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Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing the Study of Brain-Heart Interplay with a Comprehensive EEGLAB Plugin for Multimodal Signal Analysis
Published on: April 26, 2024
Cortical and subcortical brain networks predict prevailing heart rate
Amy Isabella Sentis1,2, Javier Rasero2,3,4, Peter J Gianaros2,5
1Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Higher brain regions influence resting heart rate, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Machine learning models using fMRI data identified brain networks predicting heart rate variations in healthy adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Science
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Resting heart rate is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Autonomic control of heart rate by the brainstem is established, but higher brain region involvement is less understood.
- Understanding brain-heart interactions is crucial for assessing CVD risk.
Conclusions:
- Brain networks, particularly those involved in psychological stress, significantly predict heart rate variations.
- This study provides evidence for brain-heart interactions influencing cardiovascular health.
- Findings represent a step towards developing brain-based biomarkers for CVD risk.
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