Daily Biofeedback to Modulate Heart Rate Oscillations Affects Structural Volume in Hippocampal Subregions Targeted by the Locus Coeruleus in Older Adults but Not Younger Adults

Overview

Journal medRxiv

Date 2023 Sep 25

PMID 37745356

Authors

Hyun Joo Yoo

Kaoru Nashiro

Shubir Dutt

Jungwon Min

Christine Cho

Julian F Thayer

Paul Lehrer

Catie Chang

Mara Mather

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Using data from a clinical trial, we tested the hypothesis that daily sessions modulating heart rate oscillations affect older adults' volume of a region-of-interest (ROI) comprised of adjacent hippocampal subregions with relatively strong locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic input. Younger and older adults were randomly assigned to one of two daily biofeedback practices for 5 weeks: 1) engage in slow-paced breathing to increase the amplitude of oscillations in heart rate at their breathing frequency (Osc+); 2) engage in self-selected strategies to decrease heart rate oscillations (Osc-). The interventions did not significantly affect younger adults' hippocampal volume. Among older adults, the two conditions affected volume in the LC-targeted hippocampal ROI differentially as reflected in a significant condition x time-point interaction on ROI volume. These condition differences were driven by opposing changes in the two conditions (increased volume in Osc+ and decreased volume in Osc-) and were mediated by the degree of heart rate oscillation during training sessions.

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