lewy bodies and mild cognitive impairment) have lower parasympathetic activity than healthy people. The influence of gender on the results should be carefully interpreted.

Implicit Affect, Heart Rate Variability, and the Metabolic Syndrome.

Greater negative affect has been associated with an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome (METs). However, all studies to date have examined this association using explicit affect measures based on subjective ratings of emotional experiences. Prior studies suggest that implicit affect, representing the automatic, prereflective appraisal process involved in conscious emotional experiences, is associated with physiological stress responses independent of explicit affect. Furthermore, low resting heart rate variability (HRV) may increase the risk of stress-related diseases. The goals of this study were to evaluate the associations between implicit and explicit affect and METs and to assess whether these associations were amplified by lower HRV. This secondary analysis of a larger study included 217 middle-aged women who completed measures of implicit affect, explicit affect, high-frequency HRV, and the different components of METs. There was a significant interaction between implicit negative affect and HRV predicting METs (odds ratio = 0.57, 95% confidence interval = 0.35-0.92), such that the combination of higher implicit affect and lower HRV was associated with a greater likelihood of METs. Similarly, there was a main effect of implicit negative affect as well as an interaction between implicit negative affect and HRV on the lipid accumulation product (b (standard error) = -0.06 (0.02), 95% confidence interval = -0.11 to -0.02), a combination of waist circumference and triglycerides. Higher implicit negative affect in the context of lower HRV may be related to a greater risk of METs. The present findings highlight the relevance of including implicit affect measures in psychosomatic medicine research.

Effects of spinal cord stimulation on heart rate variability in patients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.

BackgroundBuilding on the recent finding that chronic pain patients with impaired functioning of the descending nociceptive inhibitory system (DNIS) present lower resting heart rate variability (HRV), this study aims to investigate the impact of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) on HRV in patients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). More precisely, we hypothesize that SCS influences the DNIS, with increased parasympathetic tone as a consequence, as measurable by HRV analysis.MethodsTwenty-two patients diagnosed with FBSS and treated with SCS participated in this study. HRV was measured with a 2-lead ECG registration tool during on and off states of SCS. HRV analysis for time, frequency, time-frequency and nonlinear domain parameters was based on a 5-minute recording segment.ResultsThe mean heart rate and low frequency power were significantly lower when SCS was activated. HRV, absolute and normalized high frequency power significantly increased during SCS compared to without SCS. The ratio of low frequency/high frequency ratios, as parameter for global sympathetic-parasympathetic equilibrium, significantly decreased when SCS was activated.ConclusionsWhen SCS is switched off, patients with FBSS present relatively stronger sympathetic tone and weaker parasympathetic activity. Activation of the SCS, possibly via stimulation of the DNIS, restores this disbalance of autonomic activity.

Heart rate variability biofeedback increases sexual arousal among women with female sexual arousal disorder: Results from a randomized-controlled trial

Low resting heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with poor sexual arousal function in women. In a recent study, a single session of autogenic training increased HRV and facilitated improvements in both sexual arousal and perceived genital sensations among women experiencing decreased arousal. The current study expands upon these findings by examining the efficacy of HRV biofeedback, with and without autogenic training, as a treatment for sexual arousal dysfunction in an at-home setting. Participants (N = 78) were randomized into one of three conditions: HRV biofeedback, HRV biofeedback + autogenic training, or waitlist control. Each condition included three laboratory sessions; participants in the two active conditions completed 4–6 biofeedback sessions at home, and participants in the HRVB + A condition listened to a 14-min autogenic training recording before completing the biofeedback. Across the three laboratory visits, participants in the three conditions singficnatly differed in their genital arousal, subjective sexual arousal, and their perceived genital sensations. Compared to women in the control group, women who engaged in HRV biofeedback at home, with and without additional autogenic training, experienced increases in genital arousal, subjective sexual arousal, and perceived genital sensations. These results provide preliminary support for the contribution of heart rate variability level to female sexual arousal function and for the use of either of these interventions in the treatment of sexual arousal concerns.

010 Improvements in Perceived Genital Sensations and Sexual Arousal Following App-based Intervention: Preliminary Results Form a Randomized-controlled Trial

Low resting heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with poor sexual arousal function in women. Recently, a single session of autogenic training, an intervention shown to increase HRV, led to increases in both physiological and subjective sexual arousal and perceived genital sensations in women experiencing decreased arousal (Stanton, Hixon, Nichols, & Meston, under review). The current study expands upon these findings by examining the efficacy of HRV biofeedback, with and without autogenic training, for sexual arousal dysfunction in an at-home setting. Women with sexual arousal complaints were eligible to participate if they scored below the clinical cut-off for sexual function on the FSFI, endorsed generalized rather than situational deficits in arousal, and reported significant distress. Participants (N = 37) were randomized into one of three conditions: HRV biofeedback, HRV biofeedback + autogenic training condition, or waitlist control. Each condition included three laboratory sessions, spaced two weeks apart, during which both subjective sexual arousal and perceived genital sensations were measured. Participants in the two active conditions completed 4-6 biofeedback sessions at home between each laboratory visit using a Polar H7 strap and a mobile app. Participants in the HRVB+A condition listened to a 14-minute autogenic training recording before completing the biofeedback. Preliminary self-report data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVAs.

Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability Promotes the Perception of Paradoxical Pain

Abstract. Self-regulation mechanisms are governed by prefrontal inhibitory processes and play a crucial role in the modulation of pain. In the present study the thermal grill paradigm was used to investigate the association of vagally mediated resting heart rate variability, a psychophysiological marker of trait self-regulatory capacity, with paradoxical pain sensations induced by non-noxious stimulation. This thermal grill illusion is only perceived by part of the tested individuals. The mechanisms underlying the observed interindividual differences in paradoxical pain sensitivity are largely unknown. During the experimental task, a temperature combination of 15 °C and 41 °C was set at the glass tubes of the thermal grill. The 52 healthy participants placed their dominant hand on the grill for a duration of one min. The magnitude of sensory and affective pain sensations perceived during stimulation was assessed with numerical rating scales. Before stimulation, a short-term electrocardiogram was recorded to compute vagally mediated heart rate variability at rest. Logistic regression analyses revealed that participants with higher vagal tone were significantly more likely to perceive the thermal grill illusion than subjects displaying lower resting heart rate variability. Paradoxical pain sensations were primarily predicted by normalized respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Our results confirm that the magnitude of vagally mediated resting heart rate variability is associated with the individual disposition to illusive pain perceptions. Since the latter is considered to be a marker of trait self-regulation ability, the present findings may corroborate and complement previous evidence for an impact of psychological characteristics on paradoxical pain sensitivity.

The moderating influence of heart rate variability on stressor-elicited change in pupillary and attentional indices of emotional processing: An eye-Tracking study

Low resting heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with a broad array of negative psychosocial outcomes. Recent theoretical explications of HRV suggest it is an autonomic marker of emotion regulation capacity, but limited research has examined its relationship with emotional information processing indices. The present study utilized eye-tracking methodology to test HRV’s theorized role as a marker of emotion regulation capacity in a non-clinical sample. Attentional biases towards threatening, dysphoric, and positive emotional information as well as affective modulation of pupil size were assessed before and after a stress induction. Low resting HRV marginally predicted larger increases in attentional bias towards positive emotional stimuli from pre to post-stress induction and significantly predicted decreased pupil dilation to positive stimuli after the stress induction only; exploratory analyses suggested that this pattern might reflect an unsuccessful attempt at anxious mood repair. HRV was unrelated to negative emotional information processing. Findings are consistent with existing theories of HRV’s psychological significance and suggest a specific association with altered positive emotional processing under acute stress.

Individual differences in cardiac vagal tone are associated with differential neural responses to facial expressions at different spatial frequencies: An ERP and sLORETA study

A previous study has shown that greater cardiac vagal tone, reflecting effective self-regulatory capacity, was correlated with superior visual discrimination of fearful faces at high spatial frequency Park et al. (Biological Psychology 90:171-178, 2012b). The present study investigated whether individual differences in cardiac vagal tone (indexed by heart rate variability) were associated with different event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in response to fearful and neutral faces. Thirty-six healthy participants discriminated the emotion of fearful and neutral faces at broad, high, and low spatial frequencies, while ERPs were recorded. Participants with low resting heart rate variability-characterized by poor functioning of regulatory systems-exhibited significantly greater N200 activity in response to fearful faces at low spatial frequency and greater LPP responses to neutral faces at high spatial frequency. Source analyses-estimated by standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA)-tended to show that participants with low resting heart rate variability exhibited increased source activity in visual areas, such as the cuneus and the middle occipital gyrus, as compared with participants with high resting heart rate variability. The hyperactive neural activity associated with low cardiac vagal tone may account for hypervigilant response patterns and emotional dysregulation, which heightens the risk of developing physical and emotional problems.

Influence of blood glucose on heart rate and cardiac autonomic function. The DESIR study

To evaluate in a general population, the relationships between dysglycaemia, insulin resistance and metabolic variables, and heart rate, heart rate recovery and heart rate variability. Four hundred and forty-seven participants in the Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance syndrome (DESIR) study were classified according to glycaemic status over the preceding 9 years. All were free of self-reported cardiac antecedents and were not taking drugs which alter heart rate. During five consecutive periods: rest, deep breathing, recovery, rest and lying to standing, heart rate and heart rate varability were evaluated and compared by ANCOVA and trend tests across glycaemic classes. Spearman correlation coefficients quantified the relations between cardio-metabolic risk factors, heart rate and heart rate varability. Heart rate differed between glycaemic groups, except during deep breathing. Between rest and deep-breathing periods, patients with diabetes had a lower increase in heart rate than others (P(trend) < 0.01); between deep breathing and recovery, the heart rate of patients with diabetes continued to increase, for others, heart rate decreased (P(trend) < 0.009). Heart rate was correlated with capillary glucose and triglycerides during the five test periods. Heart rate variability differed according to glycaemic status, especially during the recovery period. After age, sex and BMI adjustment, heart rate variability was correlated with triglycerides at two test periods. Change in heart rate between recovery and deep breathing was negatively correlated with heart rate variability at rest, (r=-0.113, P < 0.05): lower resting heart rate variability was associated with heart rate acceleration. Heart rate, but not heart rate variability, was associated with glycaemic status and capillary glucose. After deep breathing, heart rate recovery was altered in patients with known diabetes and was associated with reduced heart rate variability. Being overweight was a major correlate of heart rate variability.

Effects of moderate and vigorous physical activity on heart rate variability in a British study of civil servants.

Physical inactivity and low resting heart rate variability (HRV) are associated with increased coronary heart disease incidence. In the Whitehall II study of civil servants aged 45-68 years (London, United Kingdom, 1997-1999), the strength of the association of moderate and vigorous activity with higher HRV was examined. Five-minute recordings of heart rate and HRV measures were obtained from 3328 participants. Calculated were time domain (standard deviation of NN intervals) and high-frequency-power measures as indicators of cardiac parasympathetic activity and low-frequency power of parasympathetic-sympathetic balance. Leisure-time physical activity (metabolic equivalent-hours per week) was categorized as moderate (>or=3-<5) and vigorous (>or=5). Moderate and vigorous physical activity were associated with higher HRV and lower heart rate. For men, linear trends of higher low-frequency power with increasing quartile of vigorous activity (304.6 (low), 329.0, 342.4, 362.5 (high); p < 0.01) and lower heart rate with increasing quartile of moderate activity (69.6 (low), 69.2, 68.9, 67.8 (high); p < 0.05) were found. These associations remained significant after adjustment for smoking and high alcohol intake. For men whose body mass index was >25 kg/m(2), vigorous activity was associated with HRV levels similar to those for normal-weight men who engaged in no vigorous activity. Vigorous activity was associated with higher HRV, representing a possible mechanism by which physical activity reduces coronary heart disease risk.

Time Domain Measures Of Heart Rate Variability In Heavy Workers

Background: Physical inactivity and low resting heart rate variability (HRV) are associated with increased incidence of coronary heart disease. Heavy physical activity is associated with higher heart rate variability and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease Objective: To assess some time domain measures of HRV in order to compare Cardiac Autonomic Function between sedentary and heavy workers. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University between 1st July 2008 to 30th June 2009 on 30 apparently healthy heavy workers aged 28-50 years from low socioeconomic condition (study group). For comparison 30 age, sex, BMI and socioeconomic status matched apparently healthy sedentary subjects (group A) were also studied. The study subjects were selected among rickshaw-pullers living in the slum areas nearby BSMMU, Dhaka and the controls were from fourth class employee of BSMMU, Dhaka. Heart Rate Variability were assessed by a Polygraph. Several time domain measures of HRV such as mean R-R interval, mean HR, SDNN, RMSSD were analyzed. For statistical analysis, Independent-Samples t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests were done as applicable. Results: Resting mean heart rate (P&lt;0.01), SDNN (P&lt;0.01) and RMSSD (P&lt;0.001) were significantly lower but mean R-R interval (P&lt;0.001) was significantly higher in heavy workers than those of sedentary control. The mean R-R interval (P&lt;0.05) showed significant positive correlation in heavy workers but significant negative correlation in sedentary workers with BMI. Conclusion: Cardiac autonomic nerve function status may be higher with parasympathetic dominance by increased physical activity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbsp.v6i2.9755 JBSP 2011 6(2): 77-83