Key result
Increased executive demand decreased behavioral performance in both age groups, while high frequency HRV was suppressed during inhibition and working memory tasks in adults, but only during moderate working memory load in children.
Why the study?
Does increased executive function load alter phasic high frequency heart rate variability and task performance in children compared to adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=59)
Does increased executive function load alter phasic high frequency heart rate variability and task performance in children compared to adults?
High frequency phasic HRV is sensitive to executive function tasks with time-response pressure, showing differential suppression patterns between children and adults.
Age-specific phasic HF-HRV responses to executive load warrant caution in pediatric applications; leaves open developmental mechanisms of mental effort.
The current study examines similarity or disparity of a frontally mediated physiological response of mental effort among multiple executive functioning tasks between children and adults. Task performance and phasic heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded in children (6 to 10 years old) and adults in an examination of age differences in executive functioning skills during periods of increased demand. Executive load levels were varied by increasing the difficulty levels of three executive functioning tasks: inhibition (IN), working memory (WM), and planning/problem solving (PL). Behavioral performance decreased in all tasks with increased executive demand in both children and adults. Adults' phasic high frequency HRV was suppressed during the management of increased IN and WM load. Children's phasic HRV was suppressed during the management of moderate WM load. HRV was not suppressed during either children's or adults' increasing load during the PL task. High frequency phasic HRV may be most sensitive to executive function tasks that have a time-response pressure, and simply requiring performance on a self-paced task requiring frontal lobe activation may not be enough to generate HRV responsitivity to increasing demand.
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Byrd et al. (2015) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=59). Increased executive function load vs. Low executive function load was evaluated on Phasic high frequency heart rate variability (HRV) and behavioral performance. Increased executive demand decreased behavioral performance in both age groups, while high frequency HRV was suppressed during inhibition and working memory tasks in adults, but only during moderate working memory load in children.
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