Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Calculating Heart Rate Variability from ECG Data from Youth with Cerebral Palsy During Active Video Game Sessions
Published on: June 5, 2019
Variations in cognitive demand affect heart rate in typically developing children and children at risk for
F C Chen1, C L Tsai2, G R Biltz3
1National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) show altered autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses, indicated by heart rate variability (HRV), during cognitive tasks. This suggests potential perception-action linkage deficits in DCD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Physiology
Background:
- Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects children with movement difficulties but normal intelligence.
- Previous research indicates perceptual and cognitive deficits in children with DCD.
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses in DCD during cognitive tasks remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of ANS response differences between children with DCD and typically developing children (TDC).
- Examine the impact of varying task difficulty on ANS responses in these groups.
Main Methods:
- Sixty children (9-10 years) participated: 30 at risk for DCD and 30 TDC.
- Participants completed a visual signal detection task and a digit memory task, each with low (LD) and high (HD) difficulty levels.
- Heart rate responses were recorded, and frequency domain analysis and sample entropy (SampEn) were computed to assess ANS activity.
Main Results:
- Heart rate variability (HRV) differences were observed between LD and HD conditions for the visual signal detection task, but not the digit memory task.
- TDC children exhibited greater HRV differences between LD and HD conditions during the visual signal detection task compared to children with DCD.
- These differences were less pronounced in the digit memory task.
Conclusions:
- Children at risk for DCD may exhibit decreased HRV, indicating altered ANS responses.
- Findings suggest potential deficits in the perception-action linkage in children with DCD.
- HRV serves as a potential biomarker for identifying ANS dysregulation in DCD.
Background:
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a diagnosis for children who present with movement difficulties, but are of normal intelligence without neurological deficits. Previous studies have demonstrated that children with DCD exhibit perceptual deficits and lower cognition performance. To date, their autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses during tasks requiring cognitive and perceptual effort have not been compared to typically developing children (TDC).
Objective:
The present study investigated heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker for ANS response differences between DCD and TDC, and the impact of different levels of task difficulty.
Methods:
Participants were 60 individuals (9-10 years); 30 children at risk for DCD, and 30 TDC. Each participant performed two tasks each of which demanded enhanced cognitive effort: a visual signal detection task and a digit memory task-each task had two levels of difficulty, low (LD) and high (HD). Heart rate responses were continuously recorded during performance of each task. Frequency domain analysis and heart rate sample entropy (SampEn) were computed to determine ANS responses in each of the tasks.
Results:
HRV differences were detected between the two levels of task difficulty, LD and HD, for the visual signal detection task, but not for the digit memory task. HRV differences between LD and HD conditions were greater for TDC children than DCD when engaged in visual signal detection task, compare to the memory task.
Interpretation:
The results suggest that children at risk for DCD may show decreased HRV as a marker for altered ANS responses and potential deficits in the linkage between their perceptions and actions.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
01:19Cardiac Output I:Effect of Heart Rate on Cardiac Output
Cardiac output (CO) refers to the total amount of blood ejected by one of the ventricles in liters per minute (L/min). In a resting adult, CO ranges from 5 to 6 L/min, adjusting according to the body's metabolic requirements.
Effect of Heart Rate on Cardiac Output
Cardiac output adapts to metabolic demands during stress, physical activity, or illness. The autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate via the sinoatrial node. The parasympathetic nervous system decreases heart...
01:29Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance
01:30Information Processing Approach
01:31Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....