Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39924637›Full record

ArticleApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback2025

Effects of A Brief Resonance Frequency Breathing Exercise on Heart Rate Variability and Inhibitory Control in the Context of Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

David M Spalding, Toni Ejoor, Xiaochang Zhao, Daniele Bomarsi, Martina Ciliberti, Cristina Ottaviani, Milan Valášek, Colette Hirsch, Hugo D Critchley, Frances Meeten

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

David M SpaldingDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4091-8823
Toni EjoorDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Xiaochang ZhaoDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Daniele BomarsiDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Martina CilibertiDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Cristina OttavianiDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Milan ValášekFaculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Bauhaus University Weimar, Weimar, Germany.
Colette HirschDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Hugo D CritchleyDepartment of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Frances MeetenDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. frances.2.meeten@kcl.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with cognitive and physiological symptoms including uncontrollable worry, inhibitory control deficits, and low heart rate variability (HRV). Literature linking HRV and inhibition in GAD is predominantly correlational. The present experiment investigated whether HRV has a causal role in maintaining inhibitory control. Participants (N = 135, 111 female) aged 18-37 reporting high levels of symptoms associated with GAD (GAD-7 scores ≥ 10; Penn State Worry Questionnaire scores ≥ 56) were assigned to an experimental or active control condition and completed baseline measures of HRV, respiration rate, and inhibitory control. The experimental condition completed resonance frequency breathing (RFB) training, and the control condition practiced breathing at their mean breathing rate before repeating the inhibitory control assessment. Participants also completed the breathing training before a behavioural worry task. The experimental condition was predicted to show increased HRV, alongside improved inhibitory control and better ability to stop worrying as compared to the control condition. HRV increased during the experimental condition, as compared to the control condition. However, there were no significant effects of RFB on inhibitory control or worry, or on HRV during the inhibitory control tasks. In conclusion, RFB can increase HRV in high GAD scorers, but further research is required to determine whether there is a relationship between increased HRV and symptoms of GAD in a single session experiment.

Indexed as

Anxiety DisordersBreathing ExercisesExecutive FunctionHeart RateInhibition, PsychologicalRespiratory RateAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultGeneralised anxiety disorderHeart rate variabilityInhibitory controlResonance frequency breathingWorry

Identifiers

PMID39924637
PMCPMC12081530

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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.