Self-regulation, glucose and heart rate variability - Interindividual differences and intraindividual dynamics

健康饮食和有规律的体力活动只是各种与健康相关的行为的两个例子，这些行为需要自我调节，即控制和改变冲动以及调节情绪、思想和行为的能力。在过去的十年中，对自我调节的研究旨在确定自我调节的生物学相关性，以加深对自我调节成败的理解。鲍迈斯特和他的同事的自我调节强度理论假设，个体内血糖水平的波动反映了自我调节的个体内变异。但是，由于支持这一假设的少数研究存在深刻的方法论问题，到目前为止，对结果进行明确的解释是不可能的。根据塞耶及其同事的神经内脏整合理论，个体间自我调节的差异可以用心率变异性(HRV)的个体间差异来解释。各种研究都支持这种关系。然而，研究个体间差异在葡萄糖代谢中的作用以及个体内HRV波动对自我调节的作用的研究很少。因此，目前的研究旨在评估葡萄糖代谢和心率变异性对自我调节的假设作用，同时考虑到个体内和个体间的差异。因此，评估自我调节表现的双重任务范式(连续两个自我调节任务)将与内分泌学方法相结合，以测量葡萄糖利用并同时评估HRV的波动。此外，还将评估紧张性心率变异性和糖代谢标记物在自我调节能力方面的个体差异。目前的研究项目允许(1)评估关于自我调节的葡萄糖代谢和心率变异性的个体内和个体间的动力学，(2)克服与测量血糖波动相关的方法学问题，以及(3)评估和比较这两种理论的贡献。因此，这项研究将提供关键证据，以加强对自我调节的生物学相关性的了解，并为开发预防自我调节失败的干预措施提供关键证据。

Healthy eating and regular physical activity are only two examples of various health-relevant behaviors which require self-regulation, i.e. the capacity to control and modify impulses and to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. In the last decade, research in self-regulation aimed at identifying biological correlates of self-regulation to deepen the understanding of success and failure in self-regulation. The theory of self-regulatory strength by Baumeister and colleagues hypothesized that intraindividual fluctuations in glucose levels reflect intraindividual variability in self-regulation. But, as the few studies supporting this hypothesis suffer from profound methodological problems, an unequivocal intepretation of results is not possible to date. Based on the theory of neurovisceral integration by Thayer and colleagues, interindividual differences in self-regulation can be explained by interindividual differences in heart rate variability (HRV). Various studies support this relationship. However, studies examining the role of interindividual differences in glucose metabolism and intraindividual fluctuations in HRV with respect to self-regulation are rare. Thus, the current research aims at evaluating the hypothesized role of glucose metabolism and HRV for self-regulation, taking into account intra- as well as interindividual differences. Therefore, a dual task paradigm (two consecutive self-regulation tasks) to assess self-regulatory performance will be combined with endocrinological methods to measure glucose utilization and simultaneous assessment of fluctuations in HRV. Additionally, interindividual differences in tonic HRV and markers of glucose metabolism will be evaluated with respect to self-regulatory performance. The current research project allows (1) evaluating intra- and interindividual dynamics in glucose metabolism and HRV with respect to self-regulation, (2) overcoming the methodological problems associated with measurement of fluctuations in blood glucose, and (3) assessing and comparing the contribution of both theories. Thereby, the study will provide key evidence to enhance the knowledge of the biological correlates of self-regulation and for the development of interventions to prevent self-regulatory failure.