title: Exploring the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and momentary heart rate variability.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Research, Durham, NC 27705, United States. Electronic address: kimberly.green@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Kimberly T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, United States.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Research, Durham, NC 27705, United States.
authors.forename: Lydia C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Andrea L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hobkirk
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Terrell A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Lana L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1.Kawasumi,Mizuho-cho,Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sherwood
authors.affiliation: Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Calhoun
authors.affiliation: Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Jean C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Beckham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Heart rate variability; Posttraumatic stress disorder