Investigating fractal dimension, heart rate variability, and memory during different image sequencing regimes in young adults

The goal of this study is to investigate patterns that emerge in brain and heart signals in response to external stimulating image regimes. Data were collected from 84 subjects of ages 18–22. Subjects viewed a series of both neutrally and negatively arousing pictures during 2-min and 18-s-long segme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2020-11, Vol.30 (11), p.113116-113116
Main Authors: Aguillard, David, Zarubin, Vanessa, Wilson, Caroline, Steinmetz, Katherine R. Mickley, Martsberger, Carolyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain
Computation
Echocardiography
Electrocardiography
Electroencephalography
Fractal analysis
Fractal geometry
Fractals
Heart rate
Image sequencing
Nonlinear analysis
Sequences
Young adults
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Summary:The goal of this study is to investigate patterns that emerge in brain and heart signals in response to external stimulating image regimes. Data were collected from 84 subjects of ages 18–22. Subjects viewed a series of both neutrally and negatively arousing pictures during 2-min and 18-s-long segments repeated nine times. Both brain [electroencephalogram (EEG)] and heart signals [electrocardiogram (EKG)] were recorded for the duration of the study (ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 h) and analyzed using nonlinear techniques. Specifically, the fractal dimension was computed from the EEG to determine how this voltage trace is related to the image sequencing. Our results showed that subjects visually stimulated by a series of mixed images (a randomized set of neutrally or negatively arousing images) had a significantly higher fractal dimension compared to subjects visually triggered by pure images (an organized set of either all neutral or all negatively arousing images). In addition, our results showed that subjects who performed better on memory recall had a higher fractal dimension computed from the EEG. Analysis of EKG also showed greater heart rate variability in subjects who viewed a series of mixed images compared to subjects visually triggered by pure images. Overall, our results show that the healthy brain and heart are responsive to environmental stimuli that promote adaptability, flexibility, and agility.
ISSN:1054-1500
1089-7682
DOI:10.1063/5.0002764