Division of Physiology, Otto Loewi Research Centre, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Centre Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria.
PLoS One. 2021 Mar 1;16(3):e0246968. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246968. eCollection 2021.
Sympathovagal balance measured by heart rate variability is a core component of psychophysiological research. Through the close link of physiological and psychological aspects, often a reduced heart rate variability is associated with impaired cognitive function. A better understanding of the associations between cognitive and cardiovascular dysfunctions is necessary to prevent the manifestation of diseases. Therefore, this study investigated phasic heart rate variability using rest, anticipatory, stress, and recovery periods and the association with high and low cognitive performance in a generally healthy population setting.
114 healthy individuals (40 males, 74 females) aged 20 to 70 participated in the cross-sectional study. The heart rate variability based on standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), and the root means square of successive differences (RMSSD), low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) and LF/HF ratio and its association with high and low cognitive performance measured by the California Verbal Learning Task II were examined.
The results of this study indicate that the paradigm was successful in producing stress and showed a significant association between phasic heart rate variability (SDNN) and verbal episodic memory performance, irrespective of age and sex.
The results of this study suggest that a reduced heart rate variability is associated with reduced cognitive function regardless of age and sex and seem to be an early indicator of sympathovagal disbalance.
This leads to the conclusion that differences between high and low cognitive performance might show differences in heart rate variability at an early stage, where no diseases are yet manifest.
通过心率变异性测量的交感神经迷走神经平衡是心理生理学研究的核心组成部分。通过生理和心理方面的紧密联系，通常与认知功能受损相关的是心率变异性降低。为了预防疾病的表现，有必要更好地理解认知和心血管功能障碍之间的关联。因此，本研究在一般健康人群中使用休息、预期、应激和恢复期间的相位心率变异性，并研究其与高认知和低认知表现的关联。
114 名年龄在 20 至 70 岁的健康个体（40 名男性，74 名女性）参与了这项横断面研究。基于 NN 间期标准差（SDNN）和连续差异均方根（RMSSD）、低频（LF）、高频（HF）和 LF/HF 比值的心率变异性，以及用加利福尼亚语言学习任务 II 测量的高认知和低认知表现的关联，都进行了研究。
该研究的结果表明，该范式成功地产生了应激，并且显示出相位心率变异性（SDNN）与言语情节记忆表现之间存在显著关联，与年龄和性别无关。
该研究的结果表明，心率变异性降低与认知功能降低有关，与年龄和性别无关，似乎是交感神经迷走神经失衡的早期指标。
这得出的结论是，高认知和低认知表现之间的差异可能在早期阶段表现出心率变异性的差异，此时尚未出现疾病。
