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Keep the heart in mind: the interplay of heart and brain activity over the life span

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

P Boord ,
L Williams ,
E Gordon  and
C Rennie
P Boord
Affiliation:
Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millenium Institute, Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney, Australia
L Williams
Affiliation:
Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millenium Institute, Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney, Australia
E Gordon
Affiliation:
Brain Resource Company, Sydney, Australia
C Rennie
Affiliation:
Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Millenium Institute, Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney, Australia
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Abstract

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Type
Abstracts from ‘Brainwaves’— The Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research Annual Meeting 2006, 6–8 December, Sydney, Australia
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 18 , Issue 6 , December 2006 , pp. 279
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Blackwell Munksgaard

Background:

Affective disorders are associated with both visceral and neurophysiological changes, but few studies report simultaneous measurement and analysis of these systems. We used an integrative neuroscience approach to explore relationships between heart and brain activity for healthy controls, as a benchmark for studying the interplay of these systems in affective disorders.

Methods:

Participants were recruited in collaboration with the Brain Resource International Database (www. brainresource.com). Simultaneous EEG and ECG were recorded from 2092 healthy individuals while they rested with their eyes open. EEG power was calculated in standard frequency bands, averaged across sites and correlated with average heart rate for each decade of the life span.

Results:

Heart rate was significantly correlated with EEG power in young people (10-20 years old) but was less evident in people outside this age range. In this age group, heart rate and EEG power had a positive correlation across all frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta r = +0.25, +0.20, +0.14, +0.19, respectively; n = 675, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

This study shows the imperative of using an integrative neuroscience approach in the study of brain function and dysfunction. Without taking account of the manifold influences on brain function, neurophysiological studies might be confounded by variance in these factors. Simultaneous measurement across systems can also disclose their interaction in health and disease. The observed change in interplay between the heart and brain over age might prove an important factor in the understanding of affective disorders.