Circadian Contrasts in Heart Rate Variability Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in a Young Adult Cohort.
Prior research has demonstrated that individuals exposed to trauma have shown impaired autonomic function. We sought to determine if heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of impaired autonomic function, differed across periods of wake, rest, and sleep as a function of the level of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A sample of young adults (N = 209), 95 of whom met full criteria for current PTSD based on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS; Blake et al., 1995), were evaluated for ≈ 24 hr using actigraphy and electrocardiogram. Actigraphy data were categorized as active, rest, or sleep. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that individuals with high PTSD symptom severity had lower high-frequency HRV than individuals with low PTSD symptom severity during periods of sleep, t(1083) = 2.20, p = .028, Cohen's d = 0.12. No differences were found during periods of activity, t(1083) = 1.34, p = .499, d = 0.05, or rest, t(1083) = 1.34, p = .180, d = 0.09. Our findings extended the import of prior studies to suggest that those with elevated PTSD symptoms may have decreased parasympathetic control during sleep. Moreover, relative to periods of wake and rest, sleep may represent a state of increased vulnerability for decreased parasympathetic cardiac control. Individuals with elevated PTSD symptoms may benefit from early screening for detection of cardiovascular disease.
Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Region Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Michelle B
MB
Rissling
Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Paul A
PA
Dennis
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Lana L
LL
Watkins
Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Region Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Durham Veterans Affairs Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Patrick S
PS
Calhoun
Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Region Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Michelle F
MF
Dennis
Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Region Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Jean C
JC
Beckham
Department of Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Junichiro
J
Hayano
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. christi.ulmer@va.gov.|Durham Veterans Affairs Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham, North Carolina, USA. christi.ulmer@va.gov.
Christi S
CS
Ulmer
D056044:Actigraphy; D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult