Why Does Heart Rate Variability Matter for Emotion Regulation

摘要 拥有一颗稳定跳动的心脏并不是最佳选择。大脑发出各种身体状态的信号， 血压和呼吸，有助于振荡节奏的心跳速度，并增加心脏 心率变异性（HRV）。由于尚不清楚的原因，静息时心率变异性越大， 情绪调节和幸福感心率变异性高的人往往不那么焦虑，不那么抑郁， 产生更适合情境的情绪反应。一个可能的解释是， 心率变异性和情绪调节之间的关系是，同一组大脑区域调节自主神经， 状态和情绪，因此HRV和情绪调节反映了整体健康状况和这种状态的功效。 中枢自主神经网络然而，这些影响似乎不仅仅来自大脑， 打到心脏在心率-压力感受器反馈回路的共振频率下进行有节奏呼吸（约 6呼吸/分钟，在冥想练习中经常达到的速度）刺激大脑的共振特征。 心血管系统，因此显著增加总HRV幅度。最近使用这种方法的研究 已经表明，在短期的日常会话中增加心率变异性可以改善长期的情绪结果。但 尚不清楚为什么高心率变异性的发作具有积极的影响。该项目将是第一个审查 这些影响的大脑机制，测试假设，高心率变异性的事件引起的共振 频率呼吸导致积极的结果，因为它们诱导大脑中的动态血流振荡 监控和调节生理身体状态的区域。我们的实验操作将是一个为期5周的 随机分配到共振频率下的起搏呼吸每日会话或 两个控制条件。我们测试的假设，共振频率呼吸将提高措施， 情绪健康，涉及情绪调节的大脑区域之间的静息状态功能连接， 以及在情绪体验中杏仁核的灵活上下调节。此外，我们还测试了 假设这些结果将由起搏呼吸期间的血流变异性介导，而不是由 替代机制。预期的结果表明，HRV不仅仅是一个指标， 健康，在刺激中央自主神经网络中的大脑区域以改善其 协调和功能。

ABSTRACT Having a heart with a steady beat is not optimal. The brain sends signals about various body states including blood pressure and breathing that contribute oscillatory rhythms to the speed of heartbeats and increase heart rate variability (HRV). For reasons that are not yet clear, having greater HRV at rest is associated with better emotion regulation and well-being. People with higher HRV tend to be less anxious, less depressed, less hostile and produce more context-appropriate emotional responses. One potential explanation for the relationship between HRV and emotion regulation is that the same set of brain regions regulates autonomic states and emotions, and so both HRV and emotion regulation reflect the general health and efficacy of this central autonomic network in the brain. However, it appears that the influences do not just flow from the brain to the heart. Paced breathing at the resonance frequency of the heart rate-baroreceptor feedback loop (around 6 breaths/min, a pace often attained during meditative practice) stimulates resonance characteristics of the cardiovascular system and so increases total HRV amplitude dramatically. Recent studies using this approach have shown that increasing HRV during short daily sessions can improve longer-term emotional outcomes. But it is unclear why episodes of high HRV have a positive impact. This project would be the first to examine the brain mechanisms of these effects, testing the hypothesis that episodes of high HRV induced by resonance frequency breathing lead to positive outcomes because they induce dynamic blood flow oscillations in brain regions that monitor and regulate physiological body states. Our experimental manipulation will be a 5-week protocol with random assignment to either a daily session with paced breathing at resonance frequency or one of two control conditions. We test the hypothesis that resonance frequency breathing will enhance measures of emotional well-being, resting state functional connectivity among brain regions involved in emotion regulation, and flexible up- and down-regulation of the amygdala during emotional experience. Furthermore, we test the hypothesis that these outcomes will be mediated by blood flow variability during paced breathing rather than by alternative mechanisms. The expected findings would indicate that HRV is more than just an indicator of health, with an active role in stimulating brain regions in the central autonomic network to improve their coordination and function.