title: High frequency heart-rate variability predicts adolescent depressive symptoms, particularly anhedonia, across one year.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few prospective studies examine the link between lower heart rate variability (HRV) and depression symptoms in adolescents. A recent animal model specifically links HRV to anhedonia, suggesting a potential translational model for human research.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the association between spectral measures of resting HRV and depressive symptoms measured one year later, among 73 adolescents, aged 11-18 years. We evaluated (1) the predictive power of relative high frequency (HF) HRV, relative low frequency (LF) and relative very low frequency (VLF) HRV for depressive symptoms; and (2) the relative strength of association between HF HRV and depressive symptomatology (anhedonia, negative mood, interpersonal problems, ineffectiveness, negative self-esteem).
  
  
  RESULTS
  HF HRV significantly predicted self-reported depressive symptoms across one year, controlling for age, puberty and sex. HF HRV was most strongly associated with anhedonia one year later, after considering other facets of depressive symptomatology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results provide support for the prospective relationship between relative HF HRV and depressive symptoms among adolescents across one year. Findings concur with rodent models that suggest a specific link between HF HRV and anhedonia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We investigated relative spectral power HF HRV and depressive symptom dimensions. We cannot make strong claims about these associations in clinical depression. Physical activity levels could be controlled in future work.
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Julia D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Blood
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Developmental Electrophysiology Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Tara M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chaplin
authors.affiliation: Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hommer
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Developmental Electrophysiology Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Helena J V
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience and CASAColumbia, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; CASAColumbia, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Developmental Electrophysiology Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Linda C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Mayes
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Program for Anxiety Disorders, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA; Developmental Electrophysiology Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address: michael.crowley@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crowley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D059445:Anhedonia; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012741:Sexual Maturation
keywords: Adolescence; Anhedonia; Depression; Heart rate variability; Time-frequency analysis