Search Papers | Poster Sessions | All Posters
Poster C150 in Poster Session C - Friday, August 9, 2024, 11:15 am – 1:15 pm, Johnson Ice Rink
Modulating Hippocampal Activity and Connectivity with HRV biofeedback: Interplay between Emotion Regulation and Memory Control
Huan Zhang1 (), Siyang Li1, Chunling Zhang1, Chaoliang Sun1, Yongfu Hao1, Yu Zhang1; 1Zhejiang Lab
This study investigated the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on emotional and memory functions in humans. HRV biofeedback, which involves adjusting respiratory rate and breathing patterns, has proven effective in regulating emotions by targeting the limbic system. The present study sought to investigate the impact of HRV interventions on memory functions instead. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data during an emotion regulation task from 51 young participants who underwent 5 weeks of HRV biofeedback training. When either up- or down-regulate emotions, we observed significant HRV-induced changes in the neural activity of amygdala, hippocampus (Hippo), anterior and posterior parahippocampal cortex (PHC). Notably, the anterior PHC was positively activated during up-regulation after HRV interventions. The change of task-evoked activity was associated with behavioral improvements in working memory. In contrast, the posterior PHC was negatively activated during down-regulation prior to the intervention but showed enhanced activity and psychophysiological interactions (PPI) connectivity with hippocamps and amygdala during down-regulation after the intervention, correlating with improved working memory performance post-HRV. The hippocampal connectivity of anterior PHC was negatively correlated with post-HRV working memory. These findings suggest that HRV biofeedback can effectively modify both emotion regulation process and working memory capacity through neural mechanisms involving the hippocampus and PHC and demonstrate critical but distinct roles of anterior of posterior PHC in emotion regulation. This highlights the therapeutic potential of HRV biofeedback to enhance emotional well-being and memory performance.
Keywords: Heart rate variability fMRI emotion regulation working memory