High vagally mediated resting-state heart rate variability is associated with superior working memory function

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Heart rate variability (HRV) indicates cardiac vagal tone and predicts performance on prefrontal cortex-dependent cognitive tasks.
• The specific relationship between vagal tone and working memory is not well understood.
• This study investigates the link between vagal tone and working memory using behavioral and neuroimaging methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between vagal tone and working memory function.
• To examine neural activity in the prefrontal cortex during working memory tasks in relation to vagal tone.
• To determine if resting-state HRV predicts working memory performance.

Main Methods:

• 42 undergraduate students underwent resting-state HRV measurement (rMSSD).
• Participants were divided into high and low vagal tone groups.
• Working memory was assessed using the n-back test, with concurrent neural activity measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Main Results:

• The high vagal tone group exhibited superior working memory performance (shorter reaction time, higher accuracy, lower inverse efficiency).
• Lower oxy-hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration in the prefrontal cortex was observed in the high vagal tone group during tasks.
• Significant associations were found between behavioral performance, prefrontal oxy-Hb, and resting-state rMSSD.

Conclusions:

• High vagally mediated resting-state HRV is associated with enhanced working memory.
• Elevated vagal tone correlates with more efficient neural resource utilization.
• These findings suggest vagal tone is a significant factor in working memory capacity and function.