1. Anxiety is related to slower RSA oscillation during stress response and regulation.
- Author
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Zhang, Chen, Lu, Junshi, Gao, Guosong, Cui, Jinshi, Li, Man, Zang, Yinyin, Yang, Jiongjiong, and Wang, Li
- Subjects
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PARASYMPATHETIC nervous system , *SINUS arrhythmia , *PATHOLOGICAL psychology , *EMOTION regulation , *PHYSIOLOGY - Abstract
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of the parasympathetic nervous system activity, has been considered indicative of stress response and emotion regulation. However, the relationship between RSA and anxiety remains inconclusive, partly because previous research has primarily focused on static RSA levels. In this nonclinical sample (N = 75, Mage = 20.89 ± 1.72 SD, 48 males), we used a damped oscillator model to characterize RSA dynamics across 30‐s epochs while participants completed the Trier social stress test. Results showed that RSA constantly oscillated during the three periods of TSST (namely Rest, Stress, and Recovery). Importantly, slower RSA oscillation in the Stress period was related to elevated state anxiety, whereas in the Recovery period, it was related to higher trait anxiety. These findings demonstrated the dynamic nature of RSA during the whole course of stress response. Slower RSA oscillation may indicate inflexible and tardy physiological regulation which may give rise to anxiety issues. Compared to static perspectives on aberrant autonomic arousal and psychopathology, our findings revealed the homeostatic dynamics underlying physiological regulation during stress responses. We found respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) spontaneously oscillated over time to rapidly modulate internal resources in response to contextual demands. Consequently, slower RSA oscillation, indicative of vagal inflexibility, suggested risks of stress dysregulation such as anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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