Cited by 53Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlCardiac Health and Mental HealthVagus Nerve Stimulation Research

Cardiac dysautonomia in depression – heart rate variability biofeedback as a potential add-on therapy

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Pinter, Alexandra, Szatmari Jr, Szabolcs, Horvath, Tamas, Penzlin, Ana Isabel, Barlinn, Kristian, Siepmann, Martin, Siepmann, Timo·2019·Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment

Abstract

Depressive disorders are among the most important health problems and are predicted to constitute the leading cause of disease burden by the year 2030. Aside significant impact on quality of life, psychosocial well-being and socioeconomic status of affected patients, depression is associated with impaired cardiovascular health and increased mortality. The link between affective and cardiovascular disease has largely been attributed to dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system resulting in a chronic shift toward increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity and, consecutively, cardiac dysautonomia. Among proposed surrogate parameters to capture and quantitatively analyze this shift, heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity have emerged as reliable tools. Attenuation of these parameters is frequently seen in patients suffering from depression and is closely linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies were designed to assess and counteract cardiac dysautonomia. While psychopharmacological treatment can effectively improve affective symptoms of depression, its effect on cardiac dysautonomia is limited. HRV biofeedback is a non-invasive technique which is based on a metronomic breathing technique to increase parasympathetic tone. While some small studies observed beneficial effects of HRV biofeedback on dysautonomia in patients with depressive disorders, larger confirmatory trials are lacking. We reviewed the current literature on cardiac dysautonomia in patients suffering from depression with a focus on the underlying pathophysiology as well as diagnostic workup and treatment.

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Crossref · 10.2147/ndt.s200360

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  • ANS function is purportedly modulated by the core-ICNs and one of the most robust ANS disturbances found in IDs is cardiac dysautonomia in the form of reduced HRV.

    “ANS function is purportedly modulated by the core-ICNs and one of the most robust ANS disturbances found in IDs is cardiac dysautonomia in the form of reduced HRV [52, 96, 103, 280, 282–293].”

    From Infraslow closed-loop brain training for anxiety and depression (ISAD): a protocol for a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled pilot trial in adult females with internalizing disorders (2022) · cites this paper as [103]

    The section on impairment of HRV in depressive disorders reports reduced HRV in 14 of 18 studies, supporting cardiac dysautonomia in depression. The paper describes a central autonomic network involved in autonomic responses, but it does not identify that network as the core-ICNs or establish reduced HRV across IDs more broadly. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Authors
Pinter, A., Szatmari Jr, S., Horvath, T., Penzlin, A. I., Barlinn, K., Siepmann, M., & Siepmann, T.
Affiliations
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
  • University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE)
  • Dresden International University (DE)
Corresponding author
Siepmann, Timo
Venue
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
Published
2019-05
Volume
Volume 15
Pages
1287-1310
ISSN
  • 1176-6328 (ISSN-L)
  • 1178-2021
OpenAlex
W2944887095
Cited by
53
References
177
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4
FWCI
1.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
Keywords
cardiac autonomic dysfunction, depression, heart rate variability biofeedback, baroreflex sensitivity, autonomic dysfunction, parasympathetic activity, sympathetic activity, adjunctive therapy

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