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. 2017 May:115:65-73.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.04.008. Epub 2016 Apr 22.

Genetic influences on heart rate variability

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Genetic influences on heart rate variability

Simon Golosheykin et al. Int J Psychophysiol. 2017 May.

Abstract

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation of cardiac inter-beat intervals over time resulting largely from the interplay between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. Individual differences in HRV are associated with emotion regulation, personality, psychopathology, cardiovascular health, and mortality. Previous studies have shown significant heritability of HRV measures. Here we extend genetic research on HRV by investigating sex differences in genetic underpinnings of HRV, the degree of genetic overlap among different measurement domains of HRV, and phenotypic and genetic relationships between HRV and the resting heart rate (HR). We performed electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings in a large population-representative sample of young adult twins (n=1060 individuals) and computed HRV measures from three domains: time, frequency, and nonlinear dynamics. Genetic and environmental influences on HRV measures were estimated using linear structural equation modeling of twin data. The results showed that variability of HRV and HR measures can be accounted for by additive genetic and non-shared environmental influences (AE model), with no evidence for significant shared environmental effects. Heritability estimates ranged from 47 to 64%, with little difference across HRV measurement domains. Genetic influences did not differ between genders for most variables except the square root of the mean squared differences between successive R-R intervals (RMSSD, higher heritability in males) and the ratio of low to high frequency power (LF/HF, distinct genetic factors operating in males and females). The results indicate high phenotypic and especially genetic correlations between HRV measures from different domains, suggesting that >90% of genetic influences are shared across measures. Finally, about 40% of genetic variance in HRV was shared with HR. In conclusion, both HR and HRV measures are highly heritable traits in the general population of young adults, with high degree of genetic overlap across different measurement domains.

Keywords: Autonomic balance; Genetics; Heart rate variability; Heritability; Twins.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A. Trivariate genetic model. In this triangular decomposition (Cholesky) model, rectangles represent the observed phenotypes (HR, SDNN, HF), and circles represent latent genetic and non-shared environmental variables (A and E, respectively). Paths from latent factors to observed phenotypes represent unique and shared influences (e.g. A1 to HR and A1 to SDNN, respectively). Unstandardized path coefficients are indicated next to each path.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Genetic and environmental correlations among HR and HRV variables. The upper part of the diagram shows the overlap between genetic factors influencing the phenotypes, whereas the lower part shows the overlap between environmental factors affecting the same phenotypes.

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