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. 2019 Aug;56(8):e13385.
doi: 10.1111/psyp.13385. Epub 2019 Apr 25.

Lower resting cardiac autonomic balance in young adults with current major depression

Christopher J Brush  1 , Ryan L Olson  2 , Peter J Ehmann  1 , Anthony J Bocchine  1 , Marsha E Bates  1   3 , Jennifer F Buckman  1   3 , Teresa M Leyro  4 , Brandon L Alderman  1   3
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Lower resting cardiac autonomic balance in young adults with current major depression

Christopher J Brush et al. Psychophysiology. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Research on cardiac autonomic function in major depressive disorder (MDD) has predominantly examined cardiac vagal control and adopted a model of reciprocal autonomic balance. A proposed bivariate autonomic continuum uses cardiac autonomic balance (CAB) and cardiac autonomic regulation (CAR) models, derived from normalized values of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and pre-ejection period, to more adequately index patterns of autonomic control. The purpose of this study was to assess resting levels of CAB and CAR among young adults with and without a current diagnosis of major depression. One hundred forty-two young adults (n = 65 MDD, n = 77 healthy controls; 20.8 ± 2.6 years) completed a structured diagnostic interview, cardiovascular assessment, and a maximal aerobic fitness test. The findings revealed that CAB, but not CAR, significantly predicted current MDD status (OR = 0.70, 95% CI [0.53, 0.93]), an effect that remained after controlling for aerobic fitness and body mass index. Although CAB was found to be a significant predictor of current MDD status among a sample of young adults, there remained substantial variation in autonomic control that was not captured by the traditional model of reciprocal autonomic balance.

Keywords: autonomic nervous system; cardiac autonomic balance; depression; physical health.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Distribution of normalized RSA (zRSA) and PEP (−zPEP) scores across the sample of young adults with and without a current diagnosis of MDD. High and low CAB scores are represented by the reciprocal parasympathetic and reciprocal sympathetic quadrants, respectively, while high and low CAR scores are represented by the coactivation and coinhibition quadrants. Although CAB was a significant predictor of current MDD, substantial variation remained that was not captured by the traditional model of reciprocal autonomic control
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
CAB and CAR values in individuals with and without current MDD. Data points and caps illustrate mean and standard errors for CAB and CAR by diagnostic group. Individuals with MDD had significantly lower CAB scores, reflective of reciprocal sympathetic dominance. No significant between-group differences were found for CAR
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Relationships between (a) depressive symptoms and CAB, and (b) cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) and CAB
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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