Key result
Working memory tasks link to a ~24-fold difference in cardiac autonomic state and neural geometry.
Why the study?
Does a working-memory task modulate cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry in healthy adults?
Observational (n=65)
Does a working-memory task modulate cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry in healthy adults?
Cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry are co-modulated by cognitive task phase rather than having a direct causal autonomic gating relationship.
Working-memory tasks co-modulate autonomic state and neural geometry in healthy adults; leaves open causal mechanisms and clinical relevance.
Using multimodal EEG–ECG–PPG–pupillometry recordings from 62–65 healthy adults during a digit-span working-memory task, we show that cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry are both systematically task-modulated, with a non-monotone, stage-shifted profile: the RMSSD-driven vagal proxy peaks during passive listening while neural trajectory efficiency peaks at the easiest active memory condition — a 24-fold rest-to-task difference. Direct autonomic–manifold coupling is modest and between-subject correlations are null, indicating co-modulation by task phase rather than causal autonomic gating.
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Robin Langell (2026) conducted an observational in Healthy adults (n=65). Digit-span working-memory task vs. Rest/passive listening was evaluated on Cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry. A digit-span working-memory task systematically modulated cardiac autonomic state and neural manifold geometry with a 24-fold rest-to-task difference, indicating co-modulation by task phase.
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