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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Insulin resistance and carotid intima-media thickness mediate the association between resting-state heart rate
Andrew H Kemp1, Santiago Rodríguez López2, Valeria M A Passos3
1University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; School of Psychology & Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Background:
Research has linked high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) to cognitive function. The present study adopts a modern path modelling approach to understand potential causal pathways that may underpin this relationship.
Methods:
Here we examine the association between resting-state HF-HRV and executive function in a large sample of civil servants from Brazil (N=8114) recruited for the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). HF-HRV was calculated from 10-min resting-state electrocardiograms. Executive function was assessed using the trail-making test (version B).
Results And Conclusions:
Insulin resistance (a marker of type 2 diabetes mellitus) and carotid intima-media thickness (subclinical atherosclerosis) mediated the relationship between HRV and executive function in seriatim. A limitation of the present study is its cross-sectional design; therefore, conclusions must be confirmed in longitudinal study. Nevertheless, findings support that possibility that HRV provides a 'spark' that initiates a cascade of adverse downstream effects that subsequently leads to cognitive impairment.
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