Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Psychology, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Oct;20(8):662-667. doi: 10.1080/15622975.2017.1372628. Epub 2017 Oct 12.
First evidence suggests that lower heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with more cognitive control deficits, a risk factor for the development of intrusive memories. The aim of this study was to determine whether high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio components of HRV at rest before an intrusion-inducing stressor would predict consecutive intrusive memories. Healthy female participants (n = 60) watched an established distressing film which induced intrusions. HF and LF/HF ratio were measured for 5 min prior to the stressor. The number of consecutive intrusions resulting from the distressing film was assessed throughout the following 4 days. The main effect LF/HF ratio was associated with more intrusive memories, whereas, the main effect HF was associated with more intrusions on a trend level. The time × HF and time × LF/HF ratio interactions were significant, indicating a different course of number of intrusions over the 4 days depending on HF and LF/HF ratio. The regression-based parameter estimates revealed a significant association of lower HF and number of intrusions on days 1 and 2 and a significant association of higher LF/HF (i.e. lower HRV) and number of intrusions on day 1. The results suggest that higher baseline LF/HF ratio (i.e. lower HRV) predicts more intrusive memories in healthy women after watching a distressing film. Furthermore, the results suggest that women with lower baseline HF and higher LF/HF ratio recover at a slower rate from watching the distressing film by showing a delayed decrease in intrusive memories. Our findings support the notion that lower baseline HRV before a trauma might be a vulnerability factor for subsequent intrusive memories.
首先有证据表明，较低的心率变异性（HRV）与更多的认知控制缺陷有关，而认知控制缺陷是侵入性记忆发展的一个风险因素。本研究旨在确定静息状态下的高频（HF）和低频/高频（LF/HF）比值成分是否可以预测侵入性记忆的连续出现。研究纳入了 60 名健康女性参与者，让她们观看一段既定的令人痛苦的电影，以诱发侵入性记忆。在应激源之前，对 HF 和 LF/HF 比值进行了 5 分钟的测量。在接下来的 4 天中，评估了因痛苦电影而产生的连续侵入性记忆的数量。主要影响 LF/HF 比值与更多的侵入性记忆有关，而主要影响 HF 与侵入性记忆的数量呈趋势水平有关。时间×HF 和时间×LF/HF 比值的交互作用具有统计学意义，表明根据 HF 和 LF/HF 比值，侵入性记忆的数量在 4 天内的变化过程不同。基于回归的参数估计显示，较低的 HF 与侵入性记忆的数量在第 1 天和第 2 天之间存在显著关联，较高的 LF/HF（即较低的 HRV）与侵入性记忆的数量在第 1 天之间存在显著关联。研究结果表明，在观看令人痛苦的电影后，较高的基线 LF/HF 比值（即较低的 HRV）预示着健康女性有更多的侵入性记忆。此外，研究结果表明，基线 HF 较低且 LF/HF 比值较高的女性，在观看痛苦电影后恢复速度较慢，表现为侵入性记忆的减少延迟。我们的研究结果支持这样一种观点，即创伤前较低的基线 HRV 可能是随后出现侵入性记忆的脆弱因素。
