Is Low Heart Rate Variability Associated with Emotional Dysregulation, Psychopathological Dimensions, and Prefrontal Dysfunctions? An Integrative View

Several studies have suggested a correlation between heart rate variability (HRV), emotion regulation (ER), psychopathological conditions, and cognitive functions in the past two decades. Specifically, recent data seem to support the hypothesis that low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV), an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personalized medicine 2021-08, Vol.11 (9), p.872
Main Authors: Cattaneo, Lorena Angela, Franquillo, Anna Chiara, Grecucci, Alessandro, Beccia, Laura, Caretti, Vincenzo, Dadomo, Harold
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Cardiac arrhythmia
Cognitive ability
Communication
Emotions
Fainting
Heart rate
Integration
Nervous system
Neuropsychology
Phylogenetics
Physiology
Precision medicine
Psychopathology
Review
Threats
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Summary:Several studies have suggested a correlation between heart rate variability (HRV), emotion regulation (ER), psychopathological conditions, and cognitive functions in the past two decades. Specifically, recent data seem to support the hypothesis that low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV), an index of sympathetic cardiac control, correlates with worse executive performances, worse ER, and specific psychopathological dimensions. The present work aims to review the previous findings on these topics and integrate them from two main cornerstones of this perspective: Porges' Polyvagal Theory and Thayer and Lane's Neurovisceral Integration Model, which are necessary to understand these associations better. For this reason, based on these two approaches, we point out that low HRV is associated with emotional dysregulation, worse cognitive performance, and transversal psychopathological conditions. We report studies that underline the importance of considering the heart-brain relation in order to shed light on the necessity to implement psychophysiology into a broader perspective on emotions, mental health, and good cognitive functioning. This integration is beneficial not only as a theoretical ground from which to start for further research studies but as a starting point for new theoretical perspectives useful in clinical practice.
ISSN:2075-4426
2075-4426
DOI:10.3390/jpm11090872