Indices of heart rate variability and performance during a response-conflict task are differently associated with ADHD and autism

Objective. We investigated autonomic arousal, attention and response conflict, in ADHD and autism. Method. Heart rate variability (HRV), and behavioural and electrophysiological indices of performance, were recorded during a task with low and high levels of response conflict in 78 children/adolescents (7-15 years old) with ADHD, autism, comorbid ADHD+autism, or neurotypical. ANOVA models were used to investigate effects of ADHD and autism, while a mediation model was tested to clarify the relationship between ADHD and slower performance. Results. Slower and less accurate performance characterised ADHD and autism; however, atypical electrophysiological indices differently characterised these conditions. The relationship between ADHD and slower task performance was mediated by reduced HRV in response to the cue stimulus. Conclusions. Autonomic hypo-arousal and difficulties in mobilising energetic resources in response to sensory information (associated with ADHD), and atypical electrophysiological indices of information processing (associated with autism), might negatively affect cognitive performance in those with ADHD+autism

MENTAL STATUS AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY

The results let us suppose that there are at least three periodical phenomena of HRV in frequency range related with mental status. Two of them have not been discovered and physiologically explained yet. The most powerful of these phenomena relates to mental status. It has frequencies from 0.25 to 0.5 1/beat and peak 0.35 1/beat. Despite of difference of the peak frequencies the waves of factor loadings are overlapped. Therefore, regression models would be more fit for useful evaluation of mental status, rather then power of spectral density within any frequency range

Heart rate variability predicts older adults’ avoidance of negativity

Objectives The ability to produce situation-appropriate cognitive and emotional responses is dependent on autonomic nervous system (ANS) functionality. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an index of ANS functionality, and resting HRV levels have been associated with cognitive control and inhibitory capacity in young adults, particularly when faced with emotional information. As older adults’ greater preference for positive and avoidance of negative stimuli (positivity effect) is thought to be dependent on cognitive control, we hypothesized that HRV could predict positivity-effect magnitude in older adults. Method We measured resting-level HRV and gaze preference for happy and angry (relative to neutral) faces in 63 young and 62 older adults. Results Whereas young adults showed no consistent preference for happy or angry faces, older adults showed the expected positivity effect, which predominantly manifested as negativity avoidance rather than positivity preference. Crucially, older but not young adults showed an association between HRV and gaze preference, with higher levels of HRV being specifically associated with stronger negativity avoidance. Discussion This is the first study to demonstrate a link between older adults’ ANS functionality and their avoidance of negative information. Increasing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system might selectively improve older adults’ ability to disregard negative influences

Cardiovascular Consequences of Unfair Pay

This paper investigates physiological responses to perceptions of unfair pay. In a simple principal agent experiment agents produce revenue by working on a tedious task. Principals decide how this revenue is allocated between themselves and their agents. In this environment unfairness can arise if an agent's reward expectation is not met. Throughout the experiment we record agents' heart rate variability. Our findings provide evidence of a link between perceived unfairness and heart rate variability. The latter is an indicator of stress-related impaired cardiac autonomic control, which has been shown to predict coronary heart diseases in the long run. Establishing a causal link between unfair pay and heart rate variability therefore uncovers a mechanism of how perceptions of unfairness can adversely affect cardiovascular health. We further test potential adverse health effects of unfair pay using data from a large representative data set. Complementary to our experimental findings we find a strong and highly significant association between health outcomes, in particular cardiovascular health, and fairness of pay.fairness, social preferences, inequality, heart rate variability, health, experiments, SOEP