. 2021 Jul;58(7):e13688.

doi: 10.1111/psyp.13688. Epub 2020 Oct 10.

Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis

Julian Koenig^{1

2}, Birgit Abler³, Ingrid Agartz^{4

5

6}, Torbjörn Åkerstedt^{7

8}, Ole A Andreassen^{4

9}, Mia Anthony¹⁰, Karl-Jürgen Bär¹¹, Katja Bertsch¹², Rebecca C Brown¹³, Romuald Brunner¹⁴, Luca Carnevali¹⁵, Hugo D Critchley¹⁶, Kathryn R Cullen¹⁷, Eco J C de Geus¹⁸, Feliberto de la Cruz¹¹, Isabel Dziobek¹⁹, Marc D Ferger³, Håkan Fischer²⁰, Herta Flor²¹, Michael Gaebler^{22

23}, Peter J Gianaros²⁴, Melita J Giummarra^{25

26}, Steven G Greening²⁷, Simon Guendelman²⁸, James A J Heathers²⁹, Sabine C Herpertz¹², Mandy X Hu³⁰, Sebastian Jentschke^{31

32}, Michael Kaess^{1

33}, Tobias Kaufmann^{4

9}, Bonnie Klimes-Dougan³⁴, Stefan Koelsch^{31

35}, Marlene Krauch¹², Deniz Kumral^{22

23}, Femke Lamers³⁰, Tae-Ho Lee³⁶, Mats Lekander^{7

8}, Feng Lin¹⁰, Martin Lotze³⁷, Elena Makovac^{38

39}, Matteo Mancini^{40

41}, Falk Mancke¹², Kristoffer N T Månsson^{20

42}, Stephen B Manuck²⁴, Mara Mather⁴³, Frances Meeten⁴⁴, Jungwon Min⁴⁵, Bryon Mueller¹⁷, Vera Muench¹³, Frauke Nees^{21

46}, Lin Nga⁴⁵, Gustav Nilsonne^{8

20}, Daniela Ordonez Acuna³¹, Berge Osnes^{35

47}, Cristina Ottaviani^{39

48}, Brenda W J H Penninx³⁰, Allison Ponzio⁴⁵, Govinda R Poudel⁴⁹, Janis Reinelt²², Ping Ren¹⁰, Michiko Sakaki^{50

51}, Andy Schumann¹¹, Lin Sørensen³⁵, Karsten Specht^{35

52}, Joana Straub¹³, Sandra Tamm^{8

20

53}, Michelle Thai¹⁷, Julian F Thayer⁵⁴, Benjamin Ubani⁵⁵, Denise J van der Mee¹⁸, Laura S van Velzen^{56

57

58}, Carlos Ventura-Bort⁵⁹, Arno Villringer^{22

23}, David R Watson⁶⁰, Luqing Wei⁶¹, Julia Wendt⁵⁹, Melinda Westlund Schreiner³⁴, Lars T Westlye^{4

9

62}, Mathias Weymar^{59

63}, Tobias Winkelmann²¹, Guo-Rong Wu⁶¹, Hyun Joo Yoo⁴⁵, Daniel S Quintana^{4

9}

Affiliations

¹ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
² Section for Experimental Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
⁴ Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
⁶ Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatric Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁷ Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁸ Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁹ Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁰ University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
¹¹ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
¹² Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
¹³ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
¹⁴ Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
¹⁵ Stress Physiology Lab, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
¹⁶ Psychiatry, BSMS Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
¹⁷ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
¹⁹ Department of Psychology, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany.
²⁰ Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
²¹ Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
²² Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
²³ MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
²⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
²⁵ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
²⁶ Caulfield Pain Management and Research Centre, Caulfield, VIC, Australia.
²⁷ Department of Psychology, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
²⁸ Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany.
²⁹ Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
³⁰ Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³¹ Cluster "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
³² Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
³³ Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
³⁵ Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
³⁶ Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
³⁷ Functional Imaging Unit, Center of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
³⁸ Centre for Neuroimaging Science, King's College London, London, UK.
³⁹ Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
⁴⁰ Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
⁴¹ Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
⁴² Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴³ Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴⁴ School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
⁴⁵ Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴⁶ Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
⁴⁷ Bjorgvin District Psychiatric Centre, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
⁴⁸ Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁴⁹ Behaviour Environment and Cognition Research Program, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁰ School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
⁵¹ Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan.
⁵² Department of Education, UiT/The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁵³ Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
⁵⁴ Department of Psychological Science, The University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵⁵ Boston University, School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Medical Center and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁵⁷ Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁸ Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁹ Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
⁶⁰ Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
⁶¹ Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
⁶² Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁶³ Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.

PMID: 33037836
DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13688

Free article

Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis

Julian Koenig et al. Psychophysiology. 2021 Jul.

Free article

. 2021 Jul;58(7):e13688.

doi: 10.1111/psyp.13688. Epub 2020 Oct 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
² Section for Experimental Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
⁴ Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
⁶ Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatric Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁷ Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁸ Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁹ Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁰ University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
¹¹ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
¹² Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
¹³ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
¹⁴ Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
¹⁵ Stress Physiology Lab, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
¹⁶ Psychiatry, BSMS Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
¹⁷ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Biological Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
¹⁹ Department of Psychology, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany.
²⁰ Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
²¹ Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
²² Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
²³ MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
²⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
²⁵ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
²⁶ Caulfield Pain Management and Research Centre, Caulfield, VIC, Australia.
²⁷ Department of Psychology, Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
²⁸ Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany.
²⁹ Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
³⁰ Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³¹ Cluster "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
³² Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
³³ Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
³⁵ Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
³⁶ Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
³⁷ Functional Imaging Unit, Center of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
³⁸ Centre for Neuroimaging Science, King's College London, London, UK.
³⁹ Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
⁴⁰ Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
⁴¹ Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
⁴² Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴³ Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴⁴ School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
⁴⁵ Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴⁶ Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
⁴⁷ Bjorgvin District Psychiatric Centre, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
⁴⁸ Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁴⁹ Behaviour Environment and Cognition Research Program, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁰ School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
⁵¹ Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan.
⁵² Department of Education, UiT/The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁵³ Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
⁵⁴ Department of Psychological Science, The University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵⁵ Boston University, School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Medical Center and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
⁵⁷ Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁸ Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵⁹ Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
⁶⁰ Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
⁶¹ Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
⁶² Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁶³ Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.

PMID: 33037836
DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13688

Abstract

Understanding the association between autonomic nervous system [ANS] function and brain morphology across the lifespan provides important insights into neurovisceral mechanisms underlying health and disease. Resting-state ANS activity, indexed by measures of heart rate [HR] and its variability [HRV] has been associated with brain morphology, particularly cortical thickness [CT]. While findings have been mixed regarding the anatomical distribution and direction of the associations, these inconsistencies may be due to sex and age differences in HR/HRV and CT. Previous studies have been limited by small sample sizes, which impede the assessment of sex differences and aging effects on the association between ANS function and CT. To overcome these limitations, 20 groups worldwide contributed data collected under similar protocols of CT assessment and HR/HRV recording to be pooled in a mega-analysis (N = 1,218 (50.5% female), mean age 36.7 years (range: 12-87)). Findings suggest a decline in HRV as well as CT with increasing age. CT, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex, explained additional variance in HRV, beyond the effects of aging. This pattern of results may suggest that the decline in HRV with increasing age is related to a decline in orbitofrontal CT. These effects were independent of sex and specific to HRV; with no significant association between CT and HR. Greater CT across the adult lifespan may be vital for the maintenance of healthy cardiac regulation via the ANS-or greater cardiac vagal activity as indirectly reflected in HRV may slow brain atrophy. Findings reveal an important association between CT and cardiac parasympathetic activity with implications for healthy aging and longevity that should be studied further in longitudinal research.

Keywords: aging; autonomic nervous system; cortical thickness; heart rate; heart rate variability; sex.

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Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis

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Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis

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