Background:
Affective disorders are associated with both visceral and neurophysiological changes, but few studies report simultaneous measurement and analysis of these systems. We used an integrative neuroscience approach to explore relationships between heart and brain activity for healthy controls, as a benchmark for studying the interplay of these systems in affective disorders.
Methods:
Participants were recruited in collaboration with the Brain Resource International Database (www. brainresource.com). Simultaneous EEG and ECG were recorded from 2092 healthy individuals while they rested with their eyes open. EEG power was calculated in standard frequency bands, averaged across sites and correlated with average heart rate for each decade of the life span.
Results:
Heart rate was significantly correlated with EEG power in young people (10-20 years old) but was less evident in people outside this age range. In this age group, heart rate and EEG power had a positive correlation across all frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta r = +0.25, +0.20, +0.14, +0.19, respectively; n = 675, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
This study shows the imperative of using an integrative neuroscience approach in the study of brain function and dysfunction. Without taking account of the manifold influences on brain function, neurophysiological studies might be confounded by variance in these factors. Simultaneous measurement across systems can also disclose their interaction in health and disease. The observed change in interplay between the heart and brain over age might prove an important factor in the understanding of affective disorders.
