Table 4 Heart rate variability in the study groups.

From: Autonomic function in amnestic and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment: spectral heart rate variability analysis provides evidence for a brain–heart axis

 

CN (n = 78)

aMCI (n = 82)

naMCI (n = 93)

P-value†

Q

P-value‡

Q

RR interval (ms)

       

 Baseline

938.6 (126.3)

941.5 (166.4)

909.9 (135.5)

0.272

0.466

0.433

0.539

 Standing

875.5 (129.7)

886.8 (151.2)

865.8 (122.2)

0.693

0.751

0.857

0.857

 Δ Standing

− 63.1 (74.3)

− 54.7 (102.4)

− 44.1 (72.1)

0.365

0.505

0.135

0.231

LFn (n.u)

       

 Baseline

60.5 (16.3)

61.9 (17.2)

59.0 (14.5)

0.751

0.751

0.587

0.640

 Standing

74.8 (13.0)

62.9 (18.5)

76.0 (13.7)

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 Δ Standing

14.3 (10.4)

1.0 (11.6)

17.0 (11.2)

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

LF/HF

       

 Baseline

2.2 (1.8)

2.5 (2.3)

1.8 (1.2)

0.379

0.505

0.308

0.462

 Standing

4.3 (3.3)

2.8 (2.7)

5.0 (4.0)

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 Δ Standing

2.2 (2.3)

0.3 (2.2)

3.2 (3.3)

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

HF (ms2)

       

 Baseline

201.3 (326.9)

288.1 (529.6)

187.9 (284.0)

0.667

0.751

0.449

0.539

 Standing

87.2 (145.5)

278.0 (575.6)

87.0 (154.9)

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 < 0.001a***,b***

 < 0.001

 Δ Standing

− 114.1 (254.2)

− 10.1 (227.7)

− 100.9 (188.5)

0.002a*,b**

0.004

0.102

0.204

  1. HRV indices expressed as mean (standard deviation). Statistical analyses performed on log10- transformed values except for Δ HF standing (untransformed).
  2. CN, cognitively normal (controls); aMCI, amnestic mild cognitive impairment; naMCI, non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment; n.u, normalised units; LFn, low frequency power (normalised); LF/HF, ratio of low frequency power (LF) to high frequency power (HF); Δ standing, standing HRV index—baseline HRV index.
  3. †ANOVA for all HRV indices except Δ HF standing (Kruskall-Wallis test).
  4. ‡ANCOVA for all HRV indices except Δ HF standing (non parametric regression). All post-hoc pairwise comparisons performed with Bonferroni correction. Q indicates P-values corrected for multiple testing with the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure with a 5% False Discovery Rate (FDR).
  5. aSignificant difference between aMCI and naMCI, bSignificant difference between aMCI and CN, ***P ≤ 0.001, **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05.
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