Biomaterial Database

Exploring the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and momentary heart rate variability. 2016

Kimberly T Green, and Paul A Dennis, and Lydia C Neal, and Andrea L Hobkirk, and Terrell A Hicks, and Lana L Watkins, and Junichiro Hayano, and Andrew Sherwood, and Patrick S Calhoun, and Jean C Beckham

Institute of Medical Research, Durham, NC 27705, United States. Electronic address: kimberly.green@duke.edu.

OBJECTIVE Exposure to trauma-related cues has been associated with a prolonged decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) under laboratory conditions, however the relationship between PTSD symptoms and HRV has not been evaluated during everyday life. The present study sought to determine whether Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms reported during everyday life were related to reduced HRV. METHODS Eighty-three young adults with PTSD underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring, during which PTSD symptoms were measured using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Multilevel modeling was used to examine the association between PTSD symptom severity and low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) HRV. RESULTS PTSD symptoms were associated with reductions in LF HRV, independently of age and activity level. There was no significant association between PTSD symptom levels and HF HRV. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that an association between momentary PTSD symptom severity and reduced LF HRV is significant and observable in young adults with PTSD. Findings highlight the need for cardiovascular screening in young adults with PTSD and early interventions that target physiological reactivity in PTSD.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D003463	Cues	Signals for an action; that specific portion of a perceptual field or pattern of stimuli to which a subject has learned to respond.	Cue
D005260	Female		Females
D006339	Heart Rate	The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute.	Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D012720	Severity of Illness Index	Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder.	Illness Index Severities,Illness Index Severity
D013313	Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic	A class of traumatic stress disorders with symptoms that last more than one month.	Moral Injury,Neuroses, Post-Traumatic,PTSD,Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders,Acute Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Delayed Onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Neuroses, Posttraumatic,Posttraumatic Stress Disorders,Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic,Stress Disorders, Posttraumatic,Acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,Delayed Onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,Injury, Moral,Moral Injuries,Neuroses, Post Traumatic,Post Traumatic Stress Disorders,Post-Traumatic Neuroses,Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Posttraumatic Neuroses,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic,Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic
D055815	Young Adult	A person between 19 and 24 years of age.	Adult, Young,Adults, Young,Young Adults