ReviewFrontiers in psychology2017
Heart Rate Variability and Cardiac Vagal Tone in Psychophysiological Research - Recommendations for Experiment Planning, Data Analysis, and Data Reporting.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 6 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 986 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neurovegetative Decoupling in the Visceral-brain Axis and Cognitive-emotional Vulnerability in Somatoform Disorders : Interest of Vagal Biofeedback
Effects of Osteopathy in Autonomic Nervous System: a Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of Community-Based Biofeedback Program on Drug Use and Mental Health Among People Experiencing Homelessness
Support for Cancer Patients Awaiting News (SCAN Study): Pilot Testing a Stress Management Program
Probing the Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback as an Innovative and Non-invasive Treatment for Functional Neurological Disorders Guided by a Multimodal Approach of Autonomic Nervous System.
Heart Rate Variability and Processed EEG Features as Predictors of Postoperative Outcomes After Cranial Neurosurgery - A Prospective Observational Study in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
Who cites it
986 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Accuracy of Photoplethysmography-Derived Pulse Rate Variability Compared with Electrocardiography-Derived Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of controlled, acute exposure to air pollutants on heart rate variability in humans: a meta-regression and methodological recommendations.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of blood flow restriction training on cardiovascular autonomic function in middle-aged and older adults: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Emotion regulation in children and adolescents: a systematic review and quality assessment of behavioral and physiological assessment methods and their theoretical foundations.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Bio-behavioral Interventions for Cardiovascular Diseases Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review on Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback and Nutrition.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of heart rate variability and menopausal vasomotor symptoms.Physiological reports · 2026Pooled it
- Wearable-Derived Heart Rate Variability Across the Menstrual Cycle, Hormonal Contraceptive Use, and Reproductive Life Stages in Females: A Living Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Investigation of Heart Rate Variability Indices in Motion Sickness.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Association Between Physical Activity, Heart Rate Variability and Major Depressive Disorders: An Umbrella Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Pooled it
- Neurocardiac Autonomic Dysfunction in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.European journal of neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Heart rate variability as a dual-use digital biomarker: integrating clinical, AI, and operational perspectives on human performance and resilience.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of PM2.5 Reduction Interventions on Cardiovascular Indicators: A Meta-analysis.Cardiovascular toxicology · 2025Pooled it
- An Overview of Stress Analysis Based on Physiological Signals: Systematic Review of Open Datasets and Current Trends.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Exercise and Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of a 4-week combined breathing control and self-talk intervention on neural activity and coping skills in athletes: a randomized control trial.BMC psychology · 2026Trial
- A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Trial
- Supramaximal high-intensity interval training improves heart rate variability in older adults: A randomized controlled trial.Physiological reports · 2026Trial
- Resonance frequency versus fixed 0.1 Hz breathing in HRV biofeedback: a four-week randomized comparison.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- The Impact of BWM-T Versus Brief Mindfulness Induction on Stress, Anxiety and Self-Efficacy in University Students: Immediate and Short-Term Outcomes of RCT on Psychological Well-Being and Autonomic Balance.Brain and behavior · 2026Trial
926 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Psychophysiological research integrating heart rate variability (HRV) has increased during the last two decades, particularly given the fact that HRV is able to index cardiac vagal tone. Cardiac vagal tone, which represents the contribution of the parasympathetic nervous system to cardiac regulation, is acknowledged to be linked with many phenomena relevant for psychophysiological research, including self-regulation at the cognitive, emotional, social, and health levels. The ease of HRV collection and measurement coupled with the fact it is relatively affordable, non-invasive and pain free makes it widely accessible to many researchers. This ease of access should not obscure the difficulty of interpretation of HRV findings that can be easily misconstrued, however, this can be controlled to some extent through correct methodological processes. Standards of measurement were developed two decades ago by a Task Force within HRV research, and recent reviews updated several aspects of the Task Force paper. However, many methodological aspects related to HRV in psychophysiological research have to be considered if one aims to be able to draw sound conclusions, which makes it difficult to interpret findings and to compare results across laboratories. Those methodological issues have mainly been discussed in separate outlets, making difficult to get a grasp on them, and thus this paper aims to address this issue. It will help to provide psychophysiological researchers with recommendations and practical advice concerning experimental designs, data analysis, and data reporting. This will ensure that researchers starting a project with HRV and cardiac vagal tone are well informed regarding methodological considerations in order for their findings to contribute to knowledge advancement in their field.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.