UC Irvine

Previous research suggests that higher heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with better cognitive function. However, since most previous findings on the relationship between HRV and cognitive function were correlational in nature, it is unclear whether individual differences in HRV play a causal role in cognitive performance. To investigate whether there are causal relationships, we used a simple breathing manipulation that increases HRV through a 5-week HRV biofeedback intervention and examined whether this manipulation improves cognitive performance in younger and older adults (N = 165). The 5-week HRV biofeedback intervention did not significantly improve inhibitory control, working memory and processing speed across age groups. However, improvement in the Flanker score (a measure of inhibition) was associated with the amplitude of heart rate oscillations during practice sessions in the younger and older intervention groups. Our results suggest that daily practice to increase heart rate oscillations may improve inhibitory control, but future studies using longer intervention periods are warranted to replicate the present finding.