Structural brain correlates of heart rate variability in a healthy young adult population

• Verfasst von: Winkelmann, Tobias [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Flor, Herta [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Structural brain correlates of heart rate variability in a healthy young adult population
• Verf.angabe: Tobias Winkelmann, Julian F. Thayer, Sebastian Pohlack, Frauke Nees, Oliver Grimm, Herta Flor
• E-Jahr: 2017
• Jahr: 22 January 2016
• Jahr des Originals: 2016
• Umfang: 8 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 16.04.2018
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Brain structure & function
• Ort Quelle: Berlin : Springer, 2007
• Jahr Quelle: 2017
• Band/Heft Quelle: 222(2017), 2, Seite 1061-1068
• ISSN Quelle: 1863-2661
• DOI: doi:10.1007/s00429-016-1185-1
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• K10plus-PPN: 1572047844

Abstract

The high frequency component of heart rate variability (HRV) has reliably been shown to serve as an index of autonomic inhibitory control and is increasingly considered as a biomarker of adaptability and health. While several functional neuroimaging studies identified associations between regional cerebral blood flow and HRV, studies on structural brain correlates of HRV are scarce. We investigated whether interindividual differences in HRV are related to brain morphology in healthy humans. Thirty participants underwent HRV recording at rest subsequent to structural magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical reconstruction and subcortical volumetry were performed with the Freesurfer image analysis suite. The amount of resting HRV was positively correlated with the cortical thickness of an area within the right anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC). Consistent with existing studies implicating forebrain regions in cardiac regulation, our findings show that the thickness of the right aMCC is associated with the degree of parasympathetic regulation of heart rate. Evidence for the neural correlates of interindividual differences in HRV may complement our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the association between HRV and self-regulatory capacity.