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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 11, 2025

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Dynamic brain-heart interaction in sleep characterized by variational phase-amplitude coupling framework.

Juntong Lyu¹, Chien-Hung Yeh^2,3, Wenbin Shi^1,4

¹School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.

Communications Biology

|August 16, 2025

Summary

This study reveals how brain and heart rhythms synchronize during sleep, identifying key patterns of autonomic nervous system (ANS) and central nervous system (CNS) interaction. These findings offer insights into sleep preparation and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

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Published on: May 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cardiology
Sleep Medicine
Physiology

Background:

Sleep involves synchronized brain and heart activity, reflecting central (CNS) and autonomic (ANS) nervous system communication vital for health.
The precise interplay between CNS and ANS rhythms during sleep is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a framework for analyzing the dynamic coupling between CNS and ANS rhythmicities during sleep.
To identify electrophysiological signatures of ANS-CNS modulation and their alterations in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Main Methods:

A variational phase-amplitude coupling framework was developed to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) and R-peak interval (cardiac) data across sleep stages.
Method robustness was validated using nonlinear and nonstationary simulations.
Coupling patterns between delta-range slow cortical oscillations (EEG-δ) and heart rate variability (HRV) components (HRV-LF, HRV-HF) were analyzed.

Main Results:

Delta-range slow cortical oscillations robustly couple with both low-frequency (HRV-LF) and high-frequency (HRV-HF) heart rate variability, indicating a key ANS-CNS modulation signature.
A 'decoupling phenomenon' during wake-to-sleep transition was highlighted as significant for sleep preparation.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients exhibited stronger coupling between HRV-LF and EEG-δ, and weaker coupling between HRV-HF and EEG-δ compared to healthy individuals.

Conclusions:

The study presents a novel framework for quantifying brain-heart interactions during sleep.
Specific coupling patterns between EEG-δ and HRV components serve as electrophysiological markers of ANS-CNS interplay.
Altered brain-heart coupling patterns in OSA patients provide insights into the pathophysiology of the condition and highlight potential diagnostic or therapeutic targets.