Sympathetic Vagal Balance and Cognitive Performance in Young Adults during the NIH Cognitive Test

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Healthy adults without cognitive impairment (n=62). Intervention: NIH Cognitive Test (Picture Sequence, Dimensional Change Card Sort, Flanker, and List Sorting) vs. Control session (resting) or lower performance quartiles. Primary outcome: Increase in ECG LF/HF ratio associated with cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort Test ≥75th percentile) (R2 = 0.98, p=0.007).

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Higher sympathetic vagal tone, indicated by an increased ECG LF/HF ratio, is significantly associated with better performance in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control tasks among healthy young adults. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Jinhyun Lee; Richard K. Shields

doi:10.3390/jfmk7030059

August 18, 2022Journal of Functional Morphology and KinesiologyOpen Access

Sympathetic Vagal Balance and Cognitive Performance in Young Adults during the NIH Cognitive Test

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Key result

Higher ECG LF/HF ratio links to better cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control in young adults.

R2 = 0.98
P=0.007
n=62

Figures

Why the study?

Autonomic nervous system arousal measured by ECG has received attention due to its link with cerebral perfusion during cognitive function, but whether heart rate variation and sympathetic vagal tone increase during cognitive performance required determination.

Does physiological arousal (estimated by ECG LF/HF ratio) increase during the NIH Cognitive Test and correlate with cognitive performance in young adults?

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=62)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does physiological arousal (estimated by ECG LF/HF ratio) increase during the NIH Cognitive Test and correlate with cognitive performance in young adults?

P

Population

62 healthy young adults aged 18-31 (mean age 23.5, 50% female) without cognitive impairment underwent the NIH Cognitive Test.

E

Exposure

NIH Cognitive Test administration (Picture Sequence, Dimensional Change Card Sort, Flanker, and List Sorting)

C

Comparator

Control condition (sitting for 30 minutes without testing) in a subset of 8 subjects; also comparison across cognitive performance quartiles for the main cohort.

O

Outcome

Heart rate variation (SDNN) and sympathetic vagal balance (LF/HF ratio) measured via ECGsurrogate

Main Result

Effect estimate: R2 = 0.98

p-value: p=0.007

Sympathetic vagal arousal during cognitive tasks is associated with enhanced performance in inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility among healthy young adults.

Limitations

No actual blood flow measurements
Did not quantify participant blood pressure, hormonal levels, hydration, diet, or sleep
Cross-sectional design rather than longitudinal
Exact physiological interpretation of the LF/HF ratio remains controversial
Small sample size
Lack of actual blood flow, blood pressure, hormonal, and lifestyle measurements
Cross-sectional design limits causal inference
Controversy over exact interpretation of LF/HF ratio

Implication

Supports autonomic-cognition links in young adults; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.

Abstract

Compromised cognitive function is associated with increased mortality and increased healthcare costs. Autonomic nervous system arousal, as measured by an electrocardiogram (ECG), has received recent attention because of its association with the blood perfusion of brain regions involved with cognitive function. The purposes of this study were to determine whether the ECG HR variation, as measured by the standard deviation of the heart rate N-to-N intervals (SDNN), and sympathetic vagal tone, as estimated by the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), are increased with cognitive performance during the NIH Cognitive Test (Picture Sequence, Dimensional Change Card Sort, Flanker, and List Sorting). A total of 62 young people without cognitive impairment participated in this study. We discovered that the ECG LF/HF ratio was increased in the top 50% of participants who could: (1) inhibit information and stay attentive to a desired task during the Flanker Test; (U = 329, p = 0.03; R2 = 0.76); and (2) promote cognitive function flexibility during the DCCS Test; (U = 55, p = 0.007; R2 = 0.98). Taken together, these findings support that the arousal level influences performance during a cognitive test.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Lee et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy adults without cognitive impairment (n=62). NIH Cognitive Test (Picture Sequence, Dimensional Change Card Sort, Flanker, and List Sorting) vs. Control session (resting) or lower performance quartiles was evaluated on Increase in ECG LF/HF ratio associated with cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort Test ≥75th percentile) (R2 = 0.98, p=0.007). Higher sympathetic vagal tone (ECG LF/HF ratio) was significantly associated with better performance in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control tasks among healthy young adults.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a6f585ece524a4339c34fb7 https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk7030059

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Sympathetic Vagal Balance and Cognitive Performance in Young Adults during the NIH Cognitive Test

Figures

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Sympathetic Vagal Balance and Cognitive Performance in Young Adults during the NIH Cognitive Test

Figures

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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