Heart rate variability indices including SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF, LF, VLF, SD1, and SampEn were significantly lower and LF/HF ratio was significantly higher during resting and sleep states in patients with major depressive disorder compared to healthy controls, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity and altered autonomic nervous system function.
Cross-Sectional (n=60)
No
Does major depressive disorder reduce heart rate variability during sleep and resting states compared to healthy controls?
Major depressive disorder is associated with a generalized reduction in heart rate variability and decreased dynamic autonomic changes during sleep, highlighting autonomic nervous system dysfunction in its pathology.
p-value: p=<0.05 for significant differences in HRV indices
Abstract Objective: Low heart rate variability (HRV) levels may be a susceptibility factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). Sleep-state HRV may be more likely to reveal the pathological features of MDD compared with resting state HRV (RS-HRV). This study aimed to elucidate HRV alterations in the sleep states of patients with MDD. Methods: Physiological signal data from the resting state before sleep, first non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) stages, and last NREM and REM stages were acquired using polysomnography. Results: The RS-HRV indices (the standard deviation SD of all normal-to-normal NN intervals SDNN, the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of the differences between adjacent NN intervals RMSSD, the percentage difference between adjacent NN intervals >50 ms pNN50, high-frequency HF, low-frequency LF, very low frequency VLF, SD1, and sample entropy SampEn) were lower in patients with MDD than in healthy controls (HCs). Patients with MDD had lower SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF, LF, VLF, SD1, SD2, and SampEn and higher SD2/SD1, α1, and α2 than HCs in the NREM stage. They also had lower SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF, LF, VLF, SD1, SD2, and SampEn and higher LF/HF than HCs in the REM stage. Fewer indices changed significantly during different sleep stages in patients with MDD than in HCs. Conclusions: Patients with MDD had a generalized reduction in HRV in both RS and sleep state and decreased dynamic changes during sleep. Altered autonomic nervous system activity has been implicated in MDD pathology.
Chen et al. (Mon,) conducted a cross-sectional in Adults aged 18-44 years with major depressive disorder diagnosed per DSM-5 criteria and HAMD 24 score ≥20, compared to healthy controls with HAMD 24 score <8 (n=60). Heart rate variability measurement during resting state and sleep state (NREM and REM stages) vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on Heart rate variability indices measured in resting state and sleep states (NREM and REM stages) (p=<0.05 for significant differences in HRV indices). Heart rate variability indices including SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF, LF, VLF, SD1, and SampEn were significantly lower and LF/HF ratio was significantly higher during resting and sleep states in patients with major depressive disorder compared to healthy controls, indicating reduced parasympathetic activity and altered autonomic nervous system function.