Cortical thickness, resting state heart rate, and heart rate variability in female adolescents

Abstract

Resting state heart rate variability (HRV) is a psychophysiological marker that has gained increasing research interest, in particular in developmental neuroscience. HRV has been shown to be associated with mental and physical health, beyond simple measures of heart rate (HR) and shows inter- and intraindividual variance across aging. Recently, three studies reported on a positive correlation between resting state HRV and cortical thickness in selected regions of interest (ROIs) in adult samples. Structural thickness, HRV, and HR change during the sensitive period of adolescence. Previously, no study has addressed the structural concomitants of resting HR and HRV in adolescents. Cortical thickness (3-T MRI), HR, and HRV were recorded in 20 healthy, female adolescents (mean age: 15.92 years; SD = 1.06; range: 14-17). In line with existing research in adults, cortical thickness in a number of ROIs was associated with resting state HRV but not HR. The comparison of regression analyses using the Bayes factor revealed evidence for a correlation between HRV and cortical thickness of the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate cortex. However, unlike in adults, greater cortical thickness was associated with reduced HRV in female adolescents. Analyses on HR showed no superior model fit. Results suggest that greater HRV might be beneficial for cortical development during adolescence (cortical thinning). On the other hand, cortical development might determine changes in autonomic nervous system function in adolescents. Future studies are needed to replicate these findings in larger samples including boys and to test these hypotheses in longitudinal designs.

Brain structural thickness and resting state autonomic function in adolescents with major depression

“…The significant cross-over interaction suggests that in subjects with lower depressive symptoms, lower right insula cortical thickness was associated with greater RVA. This finding is in line with prior research in non-depressed adolescents, illustrating that greater RVA is associated with reduced cortical thickness in subjects of younger age (Koenig et al 2018), contrary to a positive association reported in adults (Woodward et al , 2008; Winkelmann et al , 2016; Yoo et al , 2018). The prior study in adolescents did not support an association between insula thickness and RVA, but highlighted the rostral ACC in models not controlling for depressive symptoms.…”

“…While the causality in the link between cortical thickness and RVA is unclear, we have previously suggested that greater RVA might be beneficial for cortical thinning during adolescence (Koenig et al 2018). Considering environmental influences, lower RVA may be a consequence of increased stress and in turn is associated with greater stress vulnerability in children and adolescents (Porges, 1992; Michels et al , 2013).…”

“…Analyses of structural thickness included nine ROIs each for the left and the right hemisphere, defined prior to the analysis, covering brain areas implicated in depression and autonomic control: ‘Caudal ACC’, ‘Caudal MFG’, ‘Lateral OFC’, ‘Medial OFC’, ‘Rostral ACC’, ‘Rostral MFG’, ‘Superior Frontal’, ‘Frontal Pole’ and the ‘Insula’. The selection of ROIs was based on previous studies addressing the association of structural thickness and RVA (Woodward et al , 2008; Winkelmann et al , 2016; Koenig et al 2018; Yoo et al , 2018). …”

“…Recently, Koenig et al (2018) showed that in healthy adolescents, RVA is inversely associated with cortical thickness, particularly of the rostral ACC. We found that the developmentally normative processes of (i) cortical thinning and (ii) increased RVA, go hand-in-hand; disruptions in one process may be related to disruption in the other (Silvetti et al , 2001).…”

“…Based on previous findings in healthy adolescents (Koenig et al 2018), it was hypothesized that adolescents with MDD would show greater cortical thickness and lower RVA compared with non-depressed controls (CTRL), and that greater cortical thickness would be related to lower RVA. Furthermore, we considered the possibility that due to neuroadaptive processes that take place in the course of illness of depression in adolescents, the relationships between cortical thickness and RVA may differ between adolescents with vs without depression.…”