The relationship between neurocognitive performance and HRV parameters in nurses and non-healthcare participants

Taryn Chalmers; Shamona Eaves; Ty Lees; Chin-Teng Lin; Phillip J Newton; Roderick Clifton-Bligh; Craig S McLachlan; Sylvia M Gustin; Sara Lal

doi:10.1002/brb3.2481

The relationship between neurocognitive performance and HRV parameters in nurses and non-healthcare participants

Brain Behav. 2022 Mar;12(3):e2481. doi: 10.1002/brb3.2481. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Authors

Taryn Chalmers¹, Shamona Eaves², Ty Lees³, Chin-Teng Lin⁴, Phillip J Newton⁵, Roderick Clifton-Bligh⁶, Craig S McLachlan⁷, Sylvia M Gustin⁸, Sara Lal⁹

Affiliations

¹ Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Neuroscience Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ The Pennsylvania State University Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁴ Computational Intelligence and Brain Computer Interface Centre (CIBCI), FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ School of Nursing & Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia.
⁶ Medicine, Northern Clinical School, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Healthy Futures, Torrens University Australia - Sydney Campus Pyrmont, Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia.
⁸ University of New South Wales School of Psychology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Abstract

Nurses represent the largest sector of the healthcare workforce, and it is established that they are faced with ongoing physical and mental demands that leave many continuously stressed. In turn, this chronic stress may affect cardiac autonomic activity, which can be non-invasively evaluated using heart rate variability (HRV). The association between neurocognitive parameters during acute stress situations and HRV has not been previously explored in nurses compared to non-nurses and such, our study aimed to assess these differences. Neurocognitive data were obtained using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Cognistat psychometric questionnaires. ECG-derived HRV parameters were acquired during the Trier Social Stress Test. Between-group differences were found in domain-specific cognitive performance for the similarities (p = .03), and judgment (p = .002) domains and in the following HRV parameters: SDNN_baseline, (p = .004), LF_preparation (p = .002), SDNN_preparation (p = .002), HF_preparation (p = .02), and TP_preparation (p = .003). Negative correlations were found between HF power and domain-specific cognitive performance in nurses. In contrast, both negative and positive correlations were found between HRV and domain-specific cognitive performance in the non-nurse group. The current findings highlight the prospective use of autonomic HRV markers in relation to cognitive performance while building a relationship between autonomic dysfunction and cognition.

Keywords: cognitive performance; electrocardiography; heart rate variability; mental health; nurses.

MeSH terms

Autonomic Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System Diseases*
Electrocardiography*
Heart Rate / physiology
Humans
Prospective Studies