“…Several studies reporting links between cardiovascular activity and sensory processing have indicated a key role of stretch-responsive aortic and carotid baroreceptors, which respond to fluctuations in HR and pulsatile pressure and are active during the systolic phase and quiescent during the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle (Azzalini et al, 2019;Skora et al, 2022). Signals discharged by the baroreceptors relay information on the timing and strength of heartbeats to the brainstem to maintain cardiac homeostasis but continue to the cortex where they are thought to increase levels of cortical inhibition and modulate sensory intake (Lacey & Lacey, 1970;Pramme et al, 2014Pramme et al, , 2016Sandman, 1984;Sandman et al, 1977;Walker & Sandman, 1982) as well as the broader perception of time (Arslanova et al, 2022). While a fast HR is associated with reduced visual detection (McCanne & Sandman, 1974;Sandman et al, 1977) and visual discrimination (Lojowska et al, 2015), a fast HR is also associated with increased atherosclerosis in aging (Chen et al, 2017;Whelton et al, 2013).…”