Abstract

Heart rate variability is a robust biomarker of emotional well-being, consistent with the shared brain networks regulating emotion regulation and heart rate. While high heart rate oscillatory activity clearly indicates healthy regulatory brain systems, can increasing this oscillatory activity also enhance brain function? To test this possibility, we randomly assigned 106 young adult participants to one of two 5-week interventions involving daily biofeedback that either increased heart rate oscillations (Osc+ condition) or had little effect on heart rate oscillations (Osc− condition) and examined effects on brain activity during rest and during regulating emotion. While there were no significant changes in the right amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) functional connectivity (our primary outcome), the Osc+ intervention increased left amygdala-MPFC functional connectivity and functional connectivity in emotion-related resting …

Date

2023

Authors

Kaoru Nashiro, Jungwon Min, Hyun Joo Yoo, Christine Cho, Shelby L Bachman, Shubir Dutt, Julian F Thayer, Paul M Lehrer, Tiantian Feng, Noah Mercer, Padideh Nasseri, Diana Wang, Catie Chang, Vasilis Z Marmarelis, Shri Narayanan, Daniel A Nation, Mara Mather

Journal

Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience

Volume

23

Issue

1

Pages

66-83

Publisher

Springer US