Clarifying the link between psychopathologies and heart rate variability, and the sex differences: Can neuropsychological features serve as mediators?

Wei-Lieh Huang; Shih-Cheng Liao; Chi-Shin Wu; Yi-Ting Chiu

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.046

Clarifying the link between psychopathologies and heart rate variability, and the sex differences: Can neuropsychological features serve as mediators?

J Affect Disord. 2023 Nov 1:340:250-257. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.046. Epub 2023 Aug 9.

Authors

Wei-Lieh Huang¹, Shih-Cheng Liao², Chi-Shin Wu³, Yi-Ting Chiu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan; Cerebellar Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: Y03046@ms1.ylh.gov.tw.
² Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsin-Chu Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan; National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan.

PMID: 37562561
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.046

Abstract

Background: Patients with common mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms) often exhibit lower heart rate variability (HRV) than healthy individuals. Under the hypothesis that disorder status affects cognitive function, we examined whether neuropsychological features can be mediators between psychopathologies and HRV and possible sex differences.

Methods: We recruited 359 individuals (aged 42.47 ± 12.23) with and without common mental disorders. Questionnaires were used to measure their psychopathologies. Eight tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery were selected to measure neuropsychological functions. Resting-state HRV measurements were obtained for 5 min. The associations among these constructs were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis and structural equation modelling.

Results: Among women, Reaction Time (RTI, a task of psychomotor speed) indicator mediated the relationship between depression and low-frequency power (LF); Emotion Recognition Task (ERT, a task of emotional regulation) indicator mediated the relationship between health anxiety and high-frequency power (HF). Among men, Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift (IED, a task of shifting) indicator mediated the relationship between depression and LF; Match to Sample Visual Search (MTS, a task of selective attention) indicator mediated the relationship between health cognition and HF. The depression-RTI-LF pathway in women tended to lower HRV; whereas health anxiety-ERT-HF in women, depression-IED-LF and health cognition-MTS-HF in men tended to increase HRV.

Limitations: Possible medication effects; not directly measuring brain activity; only gathering resting-state HRV.

Conclusion: Our findings support the notion that neuropsychological features mediate the relationship between psychopathologies and HRV, and that sex differences exist.

Keywords: Common mental disorders; Heart rate variability; Mediation; Neuropsychological tests; Sex difference.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety
Attention
Emotions* / physiology
Female
Heart Rate / physiology
Humans
Male
Sex Characteristics*