Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Autism Res. 2019 Jun;12(6):922-930. doi: 10.1002/aur.2104. Epub 2019 Apr 10.
A growing body of research has suggested heart rate variability (HRV) may be reduced in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to neurotypical cohorts. While there have been several studies investigating HRV in children diagnosed with ASD, few studies have been conducted in adults. The objective of the current study was to investigate autonomic nervous system activity as assessed by HRV in adults diagnosed with ASD. We hypothesized that adults with ASD would show a reduction in HRV compared to neurotypical participants. Participants diagnosed with ASD (n = 55) were recruited from the Autism Clinic for Translational Research at the Brain and Mind Centre (University of Sydney) between 2013 and 2017. Neurotypical participants were recruited from advertisements and online media. Resting state heart rate was measured for 5 min while participants sat in an upright position. Results showed there was an overall significant difference in resting-state HRV between adults diagnosed with ASD compared to the neurotypical control group. Logarithmically transformed high frequency (HF) and root mean square of successive differences were particularly decreased in the ASD group, suggesting lower parasympathetic activity. The use of psychotropic medications and comorbidities were associated with reductions in low frequency of HRV. Our data suggest an overall dysregulation in resting autonomic activity in adults with ASD. This may represent an important physiological mechanism leading to potential cardiovascular risk in ASD, which warrants further investigation. Autism Res 2019, 12: 922-930. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: ASD is commonly associated with a range of physical and mental health comorbidities. Autonomic disruptions underlying reductions in heart rate variability (HRV) have been linked to a range of mental and physical health conditions. We assessed resting-state HRV in adults diagnosed with ASD in comparison to healthy individuals. Our results showed reduced heart rate variability in people diagnosed with ASD compared to adults without ASD. These findings implicate a role for autonomic activity as a potentially modifiable risk factor for ASD.
越来越多的研究表明，与神经典型队列相比，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者的心率变异性（HRV）可能降低。虽然已经有几项研究调查了 ASD 儿童的 HRV，但在成人中进行的研究很少。本研究的目的是调查被诊断为 ASD 的成年人的自主神经系统活动，如 HRV 评估。我们假设与神经典型参与者相比，ASD 成年人的 HRV 会降低。2013 年至 2017 年期间，从悉尼大学脑与心智中心自闭症转化研究诊所招募了被诊断为 ASD 的参与者（n=55）。神经典型参与者通过广告和在线媒体招募。参与者坐在直立位置时，测量了 5 分钟的静息心率。结果显示，与神经典型对照组相比，被诊断为 ASD 的成年人的静息状态 HRV 存在总体显著差异。HF 和连续差异均方根的对数转换在 ASD 组中特别降低，表明副交感活动较低。使用精神药物和合并症与 HRV 的低频降低有关。我们的数据表明，ASD 成年人的静息自主活动总体失调。这可能代表导致 ASD 潜在心血管风险的重要生理机制，值得进一步研究。自闭症研究 2019，12:922-930。©2019 国际自闭症研究协会，威利在线期刊，公司。摘要：ASD 通常与一系列身心健康合并症相关。与心率变异性（HRV）降低相关的自主神经紊乱与一系列身心健康状况有关。我们比较了 ASD 成年人和健康个体的静息状态 HRV。我们的研究结果表明，与没有 ASD 的成年人相比，被诊断为 ASD 的成年人的 HRV 降低。这些发现表明自主活动作为 ASD 的潜在可调节风险因素具有作用。
