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Associations between Resting Heart Rate Variability, Depressive Symptoms, and Autobiographical Memory Specificity

Feeling, Nicole
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440111823

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Heart rate variability (HRV), depression symptoms, and reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) have all been independently found to have associations with inhibitory control capacity and executive functioning. Inhibitory control is the ability to effectively inhibit the processing of distracting information in order to achieve a specific goal. Inhibitory control is thought to be able to be depleted, and can be exhausted through cognitively demanding tasks. One index of inhibitory control is vagally-mediated high frequency (HF) HRV, which reflects parasympathetic activity. Vagally-mediated HF-HRV is found to be positively correlated to inhibitory control. Interestingly, depression is characterized by a variety of cognitive deficits and biases, including reduced inhibitory control and reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS). Individuals with reduced AMS tend to recall and describe events from their past in a vague, over-general manner. Reduced AMS has been associated with poor prognosis in depression, and delayed recovery from depressive episodes. While both depression and AMS have relations to inhibitory control capacity, the relation between HRV and AMS has not yet been investigated, and certainly not the interaction of HRV, AMS, and depressive symptoms. To assess this relationship, participants (N=120) included in the study were given the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and also completed measures of resting HRV via electrocardiogram (ECG). Half of the participants were assigned to a condition of increased cognitive load (memorizing a six-digit number). Regression analysis showed that the interaction between HRV measures, BDI, and AMS was significant in the increased load condition such that HF-HRV moderated the relation between depressive symptoms and AMS. Specifically, lower baseline vagally-mediated HF-HRV moderated the effect of depressive symptoms on the number of specific memories such that greater depressive symptoms were associated with fewer specific memories on the AMT. The same interaction was not significant in the lower-load condition. These findings indicate that AMS is not only related to depressive symptoms and executive control, but also to HRV. Specifically these results show that after increased cognitive load, HRV and depressive symptoms interact to predict individuals who are more likely to experience reduced AMS. Given that reduced AMS predicts delayed recovery among depressed patients, a better understanding of the role of self-regulatory capacity, as indexed by measures of inhibitory control and resting HF-HRV on depression symptomatology as well as reduced AMS, might reveal targets for improving treatments.
Michael Vasey (Advisor)
Julian Thayer (Advisor)
Amelia Aldao (Committee Member)
56 p.
Psychology
Autobiographical Memory; Heart Rate Variability; Depression;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Feeling, N. (2015). Associations between Resting Heart Rate Variability, Depressive Symptoms, and Autobiographical Memory Specificity [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440111823

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Feeling, Nicole. Associations between Resting Heart Rate Variability, Depressive Symptoms, and Autobiographical Memory Specificity. 2015. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440111823.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Feeling, Nicole. "Associations between Resting Heart Rate Variability, Depressive Symptoms, and Autobiographical Memory Specificity." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440111823

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.