Comparative Cross-sectional Study on Phasic Heart Rate Variability and Working Memory Among Young Adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a potential early indicator of cognitive decline.
• Understanding the interplay between cardiovascular and cognitive health is crucial for disease prevention.
• Yoga's cardiovascular benefits are recognized, but short-term, cross-sectional studies are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in phasic HRV between yoga practitioners and non-practitioners.
• To examine reaction patterns in HRV during rest and cognitive stress.
• To assess the impact of yoga on working memory (WM) performance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, controlled study involving 84 healthy males (42 yoga practitioners, 42 non-practitioners).
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) and N-back task (WM assessment) were recorded simultaneously.
• Analysis of multiple HRV indices including RR intervals, HR, STDRR, RMSSD, TINN, pNN50, NN50, LF, HF, and LF/HF ratio.

Main Results:

• Yoga practitioners demonstrated enhanced physiological responses to stress, with higher heart rate (HR), NN50, and TINN, and lower RR, STDRR, pNN50, and RMSSD, indicating greater cardiac flexibility.
• The yoga group exhibited significantly higher accuracy in the N-back task compared to the control group.
• Phasic HRV indices and cognitive performance were notably higher in the yoga group.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in phasic HRV and WM performance exist between yoga practitioners and non-practitioners.
• These differences suggest yoga may positively influence cardiovascular and cognitive health early in life, before disease onset.
• Integrating yoga into daily life from a young age may contribute to long-term health and well-being.