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BIOTRAC-2: Investigating the link between heart rate variability and cognitive control over long-term memory using biofeedback
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Description: Vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) is the natural fluctuation of the heartbeat underlying the regulatory interaction between the brain and the heart which is evoked by parasympathetic influences of the autonomous nervous system. The neurovisceral integration model theorizes that cardiac and cognitive regulatory mechanisms are linked as they recruit similar brain networks. This theory has been supported by numerous studies demonstrating a robust link between vmHRV and components of cognitive control such as inhibition and working memory. Preliminary findings indicate that vmHRV is also tied to cognitive control over memory. However, previous studies concentrated almost entirely on correlation analyses based on resting-state vmHRV measures. Little is known about how vmHRV assessed to during task execution relates to task performance. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no study has so far proposed a design to test the causal relationship between vmHRV and cognitive control by manipulating vmHRV. The latter can be non-invasively achieved by using biofeedback. In this line, subjects exercise self-regulation, typically by applying slow breathing techniques, in order to maximize vmHRV. Previous studies demonstrated that a short training induction can cause effects that last shortly after training. In this study, we propose a novel paradigm based on HRV biofeedback to investigate the link between vmHRV and cognitive control over memory through manipulation of vmHRV. Cognitive control over memory will be assessed using an adapted false memory paradigm. The study pursues four objectives: Correlation between vmHRV and cognitive control 1) Corroboration of the hypothesis that cognitive control is related with vmHRV at rest and during cognitive processing by replicating and extending previous results. HRV biofeedback stimulation Physiological analysis: 2) Feasibility check whether short-duration HRV biofeedback is suitable to increase vmHRV during subsequent memory processing (i.e., encoding, recognition). Behavioral analysis: 3) Test whether short-duration HRV biofeedback improves cognitive control over memory during memory processing. Psychophysiological analysis: 4) Investigate whether changes in vmHRV mediate changes in cognitive control over memory. Pre-registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/EDHPC