Insulin Resistance and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Mediate the Association between Resting-State Heart Rate Variability and Executive Function: A Path Modelling Study

KEMP, ANDREW; RODRÍGUEZ LÓPEZ, SANTIAGO; PASSOS, VALERIA; BITTENCOURT, MARCIO; DANTAS, EDUARDO; MILL, JOSÉ; RIBEIRO, ANTONIO; THAYER, JULIAN; ISABELA BENSEÑOR; PAULO A. LOTUFO

BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 117 p. 216 - 224

0301-0511

BACKGROUND: Research has linked high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) ? an index of vagal function ? to cognitive function. The present study adopts a modern path modelling approach to better understand potential causal pathways that may underpin this relationship.METHODS: Here we examine the association between resting-state HF-HRV and executive function in a large sample of civil servants from Brazil (N=8,114) recruited for the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). HF-HRV was calculated from 10-minute resting-state electrocardiograms. Executive function was assessed using the trail-making test (TMT, version B). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Participants with high HRV displayed better executive function relative to those with low HRV. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, a marker of type 2 diabetes mellitus) and subclinical atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness, IMT) mediated the relationship between HRV and executive function. We suggest that reductions in HRV may provide a ?spark? that initiates a cascade of adverse downstream effects that subsequently leads to cognitive impairment.