Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a non-invasive index of ‘brain-heart’ interaction in stress

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is accepted as a peripheral marker of cardiac-linked parasympathetic regulation. According to polyvagal theory, the RSA is also considered as the index of emotion regulation. The neurovisceral integration model posits that parasympathetic modulation of the heart marked by RSA is related to complex nervous regulation associated with emotional and cognitive processing. From this perspective, high resting RSA amplitude associated with a greater withdrawal during stressors and subsequent recovery could represent a flexible and adaptive physiological response system to a challenge. Conversely, low resting RSA accompanied by an inadequate reactivity to stress might reflect maladaptive regulatory mechanisms. The RSA reactivity is different with various types of stressors: while the RSA decreases to cognitive tasks indicating a vagal withdrawal, the RSA magnitude increases to emotional challenge indicating an effective cognitive processing of emotional stimuli. The RSA reactivity to stress could have important implications for several mental disorders, e.g. depressive or anxiety disorder. It seems that the study of the RSA, as a non-invasive index of ‘brain-heart’ communication, could provide important information on the pathway linked to mental and physical health.