Oscillatory Coupling Between Neural and Cardiac Rhythms
研究了心脏节律（高频心率变异性）与大脑神经振荡之间的相位-振幅耦合，发现心脏对大脑的影响强于大脑对心脏，提示心脏节律可能调节神经活动，对心理健康有启示。
Oscillations serve a critical role in organizing biological systems. In the brain, oscillatory coupling is a fundamental mechanism of communication. The possibility that neural oscillations interact directly with slower physiological rhythms (e.g., heart rate, respiration) is largely unexplored and may have important implications for psychological functioning. Oscillations in heart rate, an aspect of heart rate variability (HRV), show remarkably robust associations with psychological health. Mather and Thayer proposed coupling between high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV) and neural oscillations as a mechanism that partially accounts for such relationships. We tested this hypothesis by measuring phase-amplitude coupling between HF-HRV and neural oscillations in 37 healthy adults at rest. Robust coupling was detected in all frequency bands. Granger causality analyses indicated stronger heart-to-brain than brain-to-heart effects in all frequency bands except gamma. These findings suggest that cardiac rhythms play a causal role in modulating neural oscillations, which may have important implications for mental health.