Cardiac Autonomic Modulation and Cognitive Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cognitive decline has been increasingly linked to cardiac autonomic regulation; however, its specific associations with cognitive domains, such as information processing speed and executive function, remain unclear. This preliminary study examined the relationship between cardiac autonomic modulation and cognitive performance in older adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 101 older adults (aged ≥60 years) attending a university hospital outpatient clinic. Participants were classified as without cognitive impairment (WCI) or cognitively impaired and not demented (CIND) based on neuropsychological assessments. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured at rest, focusing on the time-domain parameters (SDNN, rMSSD, and pNN50). Trail making test parts A and B (TMT-A and TMT-B) were used to assess information processing speed and executive function, respectively. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were performed, adjusting for confounding variables including age, sex, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

Participants in the CIND group had significantly lower HRV indices than those in the WCI group (SDNN, < 0.05, = 0.44; rMSSD, < 0.05, = 0.39; pNN50, < 0.05, = 0.40), indicating reduced parasympathetic modulation. Higher HRV values were observed in individuals with preserved processing speed and executive function. Specifically, pNN50 was significantly associated with processing speed ( = 0.04), and SDNN was significantly correlated with executive function ( = 0.02). These associations persisted even after adjusting for confounding factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Reduced cardiac autonomic modulation, especially lower parasympathetic activity, is significantly associated with cognitive impairment in older adults. Lower pNN50 values were correlated with slower information processing speed, and lower SDNN was associated with poorer executive function. These findings support the potential use of HRV as a physiological biomarker to detect cognitive changes during ageing.