Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026
Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Association of Heart Rate Variability and NeuroCognitive Performance Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults:
Saksham Bansal1, Sakshi Chaaras1, Vanshita Garg1
1Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
Background:
Studies suggest that obesity is linked to both autonomic nervous system dysfunction and cognitive impairment, but the specific quantitative associations are not well explored.
Purpose:
This study was proposed to explore the quantification of different neurocognitive signatures and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters with increasing body weight among metabolically healthy obese participants for better analytical predictors.
Methods:
The present research is a cross-sectional study, including a total of 101 (n = 101) participants. Out of the total, 71 were metabolically healthy obese or overweight individuals (body mass index [BMI] = 23.0-30.0 kg/m2; age 36-55 years; both genders) and 30 participants were enrolled as the control group. All the participants completed various neurological and psychological assessments, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cardio-autonomic tone by HRV analysis.
Results:
Significant changes were observed for neurocognitive performances and HRV indices for the metabolically healthy obese group compared with the control group. With the association heatmaps, BMI was found to be significantly negatively associated with the BDNF and high-frequency band (HF band, ms2). In socio-demographic-adjusted models, the analysis showed a substantial decline (p < .05) in the HF band, ms2 with an increase in BMI, emphasising its significant effect on vagal tone among the obese group. Also, a noteworthy association between BDNF levels and the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN)-HRV indices have confirmed the robustness of the findings for obese participants when compared with the control group.
Conclusion:
The findings of the present study support that HRV could be a valuable early non-invasive tool for future cognitive decline in a population with metabolically healthy obesity.
Clinical Trial Registry:
The study was registered at Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2022/10/046935).
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
08:30Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test, Measurement of Lung Function, and Fixation of the Lung to Study the Impact of Obesity and Impaired Metabolism on Pulmonary Outcomes
Published on: March 15, 2018
Related Concept Videos
01:25Metabolic Rate
The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) measures the energy expended at rest.
Several factors influence...
01:29Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
01:20Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion
01:31Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
01:30Factors Influencing Heart Rate
Let us explore the significant factors affecting heart rate, including age, body temperature, posture, acute pain, chemical influences,...
01:30Introduction to Biological Bases of Psychology
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...