Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39639946›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP

Midlife heart rate variability and cognitive decline: A large longitudinal cohort study.

Vera K Jandackova, Shaun Scholes, Annie Britton, Andrew Steptoe

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Article in International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Heart Meets Brain: Insights into Neurocardiac Pathophysiology.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Vera K JandackovaDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Syllabova 19, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Shaun ScholesDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom.
Annie BrittonDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom.
Andrew SteptoeDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom.

Funding

Socioeconomic gradient in CHD in early old ageR01HL036310 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF LONDON · PI KIVIMAKI, MIKA J, MARMOT, MICHAEL G · 1986 to 2012
$3.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL036310
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Autonomic dysfunction is common in dementia, yet its contribution to neurocognitive changes remains unknown. We investigated whether midlife cardiac vagal modulation, indexed by heart rate variability, associates with subsequent cognitive decline in adults without prior coronary heart disease or stroke. Methods: The sample comprised 2702 (1924 men) individuals initially aged 44-69 years from the UK Whitehall II cohort. Data from the fifth (1997-1999), seventh (2002-2004) and ninth (2007-2009) phases were analysed. Global cognitive function was ascertained from tests assessing memory, reasoning, vocabulary, and fluency. We used 12-lead-ECG-based heart rate variability measures, that primarily reflect vagal modulation (i.e. RMSSD and HF-HRV). Linear mixed-effects models and logistic regression were employed. Results: Results showed consistent associations between both vagally-mediated HRV measures and faster decline in global cognitive function. Specifically, low RMSSD and HF-HRV (lowest versus upper four quintiles) were associated with 0.07 SD (95% CI: -0.13, -0.01) and 0.06 SD (95% CI: -0.12, -0.004) accelerated 10-year cognitive decline after sociodemographic adjustments and faster decline in older ages. Further adjustments for lifestyle factors, medication use and other cardiometabolic conditions did not change the findings. Cognitive decline in individuals with low RMSSD and HF-HRV was estimated to progress 3 and 3.5 years faster per decade, respectively, compared to their counterparts. Additionally, participants with low RMSSD had 37% higher odds of low cognitive function (lowest quintile) at follow-up (OR 1.37: 95% CI,1.03, 1.80). Conclusion: Our findings support the aetiological significance of the autonomic nervous system, specifically vagal modulation, in the processes of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Low heart rate variability emerges as a potential biomarker indicative of acclerated cognitive decline that may extend over decades.

Indexed as

Aetiological significanceAutonomic nervous systemCognitive declineHeart rate variabilityLongitudinal cohort studies

Identifiers

PMID39639946
PMCPMC11617396

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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.