Heart Rate Variability as a Possible Biomarker of Cognitive-Motor Integration in Post-Stroke Patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV) reflects autonomic nervous system (ANS) function.
• HRV analysis is a potential tool for assessing stroke severity and outcomes.
• Understanding cognitive-motor interaction in post-stroke patients is crucial for rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if HRV measured during cognitive and sensorimotor upper limb (UL) tasks can serve as a biomarker for cognitive-motor interaction in post-stroke patients.
• To explore differences in HRV responses between right and left hemiparetic stroke patients during specific tasks.

Main Methods:

• Forty-six post-stroke patients underwent HRV recording at rest, during visuomotor simulation (DE), and motor imagery (MI) of the affected UL.
• Functional outcome measures for UL function were collected.
• Subgroup analyses were performed based on lesion side (right vs. left hemiparesis).

Main Results:

• Patients exhibited reduced HRV and sympathetic predominance at rest.
• Significant reductions in time-domain HRV were observed during DE and MI tasks.
• Right hemiparetic patients showed parasympathetic predominance during mental UL tasks, unlike left hemiparetic patients.
• No correlation was found between HRV parameters and UL functional scales.

Conclusions:

• HRV responses to cognitive-motor tasks differ between right and left hemiparetic stroke patients, suggesting lateralized brain hemisphere involvement.
• HRV may reflect different neural substrates and cognitive-motor processing between hemispheres.
• HRV parameters may not directly correlate with clinical functional assessment scales, potentially measuring distinct aspects of recovery.