Resting-state brain correlates of cardiovascular complexity

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Complexity Science

Background:

• Complex cardiac measures offer prognostic and diagnostic value for various pathologies.
• Brain correlates of complex heart rate and sympatho-vagal dynamics remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the brain areas associated with complex cardiovascular control.
• To explore the relationship between heart rate complexity and brain activity in healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from 34 healthy subjects (Human Connectome Project).
• Applied inhomogeneous point-process approximate and sample entropy (ipApEn and ipSampEn) to assess heartbeat complexity.
• Correlated physiological signal acquisition with fMRI data.

Main Results:

• Negative correlations observed between ipApEn and activity in the Temporal Gyrus, Frontal Orbital Cortex, Temporal Fusiform and Opercular cortices, Planum Temporale, and Paracingulate cortex.
• Negative correlations also found between ipSampEn and activity in these same cortical areas, including the Temporal Fusiform cortex.
• No significant positive correlations were identified.

Conclusions:

• Cardiovascular complexity at rest is associated with specific cortical brain structures.
• Findings suggest a link to brain areas involved in parasympathetic outflow.
• Supports a multidimensional central network controlling nonlinear cardiac dynamics, primarily under vagal tone.