Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Effects of Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Published on: January 19, 2024
Investigating the Relationship between Electroconvulsive Therapy and Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review
Abdurrahim Rahimian1, Baranoosh Rahmani1, Javad Garshad1
1Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract:
Physical therapies such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may result in higher response and recovery rates, especially in patients who have treatment-resistant depression. Various studies have reported different changes in heart rate variability (HRV) parameters before and after depression treatment with ECT. Therefore, the present study reviews systematically the evidence describing changes in HRV parameters and the cardiac autonomic nervous system associated with ECT. Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase electronic databases were searched for papers published up to September 8, 2022, without any restriction on the year and language of the study. A total of 895 articles were reviewed by two independent groups and nine articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected. Time-domain and frequency-domain HRV parameters were assessed. In conclusion, the results of our systematic review provided limited evidence for the influence of ECT on HRV parameters. Despite studies suggesting depression results in a decrease in parasympathetic activity and ECT results in an increase in cardiac vagal activity, ECT seems to have no consistent effect on HRV parameters.
More Related Videos
08:12Calculating Heart Rate Variability from ECG Data from Youth with Cerebral Palsy During Active Video Game Sessions
Published on: June 5, 2019
08:22Author Spotlight: Advancing the Study of Brain-Heart Interplay with a Comprehensive EEGLAB Plugin for Multimodal Signal Analysis
Published on: April 26, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Electroconvulsive Therapy
ECG Interpretation of Arrhythmias II: Atrial, Junctional and Ventricular Arrhythmias
Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
Electrocardiogram
Three major waveforms are present in a typical ECG recording: the P wave, the QRS complex, and...
Cardiac 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...
Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm