Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Ethan G. Harrod, Ilan Shrira, Jared D. Martin, Paula M. Niedenthal
Summary: Despite the historically negative reactions towards strangers, contemporary migration patterns have increased interaction between different groups. This study suggests that cultural practices in ancestrally diverse societies promote emotion regulation and higher vagal tone, enabling individuals to effectively manage arousal and engage with outgroup members. The analysis of data from the MIDUS 2 Biomarker Project shows that the ancestral diversity of states in the United States significantly predicts the average vagal tone of its citizens, highlighting the impact of social context on human physiology.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Valentin Magnon, Frederic Dutheil, Guillaume T. Vallet
Summary: This study examines the performance of self-regulation in decision-making under different contexts and finds that vagal reactivity and recovery in a specific decisional context is the best model to explain advantageous decision-making.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diego Candia-Rivera, Vincenzo Catrambone, Julian F. Thayer, Claudio Gentili, Gaetano Valenza
Summary: The century-long debate on bodily states and emotions continues, with this study investigating the brain-heart interplay during emotional experiences. Using a computational model, the researchers found that sympathetic-vagal activity plays a leading and causal role in initiating the emotional response, and the subsequent dynamic interplay between the central and autonomic nervous systems sustains the processing of emotional arousal.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masahiro Okada, Kosuke Okada, Masayuki Kakehashi
Summary: Based on the analysis of data from 53 young women, this study found that masticatory function is associated with nervous function and eating habit patterns. High occlusal force is related to an increased high-frequency component of heart rate variability, and eating habit patterns are also associated with occlusal force and heart rate variability. Therefore, eating habits may simultaneously affect masticatory function, nervous system development, and cardiovascular rhythm.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Aysegul Gemici, Osman Sinen, Mehmet Bulbul
Summary: Exposure to high fat diet during perinatal period may lead to autonomic imbalance in male offspring rats in early adulthood, characterized by increased sympathetic tone, without developing obesity.
METABOLIC BRAIN DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
M. Leitzke, S. Schimpf, M. Altrock, P. Schonknecht, S. Bischoff, H. Schubert, D. Hoyer, R. Bauer, S. Olbrich
Summary: Electrical stimulation of the gastric wall may shift the sympathetic-vagal balance towards parasympathetic predominance, as indicated by a decrease in sympathetic dominance marker nLF (from 58.00 to 25.52) and an increase in vagal dominance marker nHF (from 41.48 to 74.16). During gastric electrical stimulation, there was no difference in heart rate compared to baseline.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL REGULATORS AND HOMEOSTATIC AGENTS
(2021)
Review
Physiology
Marta Zammuto, Cristina Ottaviani, Fiorenzo Laghi, Antonia Lonigro
Summary: Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to infer the mental states of others in order to understand their behaviors, and is related to heart rate variability (HRV). A meta-analysis found a significant association between HRV and ToM, with studies using high frequency-HRV assessment at rest and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test showing the largest effect sizes.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Gabriel Dias Rodrigues, Angelica Carandina, Costanza Scata, Chiara Bellocchi, Lorenzo Beretta, Pedro Paulo da Silva Soares, Eleonora Tobaldini, Nicola Montano
Summary: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients often experience cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction, leading to arrhythmic complications and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the progression of cardiac autonomic impairment over time in different subsets of SSc patients. The results showed that the worsening of cardiac autonomic dysfunction was associated with the diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) subset, which had a more extent of skin and internal organs fibrosis.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Kevin Dang, Megan A. Kirk, Georges Monette, Joel Katz, Paul Ritvo
Summary: The study found a quadratic relationship between higher meaning in life (MIL) and vagally-mediated heart rate variability (VmHRV), with higher MIL associated with greater stress reactivity. However, MIL did not enhance stress attenuation. Overall, the findings suggest that cardiac vagal tone and reactivity are linked to MIL, shedding light on the physiological processes underlying the relationship between MIL and health outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Alexandre C. C. Fioretti, Nuha A. A. Dsouki, Barbara do Vale, Rodrigo P. P. de Carvalho, Daniel P. M. Dias, Daniel P. P. Venancio, Fernando L. A. Fonseca, Monica A. A. Sato
Summary: Supplementation with different doses of vitamin D did not directly affect resting arterial pressure, heart rate, and autonomic modulation on the heart in rats, but a low dose of supplementation improved the sensitivity of the bradycardic component of the baroreflex.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Liat Sorski, Yori Gidron
Summary: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common chronic disease and a significant risk factor for other fatal illnesses. This review paper presents scientific evidence on the protective roles of the vagal nerve in T2DM through neuroendocrine and neuroimmunological pathways. Studies have shown that vagal activity, as measured by heart rate variability (HRV), is inversely related to diabetes and that vagal nerve activation may reduce biomarkers and processes associated with T2DM. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to further investigate the effects of vagal nerve activation on T2DM and its anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Christiane Wesarg, Alithe L. Van den Akker, Nicole Y. L. Oei, Reinout W. Wiers, Janneke Staaks, Julian F. Thayer, DeWayne P. Williams, Machteld Hoeve
Summary: Childhood adversity is associated with small alterations in vagal functioning, particularly in samples including individuals with psychiatric disorders and experiences of direct adversities. Overall, no significant association was found between childhood adversity and vagal activity or reactivity.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
T. D. Yeater, J. Zubcevic, K. D. Allen
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate autonomic nervous system shifts in rat knee joint injury and osteoarthritis (OA) models. The results showed that injured animals had a slower heart rate during low activity and mechanical stimuli caused an immediate decrease in heart rate and blood pressure in all groups. Furthermore, the damaged groups exhibited a larger drop in heart rate following pharmacological stimulation. These findings provide preliminary evidence of potential functional shifts in the autonomic nervous system in models of joint injury and OA.
OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Francesca Mura, Elisabetta Patron, Simone Messerotti Benvenuti, Claudio Gentili, Andrea Ponchia, Franco Del Piccolo, Daniela Palomba
Summary: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is closely associated with cognitive impairment, which is a key feature of depression and highly prevalent in CHD patients. The study investigates the moderating role of depressive symptoms in the relation between reduced heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive performance in patients with CHD. The findings suggest that depressive symptoms may strengthen the association between reduced HRV and poorer cognitive performance in cardiac patients, indicating dysfunction in the autonomic and cognitive function network. The importance of this study is rated as 9 out of 10.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Julia Lopez Laurino, Anne Kastelianne Franca da Silva, Lorena Altafin Santos, Felipe Ribeiro, Lais Manata Vanzella, Dayane Andrade Genoni Corazza, Luiz Carlos Marques Vanderlei
Summary: This study found that hydration can enhance the recovery speed of coronary artery disease patients after cardiovascular rehabilitation sessions, as evidenced by improvements in HR variability and recovery rate. However, there were no significant differences between the two recovery protocols, indicating a need for further research.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
